Herambiente presents the CROSS project to transform biological sludge into new resources.

Herambiente is getting ready to implement an ambitious project called CROSS (an acronym for CROtonic acid from Sewage Sludge), one of the strategic
LIFE of the European Union dedicated to the circular economy.
The goal of the project is to demonstrate on an industrial scale an innovative process of technological polymer biosynthesis (PHA) followed by depolymerization
into crotonic acid, using biological sludge from wastewater treatment.
The company will install a demonstration plant at the site on Via Baiona in Ravenna, where the biosynthesis process will be applied using excess sludge
surplus from the TAS industrial wastewater treatment plant for 12 months.

The peculiarity of this approach lies in the circularity of the process, biological sludge being materials with a high organic content that would otherwise
would be disposed of in landfills. Converting these materials into new raw materials reduces the use of fossil fuels in industrial synthesis, promoting
thus a more sustainable circular economy.

The successful operation of the demonstration plant, applied processes and developed technology could pave the way for the large-scale industrialization of
large-scale biosynthesis of PHA and crotonic acid.
This would not only represent a significant step toward reducing the environmental impact of industrial activities, but also an opportunity
for Europe to lead the world in circular economy innovation.