Economista presso l’Ufficio Industry Research della Direzione Studi e Ricerche di Intesa Sanpaolo. Laureata in Discipline Economiche presso l’Università Cattaneo di Varese. Svolge attività di ricerca nell’ambito dell’economia industriale, in particolare sui settori del sistema moda e sui territori di Toscana e Umbria.
Economist within the Industry Research Office of the Intesa Sanpaolo Research Department. Graduated in Economics at Cattaneo University in Varese. Sara carries out research in the field of industrial economics, in particular on the fashion system and on the territories of Tuscany and Umbria.
Industry Office manager – Studies and Research direction of Intesa Sanpaolo
STEFANIA TRENTI è Responsabile dell’Ufficio Industry della Direzione Studi e Ricerche di Intesa Sanpaolo. Autore di diverse pubblicazioni, svolge attività di ricerca nell’ambito dell’economia industriale, in particolare sui temi della competitività e dell’innovazione tecnologica. E’ responsabile del Rapporto “Analisi dei Settori Industriali”, semestrale di previsione sui settori manifatturieri italiani, in collaborazione con Prometeia.
Industry Office manager – Studies and Research direction of Intesa Sanpaolo
Stefania Trenti, graduated in Economics from the Bocconi University of Milan; she obtained an M.A. in Economic Analysis from the Strasbourg University. Since 1998, she has worked as an industrial economist at the Research Department of Intesa Sanpaolo, where she is Head of the Industry Office. Her main interests are international trade, technological innovation and environmental economics. She has authored numerous papers and articles in these areas.
Introduction
Titanium alloys are known for their high mechanical strength, low density and high corrosion resistance. Therefore, their application is mainly in the field of aerospace industry, but also in medicine as implant material. The alloy Ti-6Al-4V, also known as Grade 5 titanium is the most widely used alloy. Other titanium-based alloys are the intermetallic compounds NiTi, known as Nitinol®, which is used for its superplasticity as stent material or as actuator. Another important alloy is the intermetallic compound TiAl, which is used in aircraft turbine engines.
The excellent and outstanding properties of these alloys are opposed by the difficulties in manufacturing titanium alloys. The high chemical reactivity of titanium melts allows only cold-walled crucible melting techniques such as vacuum arc melting.
Induction melting and casting was so far compromised by crucible reactions [1-4]. A very recent review on crucibles for induction melting of titanium alloys can be found in [4]. Conventional crucible materials such as alumina or quartz are not suitable due to the decomposition of the ceramic in contact with the titanium melt. Even high stability refractories such as zirconia or yttria, which are used as crucible coatings, are not stable enough [3].
A new ceramic material based on calcium zirconate (CaZrO3) [1, 5-7] was recently introduced. Calcium zirconate is a synthetic ceramic material that is produced by melting a stoichiometric mixture of calcia and zirconia in an arc furnace (fused CaZrO3). Alternatively, it can be produced by in-situ reactive sintering. Calcium zirconate shows very promising properties as crucible as well as shell mold material. The present paper provides a comparison of a standard investment with yttria front coat compared to the new, silica-free shell mold and crucibles based on calcium zirconate.
Experimental
Crucibles
The production of the crucibles was in line with the procedure described by Schafföner et al. [8]. The crucibles were manufactured by cold isostatic pressing with two types of molding material consisting of pure fused CaZrO3 (Type A) or CaZrO3 with amounts of ZrO2 and CaO3 (Type D) for an in situ reaction [9]. A mandrel of steel was used to obtain the inner shape of the crucible. After decompressing and drying of the green ceramic crucibles they were fired at 1650°C for 6 h. Typical crucibles are shown in Figure 1 (left).
To produce crucibles for centrifugal casting a CaZrO3 slurry was used to prepare a functional coating on a commercial crucible of aluminum titanate (Porzellanfabrik Hermsdorf, Germany). The coating was fired at 1450°C to avoid cracks through different thermal expansion coefficients between the stucco and the coating of the crucible. Typical crucibles are shown in Figure 1 (right).
Shell molds
The shell molds were processed from standard wax trees according to the procedure described in [1]. The wax parts and the tree setup for centrifugal casting shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, respectively. At wax trees for tilt casting the parts were mounted at two levels of four parts each (Figure 5).
Wax trees were dipped into a calcium zirconate slurry followed by the application of calcium zirconate stucco. Six layers were applied, three fine grained and 3 coarse grained. The dipping was practiced in 2 layers per day. Each layer was dried for at least 5 h before the following layer was applied. Careful drying of the final shells was performed under controlled atmosphere in a climatic chamber at 60% humidity, at 30°C and with an air movement of 1.3 m/s for seven days. After drying, the shells were fired at 1500°C for 4 h. Before casting the shells were preheated to casting temperature. A series of shell molds for centrifugal and tilt casting is shown in Figure 4.
