Asbestos destruction processes. The Italian experience as case of study

According to recent policies related to the reduction of waste to landfill, since 2013 the EU Parliament is promoting and supporting research for sustainable alternatives to treat Asbestos Containing Wastes (ACWs) and to limit their landfilling. Moreover, on 28 January 2015, an Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) pushed all European Countries to the total removal of all used asbestos and all asbestos containing products; thus, asbestos removal, management and destruction has to be a priority target of the European Union. In particular, measures are encouraged to prepare action plans for the safe removal of all asbestos and ACWs, as a priority of the European community by 2028. This paper summarizes the status of the most important and innovative asbestos destroying processes, providing main operating parameters, advantages, and disadvantages. In this way, the ACWs become a secondary raw materials, which could be reused. Starting from the Italian experience, reported, analysed and discussed, other countries regulations have been evaluated evidencing as in many cases no specific rules exist. The extensive literature analysis , encourages further studies in the field. If the research will overcome the drawbacks highlighted in this paper, the industrial and social acceptance of asbestos destroying processes will considerably increase.