Obelix: innovation and sustainability

Federica Buonsanti, Head of Chemistry at Bracco's Research Centre in Colleretto Giacosa, and Luca Ciarciello, Continuous Improvement Manager at the Ceriano Laghetto plant, talk about the Obelix project: a concrete example of how innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand in the chemical-pharmaceutical industry. 

One of Bracco's objectives for 2020 is to reduce the amount of product lost to wastewater treatment. This has led to the launch of a joint study between production and research to recover iodine even from very diluted amounts of waste containing organic iodine molecules. 

Thanks to the efforts of the R&D team, a new iodine recovery technology has been developed that can treat industrial wastewater at very low concentrations and produce recoverable iodide. 

The Obelix project was born precisely with the intention of managing the product life cycle in an integrated way, increasing the value of waste through recovery and recycling, and reducing the environmental impact of iodine contrast media production. 

In 2024, thanks to the implementation of a fully automated plant, Bracco recorded a significant increase in its iodine recovery yield to over 20 tonnes per year. An important milestone that reinforces the company's circular economy model and increases the value of one of industry’s most strategic and valuable raw materials.

Obelix is an example of concrete, measurable sustainability that starts with data and is achieved through collaboration between research and production.

Discover how science and innovation come together to improve lives - because at Bracco, innovation is people. 
Watch the full episode below.