For comparison a commercial silica-bonded shell system, which is commercially available from Ransom&Randolph, Dentsply, USA was used. The wax parts were coated with a front coat of yttria.
Casting trials
Before casting, the crucibles were preheated in a furnace at about 200°C in order to evaporate possible humidity absorbed in the crucible. This procedure was applied to avoid cracking of the crucibles in the casting machine due to water evaporation.
For casting trials a tilt casting machine (VTC200VTi, Indutherm, Germany) and a centrifugal casting machine (TCE10, Topcast, Italy) were used. The tilt-casting machine was equipped with two rotary vane pumps connected in series and achieved a pressure of about 8×10-3 mbar and an oxygen partial pressure of 10‑4 mbar immediately before casting. Such vacuum level was necessary in order to avoid reactions of the titanium melt with the gas atmosphere. The casting chamber was back-filled with argon to atmospheric pressure. A batch size of up to 300 g was used for casting. The series of casting trials was carried out with the crucibles type A and D.
The centrifugal casting machine had a maximum power of 10 kW. By the fact that this machine was not especially designed for casting titanium only a low vacuum of 40 mbar was achieved, which meant that a significantly higher oxygen partial pressure remained during casting. This caused a stronger reaction of the titanium melt due to residual oxygen in the casting atmosphere. Before casting, the casting chamber was refilled with argon to a pressure of 700 mbar. With the centrifugal machine laboratory-produced crucibles of Al2TiO5 with a CaZrO3 coating and commercial crucibles with modified yttria coating were tested. The maximum batch size was 100 g titanium.
During inductive heating, the metal temperature was monitored using a thermal imaging camera (Pyroview 640N, DIAS, Germany). The camera allowed an integral determination of the temperature on the surface of the melt and the subsequent evaluation of the melting process. To investigate the influence of pre-casting evacuation, overheating and dwell time on the reaction between the titanium melt and the crucibles, different parameters were applied. The pre-cast evacuation was only necessary with the tilt-casting machine to achieve good form filling. Depending on the pumping duration, a low vacuum was obtained.
Starting with a low heating power, the metal charge was heated close to melting temperature. The slow heating led to a homogeneous temperature of the rod and thus kept the time of liquid phase in crucible (exposition time) short. As determined in several casting trials, the reactivity of the titanium melt was much higher than in the solid state. When the liquidus temperature was reached, the power was increased to melt the whole material and to overheat it before casting. The dwell time means the time while all of the material was liquid. During the dwell time, the melt was heated until the desired temperature was reached. After the dwell time the casting was manually triggered. In case of the tilt-casting machine, the tilt speed was set up to 47°/s until the final angle of 90° was reached to achieve a fast filling and a low heat loss.
Microstructure, hardness and composition measurement
After casting metallographic samples were prepared to investigate the interaction of alloy and shell mold. This employed electron scanning microscopy (Zeiss, Gemini SEM 300) and optical microscopy (Zeiss, Imager Z2M).
The chemical composition was analyzed in the center of sample cross sections by glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES) (Spectruma, GDA750) and by EDS. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) was carried out to examine the phase composition of the crucibles before and after the casting process. To detect possible cracks and defects, the crucibles were investigated by X-ray computed tomography (XCT).
Results and discussion
After casting and quenching, the different shell systems showed significantly different surface appearance (Figure 5). The trees with the yttria modified R&R shell showed large residues of the shell material sticking on the surface. Due to their hardness, it was impossible to remove them by water jetting. Instead, sand blasting was required to remove the remains of the shell. The new, CaZrO3-based shell showed a golden colored metal surface with few shell residues on the surface. This is an indication of a very limited reaction of the melt with the new, CaZrO3-based shell material as examined in [10].
The investigation by SEM showed the different nature of reaction of the two shell systems (Figure 6 and Figure 7). At the bottom of the pictures, the typical so-called Widmannstätten structure of the titanium alloy is visible. It consists of two phases (a, dark, and b, bright). The a-phase and the b-phase have different crystal structure that are hexagonal close packed and body centered cubic, respectively [11].
Due to the reaction with the melt the refractory from the shell decomposes [12]. Oxygen is dissolved in the alloy, which stabilizes the a-phase. Therefore, a layer of a-phase is formed at the metal surface in contact to the shell, the so-called a-case. Such a-case was found for the modified R&R shell (Figure 6, left). The a-case forms a very hard and brittle surface layer, which can be removed only with great difficulty.
