Tubacex Raises the Bar: Advanced Heat and Water Technologies Strengthen Sustainable Tube Solutions

Tubacex is accelerating the transformation of the tube industry. Within the EU-funded iWAYS project, the company is implementing innovative systems for heat and water recovery – a major step toward energy-efficient tube production and durable tubular solutions.

As a leading producer of seamless stainless-steel tubes, Tubacex is currently developing pioneering technologies for more sustainable manufacturing at its plant in the Basque Country. Through the EU-funded iWAYS project, the company is testing new processes that directly support the production of advanced tubular solutions and significantly improve resource circularity within the mill.

A central element of these efforts is the newly installed Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser (HPCE). The system captures waste heat from tube furnaces and feeds it back into the production cycle, substantially reducing energy demand and lowering CO₂ emissions associated with seamless tube manufacturing. In parallel, Tubacex is trialling membrane-based water-treatment technologies capable of recycling up to 95 percent of industrial wastewater – a key factor for the sustainable production of high-performance tubular products.

Initial data is encouraging: more than 30 percent reduction in pollutant emissions, the reuse of around 60 percent of water contained in flue gases, and the recovery of up to 80 percent of process heat. These results demonstrate that innovative retrofit solutions can be integrated into continuous tube-production lines without disrupting operations.

The initiative also supports Tubacex’s NT² 2027 programme, which focuses on circular-economy principles. The strategy includes low-carbon tubular solutions, digital energy monitoring, and a closed-loop resource model. The project is coordinated by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and funded under the EU Horizon 2020 programme (Grant Agreement No. 957284).

With these advances, Tubacex reinforces its position as a technological leader and shows how modern tubular solutions can contribute to a circular, resilient, and future-ready metal industry.