POR FESR Toscana 2014-2020 – ACTION 3.4.2 - Incentives for the purchase of services supporting the internationalization of SMEs – Project I.T.I “Internazionalizzazione Tecnochimica India”
Tecnochimica's investment program aims to establish a commercial presence in the Asian market, with a particular focus on India. To achieve this goal, the company's management has developed a commercial promotion project based on a series of actions, including participation in two trade fairs in India and Hong Kong, the opening of a showroom in Kolkata (India), a contract with an Indian intermediary company providing a dedicated manager, communication and advertising initiatives in the Asian market, and the organization of incoming events for Indian operators.
POR FESR Toscana 2014-2020 – Action 1.1.5 Call No. 1 Strategic Research and Development Projects – "COOLSUN" Project
The project focuses on analyzing the effects of radiation in the near-infrared (NIR) region, which is not visible to the human eye but, when absorbed by an object, causes an increase in temperature. Pigments capable of interacting in the NIR spectrum, known as NIR-reflective pigments, reduce the heating of treated objects. For this reason, the NIR-reflective property is useful in applications where solar heating needs to be minimized, such as building coatings, leather goods, and coverings for heat-sensitive materials during transportation.
Until now, NIR reflectivity has been achieved using inorganic pigments, which are costly and toxic. The key to developing innovative coatings lies in producing organic NIR-reflective pigments to overcome the drawbacks of cost, environmental impact, efficiency, and color limitations associated with commercially available inorganic pigments.
The COOLSUN project, therefore, focuses on organic NIR-reflective pigments, particularly perylene-based structures, whose optical and chemical-physical properties can be modulated through simple chemical modifications to reduce toxicity and production costs. Additionally, these pigments exhibit all the characteristics of high-efficiency pigments, such as high thermal stability, strong coloring power, weather resistance, and photostability. While recent studies suggest that these new pigments can be developed to create highly efficient colorants, their behavior in the NIR region has not yet been thoroughly examined.
POR CREO FESR Toscana 2014-2020 – ACTION 1.1.2 Sub-action A and B – Innovation Call: C.A.B "Biocompatible Alternative Tanning" Project
The tanning sector has long suffered from a negative environmental impact due to the presence of chlorides, sulfates, and chromium in tannery wastewater. The goal of this project is to develop a new ecological tanning system that is chromium-free, using highly environmentally compatible acrylic-based polymeric agents. This would eliminate toxic substances from wastewater and enable the recovery of waste products.
Tecnochimica's planned investment includes the implementation of a theoretical and experimental study, interventions, and additive formulations to develop Biocompatible Alternative Tanning (C.A.B) processes. One of the main advantages is obtaining chromium-free leather with higher quality and longer lifespan, increased resistance to washing and wear, and enhanced elasticity.
The absence of chromium in leather will have a positive effect on the health of workers in the leather industry, the environment, and end-users of leather products. It will also make it easier to fully recycle leather processing residues and end-of-life products.
POR FESR Toscana 2014-2020 – AXIS I – ACTION 1.1.2: “Support for innovation processes in SMEs and Aid for the acquisition of innovative services” – PRO.MO.CHI "Chemically Modified Proteins" Project
This project, developed in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pisa, involves the implementation of a theoretical and experimental study for the development of chemical products for the tanning industry derived from hydrolyzed proteins, as well as the experimentation of alternative and biocompatible tanning processes.
The goal is to identify potential processes that allow the functionalization and chemical modification of hydrolyzed proteins obtained from leather processing waste or other supply chains such as slaughterhouses. These processes would enable tanning, retanning, or finishing operations while avoiding or reducing the use of reagents containing chromium salts.