The residues of the shell were surrounded by metal, which explains the difficulty in the removal of shell residues. The yttria front layer that was used to limit shell reactions was not effective. Similar effects were examined with yttria-coated crucibles. The yttria layer was dissolved into the titanium melt. During cooling yttria re-precipitated at the grain boundaries (Figure 6, right). Such ceramic inclusions resulted in embrittlement.
The calcium zirconate shell also showed certain reaction with the titanium alloy (Figure 7). However, such reaction was much weaker compared to the modified R&R shell. The porous shell was not infiltrated by the melt. For this reason, it could be removed much more easily compared to the modified R&R shell. At the interface of metal and shell, the calcium zirconate started to be dissolved by the melt.
The reaction of calcium zirconate with the melt follows a certain reaction scheme [13]. Calcium zirconate decomposes into zirconia and calcia. Both refractories further decompose to their chemical elements. Zirconium and oxygen dissolve in the titanium melt. Calcium is not soluble in titanium and evaporates. As a result, the content of zirconium and oxygen are increased. The zirconium content in the surface layer of the titanium part appears brighter in the backscattered electron image (Figure 7, indicated by arrows). However, the dissolution of oxygen and zirconium did not result in the formation of a hard a-case.
The hardness and the oxygen content in cast 10mm rods were investigated by hardness and composition profiles (Figure 8). The interface of alloy and shell is defined by the position zero. Positive and negative distance values are in the metal and in the shell, respectively. Figure 8 shows results for different combinations of crucible and shell mold. Samples melted in a copper crucible (“Cu”) were prepared by electric arc melting. Oxygen content and sample hardness were clearly correlated: The higher the oxygen content, the higher was the hardness. The samples from the yttria modified R&R shell (green and black curve) exhibited higher surface hardness and oxygen level compared to those from the calcium zirconate shell (red and blue curve). For both shells the bulk hardness was reached at a depth above 300-400µm.
The melt temperature and duration play an important role for the bulk hardness of the alloy. In order to compare different combinations of melting temperature and duration a parameter was introduced, which is based on the Larson-Miller parameter (LMP) [14]. This parameter is originally used to compare diffusion controlled processes in high temperature deformation (creep). The LMP is calculated from the temperature and the logarithm of melting duration. Figure 9 shows a plot of the bulk chemical composition and the hardness over the LMP value.
It appears that oxygen and zirconium content as well as the hardness remain constant up to an LMP value of 47. The oxygen level was between the values of the feedstock and the limit given by the ASTM standard B367-09. The ASTM standard specifies no special value for the zirconium content, but a maximum concentration of 0.1 % for all other elements. Even this limit could be met with appropriate casting parameters. The hardness of the as-cast material was ca. 360 HV1, which was higher than the hardness of the feedstock (312 HV1). Such hardness increase was due to the different microstructure of as-cast material and feedstock.
At LMP values > 47 the concentrations of oxygen and zirconium increased strongly, as well as the hardness. Therefore, both temperature and melting duration have to be controlled carefully to avoid contamination of the melt. The melting range of grade 5 titanium is 1605-1660°C. A certain superheating of at least 50 K will be required to achieve sufficient form filling. The maximum LMP value of 47 can be converted into a maximum holding time of the melt in the crucible at a certain temperature. For instance the LMP = 47 equals to a holding time of 440s at 1700°C, 72s at 1750°C and only 13s at 1800°C. This indicates the high sensitivity of the reaction to uncontrolled overheating. Therefore, we have chosen to use a slow heating process that provides a homogeneous melting of the feedstock.
Besides jewelry items, the process and materials were also tested for industrial parts such as turbine wheels or small parts of glasses frames. Figure 10 shows a turbine wheel directly after casting without further surface treatment. The defect visible on the part on the left side was already present on the wax part. The feasibility of such cast parts in grade 5 titanium proves the suitability of the new shell mold for successful investment casting of titanium parts.
Summary and Outlook
A new shell mold and crucible material based on calcium zirconate was successfully tested for the investment casting of grade 5 titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). In comparison to a commercial shell with yttria front coat, the new shell resulted in less oxygen contamination, less surface hardening and prevented the formation of an a-case. However, the control of the melt temperature was crucial to keep the oxygen level low. Excessive superheating and prolonged melting durations resulted in significant oxygen contamination and hardness increase. Ideally, the melt temperature should not exceed 1700°C to avoid contamination.
Further work will focus on the heat treatment of as-cast parts and the determination of mechanical properties. Different titanium alloys and other high melting and highly reactive alloys such as CoCr, Pt and Zr will be tested with the new calcium zirconate crucible and shell molds.
