Bonollo Umberto Distilleries

Scenario

In a context where the European Union has set ambitious climate goals: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and to become climate neutral by 2050. To achieve these goals, it is crucial to increase renewable energy production, as outlined in the RepowerEU plan. In addition to photovoltaics and wind power, biogas and biomethane play a crucial role in decarbonization, especially in the transportation and heating sectors.

In Italy, biomethane production from food waste is emerging as a key solution to address food waste challenges and to promote the adoption of renewable energy sources. This practice is based on the transformation of organic material, among which we can mention waste from food production and distribution, agricultural waste and sewage sludge, through the process of anaerobic digestion.

There are, however, some critical issues during the process:

• efficient collection and management of food waste requires dedicated infrastructure and logistics;

• the regulatory aspect and public policies need more clarity to encourage investment in the infrastructure and technologies needed for biomethane production;

• management of the by-products of the anaerobic digestion process is essential to avoid groundwater pollution (there are currently 85 biomethane plants in Italy producing 572 million smc per year).

Description

The Bonollo distilleries are protagonists in the production of biomethane, directly connected to the Italgas distribution network, which has inserted a new technology(DANA, Digital Advanced Network Automation) capable of remotely managing the flow regulation process and the analysis of the quality of the gas produced. The plant is capable of transforming production residues into 10,000 cubic meters of energy daily, for an annual total of 2.5 million cubic meters, corresponding to the average consumption of 3,000 households.

The principles guiding the company refer to the definition of the “circular economy,” defined as “a regenerative system in which materials and products are kept in circulation as much as possible so that their value is preserved while minimizing the generation of waste” (Ellen MacArthur Foundation).

The process begins precisely with the valorization of the raw material, which after being used in the production of wine is used for the processing of distillates. From the creation of high quality spirits, however, both solid and liquid wastes result, which are again transformed into useful products for secondary production. Different types of by-products can be obtained from the waste: from grape marc skins , biomass is obtained for the production of animal feed and energy and thermal energy; from grape seeds , edible oil is obtained; from liquid residues, biogas is produced, and then electricity sold to the national grid.

Bibliography