News

At full capacity the production of animal hair protein hydrolysate at the Arzignano plant

  • As expected, the innovative production process developed by the Company will improve Arzignano’s plant overall capacity by 33%, equal to an increase in production of 4,000 tons/year of animal by-products protein hydrolysate, bringing the total to approx. 16,000 tons/year, compared to approx. 12,000 tons/year in 2019
  • The operation will increase the characteristic value of biostimulants organic nitrogen, further qualifying SICIT’s offer on world agricultural markets
  • The recent plant will contribute to the evolution of plaster retardant’s offer, further expanding the markets covered by the Company

SICIT has completed the production of animal hair protein hydrolysate, remaining from the Vicenza tanning business, at the Arzignano plant.

Animal hair is a product rich in keratin, an important protein suitable for producing agriculture biostimulants.

The innovative production process, developed internally by the Company, guarantees the complete safety of the operations and the possibility to obtain different types of final hydrolysate. A special system of reactors and grinding mixers (an exclusive SICIT’s technology) guarantees the complete hydrolysis of keratin, following the necessary hydrolysis treatment, as required by Regulation (EC) no 1069/2009, allowing to obtain an extremely safe and proven-effective product.
All keratin-based products have largely passed the tests: both in vitro, under controlled laboratory conditions, and according to randomized protocols in open field, allowing to assist clients with essential information to use these new formulations in the most effective way possible.

The production capacity of the new plant is approx. 40 – 60 tons/day of processed hair, for a total of over 10,000 tons/year, as originally planned. This will result in an additional production of about 4,000 tons/year of protein hydrolysates, bringing the total produced by SICIT Group at the Arzignano plant to approx. 16,000 tons/year, compared to 12,000 tons/year in 2019. Overall, therefore, the process innovation will increase the production capacity of animal by-products protein hydrolysate by 33%.

Moreover, thanks to this initiative, the Company expects: i) an increase in the characteristic value of organic nitrogen in biostimulants, which will further qualify SICIT Group’s offer on world agricultural markets; and ii) the evolution of plaster retardant industrial products, making SICIT Group’s technical offer even more performing and competitive.

Massimo Neresini, CEO of SICIT Group, said: “The circular economy has always led SICIT’s action: this plant makes it possible to implement a further recovery of a residue from the tanning industry, providing a fundamental service for an extremely-important area for the economy of our country. SICIT is constantly working to guarantee high standards of agronomic performance in all the protein hydrolysates it produces, using the most advanced screening techniques“.