Acknowledgements
This IGF Project was supported via AiF No. 18293BG within the program for promoting the Industrial Collective Research (IGF) of the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), based on a decision of the German Bundestag.
References
Sisma, a growth journey of more than sixty years
More than 40 years in jewellery making machines, more than 60 years in micromechanics
More than 20 years in laser manufacturing and laser based process expertise
More than 10 years in manufacturing of metal 3D printing machines designed for small and complex geometries
Open systems and relevance for jewellery additive manufacturing
Open systems are a value for the jewellery manufacturer, enabling:
→ potentially every powder manufacturer could be validated
→ different geometries have different requirements. In order to exploit all the benefits of additive manufacturing it is necessary to fine tune the building strategy
A harmonized approach to precious metal 3D printing
A harmonized approach to precious metal 3D printing:
to establish a SISTEMIC COMPENTENCE
– Density > 99,9%
– Digital microstructure
– Compliance with jewellery quality standards
– Building strategies adapted to the post processing
Compatibility with material manufacturers of precious metals
Having open parameters grants compatibility with multiple precious metal material supplier, leaving the customer free to evaluate existing suppliers or propose a new one for validation.
Currently available alloys for Jewelry additive manufacturing:
Precious metals:
Au750 White Gold
Au750 Yellow Gold
Au750 Red Gold
Ag925
Non precious metals:
Bronze9010
Stainless Steel
Titanium alloys
Partnership with Application Specialists:
The application specialist works alongside with the final customer with the machine manufacturer support.
We chose to partner with one application experts for each strategic jewellery market, in order to accomodate requests from all over the world.
Advanced parameters:
Laser (power, scanning speed)
Hatching (hatching distance, hatching strategies, order)
Contours (number, distance)
Beam spot (diameter, compensation)
Layer thickness (multiple layer thickness)
Protective Gas (speed, gas mixture choice)
Powders (grain size, chemical composition)
Upskin & Downskin
Advanced parameters: before and after the building process
Geometry driven parameters
Small dimension part
Massive part
Beam spot diameter: small beam spot for special applications
“Pixel” technical sample – Bronze 90-10
▪ No correlation with conventional technologies
▪ The part is made of interconnected pieces
▪ The complete part is made in a single Ø100mm print job
▪ Combination off additive manufacturing, polishing and surface treatment (gold plating)
▪ Small beam spot parameter choice (30µm) to make the geometry possible
▪ Parameter fine tuning of the beam compensation (on the file preparation) rather than tweaking the CAD geometry
Titanium: a growing trend in jewellery
Titanium popularity is increasing in the jewellery market.
Once considered a minor metal relegated to aviation and medical industry, is now gaining importance for many reasons:
– weights a quarter of gold → bigger items are worn without discomfort
– anti-allergenic (e.g. in watchmaking Titanium can be used by whom is allergic to Nickel contained in 904L)
– can be processed to show a wide range of bold colours
Titanium: traditional technologies drawbacks
Titanium has its drawbacks for traditional machining:
Traditional processing of Titanium is costly.
Dedicated machinery is used to safely and effectively work with this alloy.
Machining Titanium usually requires:
– high torque machine and low speeds, to reduce the heat generation
– higher speeds usually generate unwanted hardening of the metal, increasing tool wear
Casting Titanium is a difficult task as well.
Titanium: advantages of 3D printing
Titanium can be 3D printed easily and safely on a well tuned machine.
Indeed, is one of the easiest material to be 3D printed:
– highly self supporting → a small amount of supports leads to increased geometry freedom and reduction of post processing
– relatively low elastic modulus → controlled distorsion during 3D printing
And, moreover, a wide range of alloys are already developed for other demanding markets.
Commonly Available Titanium alloys
Ti6Al4V – gr.23 ELI
Industry standard for aerospace and medical applications. More than 350 HV5
Ti gr.1, Ti gr.2
This two Titanium grades shares corrosion resistance, weldability, and high ductility. Almost pure Titanium, other elements are less than 0,2%. Roughly 225 HV5
Ti6Al4V – gr.5
Widely available on the market, it shares the chemical composition of gr.23 but with higher amount of Oxygen.
Serial production of hollow Titanium chain. Titanium itself helps stacking easily complex geometry with small amout of supports.
