Bergamo - Italian chemicals and advanced textiles manufacturer, the Radici Group has demonstrated the feasibility of producing nylon at scale from waste oil, following a €6.2 million research project.
The company set out to produce polyamides (nylon) from bio adipic acid obtained from renewable raw materials, including waste oil and other by-products of the oil industry.
It says that potential applications for the nylon produced by the process include textiles and fashion, as well as products for the automotive, electrical and electronics industries.
The Radici Group launched the Ulysses project, partly funded by the Italian Region of Piedmont to the tune of €1.7 million, in collaboration with research centres and universities back in March 2018.
"The ambitious, innovative multi-year project stemmed from Radici Group's desire to increase the sustainability of its products, whilst delivering the same quality and performance as required by product standards," it said in a statement.
Radici InNova, a non-profit consortium set up by the Radici Group to develop new research and innovation projects for the chemical, high performance polymers and advanced textile solutions sectors, played a key role.
Stefano Alini, CEO of Radici InNova, said: "Sustainability principles accompanied the project all through its development process.
"First, waste oil becomes a raw material for the production of adipic acid, which in turn serves as the base material for the production of polyamide polymers, the key ingredients for the manufacture of components. Finally, the components are fully or partially recycled at the end of their useful life.
“In this way, the circular economy cycle is completed, thus responding to the demand coming from an ever-increasing number of customers, especially those in the world of fashion and textiles, who are very sensitive to the environmental impact of products.
"These customers are requesting the development of new materials that can also meet the sustainability goals at the national and EU level, such as Agenda 2030 and the Green Deal.”
