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22 min ago 2 min read
Italy-headquartered industrial gases company SIAD has begun construction of a €60m ($68m) air separation unit (ASU) in Pisa, Tuscany, to produce oxygen, nitrogen, and argon.
The facility is scheduled for completion in 2027 and will supply companies operating in Tuscany’s leather-processing district and regional hospitals.
The project is backed by €6.9m ($7.9m) in funding from the Italian National Agency for Investment Attraction and Business Development (Invitalia).
Oxygen produced on-site will be delivered by pipeline to the Aquarno Consortium wastewater treatment facility, supporting water-intensive leather processing and tanning operations.
The facility serves more than 300 factories and treats around four million cubic metres of industrial wastewater each year.
Francesca Romana Tomaselli, General Manager of the Aquarno Consortium, said, “Together, our organisations… represent a model of advanced technology… creating the conditions for further shared projects in the future.”
According to SIAD, the oxygen pipeline network will reduce transport operations by around 1,000 truck journeys annually, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 2,000 tonnes each year.
Market research shows that the Tuscan region produces an estimated 15% of global leather products and around 60% of finished European leather products.
In 2018, the Italian leather tanning industry was valued at around €5bn ($5.7bn), with 75% of finished products exported internationally.