Source: A 3D-Printed Ultra-Low Young’s Modulus β-Ti Alloy for Biomedical Applications by Massimo Pellizzari, Alireza Jam, Matilde Tschon, Milena Fini, Carlo Lora and Matteo Benedetti https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/12/2792
New Titanium alloy being researched
Requirements:
Lower elastic modulus
Great fatigue resistance
Optimal corrosion resistance
Optimal biocompatibility (alloy without Vanadium)
New Titanium alloy being researched
Findings:
Lower elastic modulus was also useful to control the deformations during the printing process
–> the new material has even higher buildability characteristics if compared with conventional Ti6Al4V
It may be possible to completely avoid the heat treatment or at least switch to a lower temperature aging and stress relieving process
–> Possibility of using cheaper furnaces and avoid vacuum heat treatment for Titanium
New Titanium alloy being researched
Flexible Titanium applications in the luxury market
Current developments in Sisma :
Abstarct
CSR. Sustainability. Responsible sourcing. Conflict free. These are key words that have become increasingly important in the gold industry in recent years.
Awareness on the issues in gold mining, such as the financing of conflict, human rights abuses, unsafe labor conditions, environmental destruction and negative social impacts, has increased. This requires the industry to take a closer look at its gold supply chains and promote solutions that provide access to conflict-free, legal or responsible gold in order to minimize the reputational risks for the sector.
Additionally, consumers are increasingly concerned about the origin of the products they buy and demand improved conditions throughout the supply chain of consumer goods. This is being reflected in the consumer spending on ethical, responsible or green products which have been increasing steadily. Market studies show that ethical consumerism is growing significantly, and ethical brand values drive purchase decisions.
Responsible gold sourcing therefore is not only a business opportunity and strategy for businesses worldwide, but a “must” for those companies who want to stay relevant for future generations.
Companies that provide their clients with responsible gold products can position and distinguish themselves from others and provide consumers with a more meaningful brand experience, while improving their corporate social responsibility and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Alliance for responsible mining: Who we are?
Non-Profit Organization established in 2004
Leading global expert on gold artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)
Experience with 150 mines in 24 countries
GOLD AND PRECIOUS METALS MINING
What about recycled gold?
90% of the work force in mining
10% of global gold production
20 million people
A sector with challenges, but…
Mining generally has a poor reputation, and in particular artisanal mining is often associated with:
– Illegality and informality or the funding of armed conflicts
In Honduras, it is estimated that there are 2.500 informal artisanal miners, informal = don’t comply with all mining norms.(legal and economical barriers to the formalization)
– Artisanal miners often live in precarious conditions, there is poor health and safety of workers, and in the worst cases you can find child labor, accidents and deaths.
– Also, gender equality or discrimination may be common.
– ASM is one of the principal sources of mercury pollution and intoxication and you may have seen pictures of vast environmental destruction due to unorganized, illegal mining.
In Honduras : ASM mining communities use approx. 90 T of mercury / year.
Why are all of these issues so prevalent in the ASM sector?
– Lack the enabling environment to improve their conditions: ASM often isn’t supported by the state but may be ignored, stigmatized or even persecuted
– Where mining legislation does exist its often not applicable or approriate to ASM, forcing these organizations to comply with regulations meant for large scale mining, only adding more barriers for inclusion.
– Often located in remote and unregulated áreas where the state isn’t present and regulation is taken over by locals or other groups
– They also lack access to necessary resources to perform mining in an organized, efficient manner:
– absence of education and training to formalize.
– zero access to formal banking or finance to develop their activity
– Lack of access to efficient and environmentally friendly tools and technology
Despite all these challenges this sector has incredible potential to contribute to local & national development. In Honduras, mining sector 100 and 150 USD Million of dollar every year. And the ASM sector has a great role to play in this aspect an. ASM is a source of income for many families
Why engage with ASM?
Risks & Reputation
▪ Risks of not engaging.
▪ Excluding the sector doesn’t contribute to solving its problems but deteriorates the reputation of the sector as a whole.
Corporate Social Responsibility
▪ The biggest positive economic, social and environmental impact to be made in the gold industry is in ASM.
A holistic sourcing policy should be inclusive of gold from artisanal and small-scale mining.
Mining won’t stop
Phaedon Stamatopoulos (Director of Sourcing and Refining Argor-Heraeus)
The risks to source from ASM will be present regardless the existence of LBMA Standard v. 6, 8 or 10. If refiners do not engage with the ASM. The ASM material will take other routes and enter to international gold market. The more other routes take, the more value will be lost to LBMA members. So refiners have to engage and do it appropriately.
You choice matter!
Transforming lives through responsible artesanal and small-scale mining
But how? Buying from certified ASM
More than 370 companies from 33 countries work with Fairmined
1.6 tons and 6M USD of Fairmined Premium invested by miners
Introduzione
La presentazione si propone di evidenziare l’evoluzione dell’approccio ambientale nel corso degli anni da parte del legislatore e proporre alcune soluzioni tecniche per l’ottimizzazione e riduzione del consumo d’acqua nei processi di trattamento superficiale.
