FIC-FIGHTERS: To a fair, inclusive, circular and healthy cities: valorisation of phosphogypsum wastes into commercial products through sustainable and circular processes

FIC-FIGHTERS is a local democracy project. It is the search for new economic models deliberately agreed to manage of waste that harms the natural and cultural heritage. It is a space for discussion on the adoption of alternatives for wastes that has been accumulating near our cities for decades. The project involves different local actors, industries, authorities, SMEs, RTD centers, and universities to inclusively scale up to TRL6-7 waste recovery processes under the premises of the circular economy, focusing on the valorization of phosphogypsum waste (PG) to generate sustainable raw materials for use in the paper, cement, batteries, fertilizers and detergents industries.

 

For 48 months, the different actors, in cooperation with the CCRI, are  involved in making the new circular business models a reality. The project aims to:

 

• Build a mobile pilot plant (TRL7) based on optimised results and digital twin of the processes to demonstrate the sustainable production of raw materials (sodium sulfate, REE and P, aluminum hydroxide, ammonium sulfate and precipitated calcium carbonate) for different industries, starting from phosphogypsum and other wastes.
• Create a PG forum for local discussions and develop local workshops in each of the 7 case studies, including citizen participation, addressing socio-economic, environmental and regulation aspects of the new circular business models developed to become a reality and reaching trust and acceptance.
• Address the flexibility and replicability of the valorization processes by involving 7 case studies and create the first known PG Exploitation Portal aiming to identify, characterise, and reach all European cities with same problematic.
• Contribute to knowledge exchange in clustering and CCRI events; creating a Community of Practice and making the results of the project publicly available and exploitable, addressing IP protection.

Provide guidelines to reach circularity based on LCA, LCC, social and H&S studies.

Our main tasks

• Multidisciplinary design optimisation of chemical routes.
• Conceptual, basic, and detailed engineering of NaOH route.
• Detailed engineering of chemical routes.
• Digital twin of PG valorisation chemical routes.
• Wastes supply from industries, characterisation.
• Assessments of products for use in fertilisers.
• Stakeholder mapping.
• Social Impact Assessment.
• Overall coordination.
• Financial and administrative management.

Partners

ABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY | | ALDA ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA DEMOCRATIE LOCALE | ASISTENCIAS TECNICAS CLAVE | ASSOCIATION ARDITEC | BELGIAN NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTRE | CAPTURACO2 | CEMENTOS LA CRUZ | CHRISTEYNS | CIUDEN FUNDACION CIUDAD DE LA ENERGIA | CIVIL ENGINEERING INSTITUTE MACEDONIA AD SKOPJE | CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE | CSIC | FEDERATION EUROPEENNE DES GEOLOGUES | FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT | IDENER.AI | MAGTEL | MUNICIPIO DO BARREIRO | PERSAN | PREHNIT | THARSIS MINING | TORRASPAPEL | UNIVERSIDAD DE HUELVA | UNIVERSIDAD DE SEVILLA | UNIVERSITY OF NOVI SAD FACULTY OF SCIENCES | WROCLAW UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Start date – finish date

06 / 2024 - 05 / 2028