Tupy reutilizes the sand disposed at the core making processes at the Joinville manufacturing plant because it counts on regeneration equipment (picture on the side). The amount of sand re-used corresponds to around 15% of the total used and has a special treatment since it receives resins in order to guarantee a greater ruggedness to parts.

The greatest challenge of Tupy’s Environmental Management System has been to find a solution for the disposed sands from the molding processes – 85% of the total used. Despite not being hazardous residue, since they are blended only with bentonite (colloidal clay), coal powder and water, the molding sands or “green sands” are considered by the Brazilian legislation (NBR 10.004) in a differentiated manner, stating that they should be disposed at an industrial landfill. That does not happen in other countries, especially in Europe, where those sands are used for the manufacture of bricks, concrete plates and asphalt, among other uses.

As far as that is concerned, Tupy is working in two areas. For three years, it has been adapting its own industrial landfill (picture bellow) to continue to receive those sands and other industrial residue, fulfilling the most rigid technical and legal standards. For that adaptation, Tupy has already invested R$ 19 million.

On the other hand, the company is leading an effort together with other Brazilian foundries and based on researches that it has been carrying out, in order to modify the technical standards which, in Brazil, prohibit the reutilization of the molding sands for other purposes, capable of transforming fixed assets into environmental assets.

Tupy’s Environmental Management System counts on a professional with a Chemistry doctor’s degree from the Paraná Federal University, whose final paper proved that “green sands” can be used as a blend for asphalt, which would decrease a lot the cost of road construction and would eliminate the need to dispose them into landfills, besides reducing the amount of virgin sand extracted.