ECOTEAM spa
progetta, realizza, manutiene impianti di trattamento acque ed acque reflue.
Specializzata nel settore Trattamento e Finiture
Sviluppo della “Coscienza Ambientale” in Italia ed in Europa
La legge Merli indicava in maniera dettagliata le sostanze inquinanti, ponendo dei limiti al loro scarico nelle acque e alla loro concentrazione. Con riferimento agli scarichi, la ripartizione degli stessi ai fini della relativa disciplina e del conseguente trattamento sanzionatorio era fondata sulla loro provenienza; si disponeva inoltre che lo scarico effettuato in assenza della necessaria autorizzazione, concessa esclusivamente agli scarichi rispettosi dei limiti di accettabilità, fosse sempre soggetto a sanzione penale.
D.lgs 152 normativa di cui una sezione importante è dedicata appunto alla tutela delle acque dall’inquinamento e alla gestione delle risorse idriche.
Industria 4.0 / Ambiente
Impianti di trattamento acqua inseriti nel gruppo 2 allegato A dei materiali ammessi alla transizione 4.0, ovvero sistemi per l’assicurazione della qualità e della sostenibilità, con particolare riferimento alle due seguenti categorie:
Green Deal Europeo
Il pilastro centrale di Next Generation EU è il dispositivo Recovery and Resilience Facility che, tra i vari obiettivi, si propone di sostenere interventi che contribuiscano ad attuare l’Accordo di Parigi e gli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile delle Nazioni Unite, in coerenza con il Green Deal europeo.
Obiettivo «Inquinamento zero» per un ambiente privo di sostanze tossiche
Do No Significant Harm
ll principio Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) prevede che gli interventi previsti dai PNRR nazionali non arrechino nessun danno significativo all’ambiente: questo principio è fondamentale per accedere ai finanziamenti del RRF.
I piani devono includere interventi che concorrono per il 37% delle risorse alla transizione ecologica.
l principio DNSH si basa su quanto specificato nella “Tassonomia per la finanza sostenibile”, adottata per promuovere gli investimenti del settore privato in progetti verdi e sostenibili nonché contribuire a realizzare gli obiettivi del Green Deal.
Criteri del DNSH
Il Regolamento individua sei criteri per determinare come ogni attività economica contribuisca in modo sostanziale alla tutela dell’ecosistema, senza arrecare danno a nessuno degli obiettivi ambientali
1 Mitigazione dei cambiamenti climatici
Un’attività economica non deve portare a significative emissioni di gas serra (GHG)
2 Adattamento ai cambiamenti climatici
Un’attività economica non deve determinare un maggiore
3 Uso sostenibile e protezione delle risorse idriche
Un’attività economica non deve essere dannosa per il buono stato dei corpi idrici (superficiali, sotterranei o marini) e determinare il deterioramento qualitativo o la riduzione del potenziale ecologico
4 Transizione verso l’economia circolare, con riferimento anche a riduzione e riciclo dei rifiuti
Un’attività economica non deve portare a significative inefficienze nell’utilizzo di materiali recuperati o riciclati, ad incrementi nell’uso diretto o indiretto di risorse naturali, all’incremento significativo di rifiuti, al loro incenerimento o smaltimento, causando danni ambientali significativi a lungo termine
5 Protezione e riduzione dell’inquinamento dell’aria, dell’acqua o del suolo
Un’attività economica non deve determinare un aumento delle emissioni di inquinanti nell’aria, nell’acqua o nel suolo
6 Protezione e ripristino della biodiversità e della salute degli eco-sistemi
Un’attività economica non deve dannosa per le buone condizioni e resilienza degli ecosistemi o per lo stato di conservazione degli habitat e delle specie, comprese quelle di interesse per l’Unione
Nace
Uno specifico allegato tecnico della Tassonomia riporta i parametri per valutare se le diverse attività economiche contribuiscano in modo sostanziale alla mitigazione e all’adattamento ai cambiamenti climatici o causino danni significativi ad uno degli altri obiettivi.
