Abstract: The Sustainable Suppressor was developed by Vale and the Federal University of Espirito Santo as a research and development project. The goal was to use PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) as a raw material to create a chemically stable, biodegradable, non-hazardous polymer that could efficiency control particulate matter emissions. By using PET, the project would also contribute to the circular economy and increase the income of people with a social vulnerability condition by purchasing PET from recycling associations. Clean Production (CP) is a concept that aims to reduce or eliminate pollution during the production process. Some CP principles are directly related to the production and use of the Sustainable Suppressor, including: pollution prevention, resource efficiency, and recycling. The main steps to produce the Sustainable Suppressor are: 1) Collecting PET bottles through donations, internal consumption, or recycling associations. 2) Cleaning and shredding of the collected PET. 3) Chemical recycling through the depolymerization process. The depolymerization of PET is based on the alkaline hydrolysis reaction. The suppressor was tested in a wind tunnel and on industrial scale. In the wind tunnel tests, commercial suppressors and the PET-based suppressor were evaluated and compared using a Chevron configuration of iron ore piles under controlled conditions of wind speed, humidity, and temperature. Twenty-one suppressors were analyzed. The results were reported in percentage of dry ore mass loss, with lower percentages indicating the best performing suppressor. These results were subsequently analyzed by other techniques, such as surfaces tension, thermogravimetric analysis, and infrared spectroscopy. In this study, the best-performing suppressors showed efficient coverage after 12 hours in the oven through the formation of a film-like or protective layer. The industrial-scale tests were conducted on 7 piles of iron ore fines and 1 pile of burned pellets, during the months strating on 15 July 2021 to 19 November 2021, with the application of the Sustainable Suppressor at a concentration of 0.5% and conventional suppressors. The concentration of Total Suspended Particles (TSP) was monitored over a period of 4 to 6 hours after the application of the suppressors. The rates and factors of emission were determined, considering the following variables: amount of material, wind speed and direction, TSP concentration upwind and downwind of the emission source, main characteristics of the emission source and the fugitive emission plume. The monitoring results showed rates and factors of emission ranging from 0.063 to 0.160 kg/h and 0.029 to 0.104 g/h.m2, respectively. The Sustainable Suppressor proved to be an effective emission control agent, without the need for operational interventions. To meet the demand for PET bottles, partnerships have been set up with recycling associations. There are 12 associations in 6 cities that are prepared for the commercialization and management of the supply. In addition, new collection points have been set up, helping to raise awareness among approximately 60,000 people about the importance of segregating and recycling PET. The implementation and scalability of the project is part of the business model developed. This model meets the commitment of environmental and social impact, risk mitigation, and operationalization, through the licensing of the technology and strategic partnerships with startups that are experts in the chemical industry and waste management, for the exclusive supply to Vale. The adoption of Sustainable Suppressor will bring operational optimization, cost reductions and will benefit 1000 people with increased income and about 1 million tons of PET plastic will be removed from the environment per year. Therefore, this project combines ESG concepts, shared value creation, circular economy, academia-industry partnership, innovation, territorial impact, and cost reduction.

Keywords: Circular economy, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Supressor, Suistainable.