VINACHEM

Solvay will invest €15m ($14m) in its soda ash production plant in Rosignano, Italy, and deploy a scheme to reduce limestone residues there, the Belgium-headquartered chemical major said on Tuesday.

Solvay said it is aims to reduce limestone residues discharged into the sea by 20% by 2030, compared with January 2022 levels.

By 2040, it aims to reduce residues by 40%, compared with January 2022.

“The plan will include targeted improvements at different steps of the production process, as well as an optimisation of the limestone granulometry and quality,” said Solvay.

In related news, Solvay said it is about to launch a pilot project at its soda ash production facility in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, France, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Solvay said it had invested €40m in the past few years to develop a technology, first patented in 2014, which will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 50%, compared to current soda ash production methods. It will also reduce water, brine, and limestone consumption.

“This should allow Solvay plants to operate more efficiently and sustainably, while enhancing their competitiveness,” it said as it outlined plans to eliminate limestone residues by 2050.

In February, Solvay formed a joint venture with waste management company Veolia to replace coal with refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to produce clean energy at its soda ash plant in Dombasle.

Solvay’s CEO, Ilham Kadri, said, “Through the relentless improvement of our environmental footprint and pursuit of more innovative solutions, we are reinventing the soda ash process that was developed by Ernest Solvay himself some 160 years ago.”

Solvay operates 11 soda ash production sites around the world.

Soda ash is used in the manufacture of glass, detergents, chemicals and other industrial products.

Solvay’s move follows a dispute with activist investor Bluebell Capital Partners, which demanded that the producer stop disposing waste in the seas near its facilities.

According to both parties, the investments promised by Solvay have put an end to the dispute.

“Our primary concern was soda ash production at Rosignano and the recent announcements to significantly reduce the discharge of solid materials directly into the sea, and accelerate investments to reinvent the soda ash production process with all its environmental benefits, are huge steps forward,” said Giuseppe Bivona, partner at Bluebell Capital.