Every year, 30 million tons of AHP waste are generated globally – the equivalent of a continuous line of trucks stretching from Lisbon to Tokyo. In Europe, the total amounts to 8.5 million tons, and in Italy alone, 900,000 tons – enough to fill three landfills every year.
This represents a technological breakthrough that enables the recycling – with proven environmental benefits – of a product category traditionally considered non-recyclable. In this context, the demonstration plant with a capacity of approximately 100 kg per batch plays a key role, as it lays the foundation for the technological and industrial advancement of the process.
The innovative i-Foria’s technology is capable of fully recycling waste from absorbent hygiene products (AHP), recovering high-quality secondary raw materials (absorbent material and plastic) for reuse in new production cycles.
This initiative aligns with ICARUS Democase 2, which aims to prototype and validate an integrated system for recovering cellulose from both urban wastewater and separately collected AHP waste—demonstrating complementary approaches to closing the loop on secondary raw materials and advancing circular economy solutions.
Our partner I-Foria will held a invite-only meeting on the 21 July to present the demonstration plant in Spresiano to institutions, environmental companies and multi-utilities, technology partners, investors, research bodies, and academia.
