SABAR's new tech hub in Novellara for recycling bulky waste and End-of-Life Tires
A unique plant, equipped with advanced technologies to recover and give new life to materials contained in bulky waste, end-of-life tires, and rigid plastics.
A total investment of 20 million euros, supported by 12 million euros from PNRR resources managed by ATERSIR for the Emilia-Romagna Region, has brought to life the most significant waste-sector project funded by the Plan in the regional territory. At its headquarters in Novellara, SABAR has built a state-of-the-art plant for the recovery and valorization of materials contained in bulky waste, rigid plastics, and end-of-life tires (ELTs).
The facility boasts a total processing capacity of 33,000 tons per year, of which 7,000 tons are dedicated to end-of-life tires and 5,000 tons to rigid plastics. For the bulky waste stream, the new hub marks an unprecedented leap in quality: the proportion of recovered material increases from the previous 5% up to an effective recycling rate of 20-25% of the total delivered, minimizing the fractions destined for disposal or incineration. Regarding ELTs, the plant is capable of processing tires of various sizes and origins, from bicycle tires to car, truck, and tractor tires. The uniqueness of this plant lies in its ability to process both ELTs and plastics, utilizing the mill and the final suction system for both types. In the tire sector, the cycle precisely separates high-tensile steel, textile fibers, and rubber, obtaining granules and powder ready to be reused in the production of modified asphalt, sports flooring, athletic tracks, and urban furniture.
Designed by PAL Green Division, the plant architecture stands out for its highly automated infrastructure, conceived to ensure operational continuity and high safety standards. Internal material handling relies on 30 rubber conveyor belts and 3 slat conveyors. The incoming material flow is managed on two independent lines: the first directly intercepts rigid plastics to extract noble polymers, while the second processes bulky waste through preliminary shredding that reduces sizing to 400-450 mm. Primary separation then proceeds through a rotary screen, an air separator, magnetic deflectors for ferrous metals, and an eddy current separator (ECS) for aluminum and non-ferrous metals.
The high-tech core of the plant lies in the refining and precision sorting section. Here, 4 proprietary NIR Optical Sorters designed by PAL are in operation: thanks to high-resolution infrared cameras, the first sorter isolates the wood component, the second and third extract Polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene (PE), while the fourth separates plastic film. Concurrently, inside the sorting cabin, Artificial Intelligence combined with robotics comes into play: two anthropomorphic manipulators identify and extract rigid plastic items larger than 300 mm at high speed, reducing the most strenuous manual tasks for operators. The output is collected in 6 automated bunkers divided into homogeneous batches (wood, ferrous metals, aluminum, paper, cardboard, film, and PP/PE polymers), before being compacted by a baling press with a capacity exceeding 13.3 tons per hour into 1,100x1,100 mm bales.
Material handling is entrusted to Sennebogen material handlers delivered to SABAR by Cesaro Mac Import, a trusted supplier of the Reggio Emilia-based company with which it has collaborated for several years.
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