The European Union has passed various regulations over the years to enforce sustainability best practices, including the European Union Green Deal and Circular Economy Action plan, which target the management of natural resources and raw materials to mitigate environmental damage and promote innovation in resource recovery.
Spain has implemented a framework of customised national policies and regulations that reflect this regional commitment to resource management. With ambitious initiatives like the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy, Circular Economy Strategy of the Principality of Asturias and the Circular Economy Basque Strategy 2030, Spain is taking the necessary steps to reduce waste, create a foundation of best practices across industries and ultimately transition the country towards a sustainable, resource-efficient economic model of production.
Zeolites in Focus
Within the industrial sector, there is a significant need to reduce hazardous waste and transform recovery and disposal standards to optimise resources, eliminate waste and achieve circularity. Zeolites are being explored as a crucial element for advancing circular economy best practices, as their porous structure and diverse properties provide the capacity for extensive use across various technical applications, including water treatment, gas cleaning and petrochemical processes. The Z-ONA4LIFE project, funded by the LIFE programme, is tackling industrial waste by converting aluminium waste, or salt slag, into synthetic zeolites. The project aims to showcase on a pilot scale, the cost-effectiveness and practicality of producing synthetic Z-ONA zeolite from salt slag to advancing circularity within the aluminium industry.
Filling Sustainability Policy Gaps in the EU context: the Z-ONA4LIFE Blueprint
The Z-ONA4LIFE project has produced a blueprint, “Filling Sustainability Policy Gaps in the EU context: a Critical Analysis of Zeolite Synthesis from Waste” to provide a landscape analysis of zeolites. The report captures insights and recommendations from two separate knowledge gathering activities set up by the consortium.
Z-ONA4LIFE Workshop
On 21 May 2024, the Z-ONA4LIFE project hosted a closed workshop with Spanish industry, research, and policy experts, across disciplines, to explore the future potential of zeolites in Spain. The 15 participating experts in the workshop produced the following feedback:
- Increase cooperation between research and industry by creating educational programmes;
- While zeolite is currently used primarily for environmental remediation, agriculture, water purification, catalysis and detergency, in the future it could be more widely adopted in other sectors, such as construction or energy;
- Concerns over the potentially lower quality of the Secondary Raw Materials (SRMs) may discourage their adoption;
- Regional policies need to be aligned with European ones to increase the adoption of SRM; Policies should provide fiscal and financial incentives to increase the use of SRM
Open Consultation
These insights from Spanish experts were used to design questions for an open consultation that was launched in July 2024. The consultation, which targeted a wider range of European stakeholders, aimed to collect responses related to zeolite research and utilisation, the future of zeolites, challenges in adoption, relevant policy gaps to inform the development of the blueprint and refine recommendations for policymakers.
Download the blueprint for a more detailed analysis of the Open Consultation and the types of answers received from our respondents.
However, below is a snapshot of the insights gathered from the participants:
- Two-thirds of the respondents utilise zeolites in an industrial context already, with over 41% reporting catalysis as means of adoption
- 66% of respondents declared the utilisation of zeolites could significantly help reduce production costs, citing the economic value of by-products provided when compared to traditional raw materials
- In regards to industrial barriers for adoption, most respondents agreed that the high costs associated with zeolite production is limiting the expansion of the zeolite market
- Knowledge dissemination and capacity-building programs have been deemed essential for promoting the uptake of zeolite technologies
- In terms of new potential policies to encourage the incorporation of sustainable raw materials in industrial processes, respondents highlighted the need for a more robust framework that includes regulatory compliance, economic incentives, education support
- Respondents estimated the future adoption rates of zeolites across sectors, with effluent depuration and agriculture being identified as the sectors with highest potential for future zeolite adoption
Identified gaps and timeline for implementation
Following the analysis conducted, the team identified industrial, policy and educational gaps to be addressed in the next few years, with recommendations at European level.
The timeline for implementation is based on the Z-ONA4LIFE partners’ experience and insights gathered from interviews conducted during dedicated events.
Please download the report to learn more about these recommendations.