Basandosi sul sistema europeo di classificazione delle attività economiche (NACE), vengono quindi individuate le attività che possono contribuire alla mitigazione dei cambiamenti climatici, identificando i settori che risultano cruciali per un’effettiva riduzione dell’inquinamento. Il quadro definito dalla Tassonomia fornisce quindi una guida affidabile affinché le decisioni di investimento siano sostenibili ed è diventato un elemento cardine nei criteri di assegnazione delle risorse europee
C24 – Manufacture of basic metals
C24.4.1 – Precious metals production
C25 – Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
C25.6.1 – Treatment and coating of metals
ECOTEAM
«Inquinamento zero» per un ambiente privo di sostanze tossiche
Uso sostenibile e protezione delle risorse idriche
Un’attività economica non deve essere dannosa per il buono stato dei corpi idrici (superficiali, sotterranei o marini) e determinare il deterioramento qualitativo o la riduzione del potenziale ecologico
Protezione e riduzione dell’inquinamento dell’aria, dell’acqua o del suolo
Un’attività economica non deve determinare un aumento delle emissioni di inquinanti nell’aria, nell’acqua o nel suolo
DNSH nel T.F.
Progettazione impianti a basso impatto
Lavaggio
Riduzione dell’acqua
La progettazione del sistema di lavaggio è legata a:
1. Processo
a) Caratteristiche della soluzione di processo
b) Numero di lavaggi
c) Tipologia di lavaggi
2. Produzione
I. Superficie
II. Obiettivo finale
Importanza dei lavaggi: Riduzione dell’acqua
Un lavaggio in cascata permette una forte riduzione della portata d’acqua necessaria ed in prima approssimazione possiamo dire che la concentrazione nei lavaggi
DNSH e ZLD
Lo Scarico Liquido Zero può utilizzare diverse tecnologie e filosofie di progettazione ma il punto chiave è l’ultimo anello che è quasi sempre un sistema di evapo-concentrazione.
L’evapo-concentratore è un sistema che permette di concentrare delle soluzioni diluite eliminando/recuperando l’acqua.
Gli utilizzi principali sono:
1. Recupero di soluzioni diluite per essere riutilizzate come soluzioni di processo
2. Riduzione degli smaltimenti con recupero dell’acqua
EVAPO-CONCENTRATORI
Esistono diverse tecnologia di evapo-concentratori:
1.Pompa di calore
1. a serpentina immersa
2. a circolazione forzata
3. con raschiatore
2.Acqua calda
1. a singolo effetto
2. a doppio effetto
3. a triplo effetto
3.Ricompressione Meccanica dei Vapori
1. a circolazione naturale
2. a circolazione forzata
3. falling film
1. Con compressore a lobi
2. Con compressore centrifugo
CONCLUSIONI
La riduzione del consumo d’acqua, fino al punto estremo dello Scarico Liquido Zero, nei processi di trattamento superficiale persegue “l’obiettivo Inquinamento zero per un ambiente privo di sostanze tossiche”.
I costi di esercizio con le opportune tecniche possono essere molto vantaggiosi.
Preface
The presentation aims to highlight the evolution of the environmental approach over the years by the legislator and propose some technical solutions for the optimization and reduction of water consumption in surface treatment processes.
ECOTEAM spa
designs, builds, maintains water and wastewater treatment plants.Specialized in the Treatment and Finishing sector
Development of “Environmental Consciousness” in Italy and Europe
The Merli law indicated in detail the polluting substances, placing limits on their discharge into water and their concentration. With reference to discharges, the distribution of the same for the purposes of the relative regulations and the consequent sanctioning treatment was based on their origin; it was also established that unloading carried out in the absence of the necessary authorization, granted exclusively to unloading in compliance with the limits of acceptability, was always subject to a criminal sanction.
Legislative Decree 152 of which an important section is dedicated precisely to the protection of water from pollution and the management of water resources.
Industry 4.0 / Environment
Water treatment plants included in group 2 Annex A of the materials admitted to transition 4.0, or systems for quality and sustainability assurance, with particular reference to the following two categories :
European Green Deal
The central pillar of Next Generation EU is the Recovery and Resilience Facility which, among other objectives, aims to support interventions that contribute to implementing the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in line with the European Green Deal.
Objective “Zero pollution” for an environment free of toxic substances
Do No Significant Harm
The Do No Significant Harm principle (DNSH) states that the actions outlined in national NRRPs may not cause any significant harm to the environment: this is a fundamental principle for accessing funding from the RRF.
In addition, the plans must include actions which contribute 37% of the resources to the ecological transition.
The DNSH principle is based on the provisions of the “Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance” adopted to promote private sector investment in green and sustainable projects and help achieve the goals of the Green Deal.
Criteria of DNSH
The Regulation identifies six criteria for determining how each economic activity substantially contributes to protecting the ecosystem, without undermining any of the environmental goals
1 Climate change mitigation
An economic activity must not lead to significant emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG)
2 Climate change adaptation
An economic activity must not have an increased negative impact on the current and future climate, on the activity itself or on people, nature or property
3 Sistainable use and protection of water and marine resources
An economic activity must not be detrimental to the good health of water bodies (surface, groundwater or marine) or harm its quality or reduce its ecological potential
4 Transition to the circular economy, including waste prevention and recycling
An economic activity must not result in significant inefficiencies in the use of recovered or recycled materials, increase the direct or indirect use of natural resources, or significantly increase waste or the burning or disposal thereof, causing significant long-term environmental damage
5 Prevention and reduction of air, water and soil pollution
An economic activity must not cause increased emissions of pollutants in the air, water or soil
6 Protection and restoration of biodiversity and health of ecosystems
An economic activity must not harm the good condition and resilience of ecosystems or the conservation status of habitats and species, including those of interest to the Union.
Nace
A specific technical annex of the Taxonomy sets out the parameters for evaluating whether different economic activities substantially help with climate change mitigation and adaptation or whether they cause significant harm to one of the other goals. Based on the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE), the activities that can help to mitigate climate change are then determined, identifying the sectors that are crucial for an effective reduction in pollution. The framework defined in the Taxonomy therefore provides a reliable guide for making sustainable investment decisions, and has become a core component of the criteria for allocating European resources
C24 – Manufacture of basic metals
C24.4.1 – Precious metals production
C25 – Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
C25.6.1 – Treatment and coating of metals
ECOTEAM
«Zero pollution» for an environment free of toxic substances
Sistainable use and protection of water and marine resources
An An economic activity must not be detrimental to the good health of water bodies (surface, groundwater or marine) or harm its quality or reduce its ecological potential
Prevention and reduction of air, water and soil pollution
An economic activity must not cause increased emissions of pollutants in the air, water or soil
DNSH in F.T.
Low impact plant design
RINSING
Water reduction
The design of the washing system is linked to:
1. Process
a) Characteristicsof the process solution
b) Numbers of rinsing
c) Type of rinsing
2. Production
I. Surface
II. Final goal
Importance of rinsing: Water reduction
A cascade rinsing allows a strong reduction of the necessary water flow and as a first approximation we can say that the concentration in the washes Xn
DNSH e ZLD
The Zero Liquid Discharge can use different technologies and design philosophies but the key point is the last link which is almost always an evaporation-concentration system.
The evaporator-concentrator is a system that allows you to concentrate diluted solutions by eliminating / recovering water.
The main uses are :
1. Recovery of diluted solutions to be reused as process solutions
2. Reduction of disposal with water recovery
EVAPO-CONCENTRATORS
There are different technologies of evapo-concentrators:
Heat pump
with immersed coil
forced circulation
with scraper
Hot water
single effect
double effect
triple effect
Mechanical Vapour Recompression
1. Natural circulation
2. forced circulation
3. falling film
a) With lobe compresso
CONCLUSIONI
The reduction of water consumption, up to the extreme point of Zero Liquid Discharge, in the surface treatment processes pursues “the goal of zero pollution for an environment free of toxic substances“
Operating costs with the appropriate techniques can be very advantageous.
Title: Our Common Future – Brundtland Report
Author: World Commission on Environment and Development
Year: 1987
For the first time, the report identifies Sustainability as:
The condition of a development capable of “ensuring the satisfaction of the needs of the present generation without compromising the possibility of future generations to realize their own”
Precious Metals
Supply and Demand: Gold
Supply and Demand: Silver
Supply and Demand: Platinum
Supply and Demand: Palladium
Supply and Demand: Rhodium
Supply Sources:
Mining
Refining
Grandfathered
Kinf of Mines
Open Pit Mine
Underground Mine
Artisanal Mine
Recycled Sources from Refining
Industrial Scraps
Jewelry Scraps
Disinvestments
Central Bank Sales
Electronic Scraps
Rules and Associations
Responsible Jewellery Council
Individual provisions of the COP
Overview of the RJC CoC Standard
Sustainability on Precious Metals
PROVENANCE CLAIM
A documented claim made through the use of descriptions or symbols, relating to Precious Metals and specifically relate to their:
Origin – Geographical origin of materials, for example country, region, mine or corporate ownership of the Mining Facility/ies;
Source – Type of source, for example recycled, mined, artisanally mined, or date of production;
Practices – Specific practices applied in the supply chain relevant to the Code of Practices, including but not limited to, standards applicable to extraction, processing or manufacturing, conflict-free status, or due diligence towards sources.
Claims supported by evidence to avoid:
All precious metals used by Legor Group S.p.A. are 100% RJC CoC compliant and 100% from recycled sources (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Rh)