a s o s n i i l i t à d e l l a n o s t a a z e n a
We are extremely attentive to the environmental sustainability of all business practices and processes.
BioCO2-TRAPPING
Development and optimization of a biological process for trapping carbon dioxide and converting it into bioplastics in a circular economy context
PROJECT ABSTRACT
Reducing the anthropogenic release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere is one of the main challenges facing humanity in the coming years to avoid an irreversible increase in the greenhouse effect. The BioCO2-TRAPPING project aims to optimize the use of CO2 Capture, Storage and Utilization (CSUC) technologies in order to close carbon loops in a circular economy approach. Therefore, BioCO2-TRAPPING aims to develop a new biotechnology platform in which CO2 from industrial production will be converted into high market value chemicals by specially selected microorganisms. The CO2 will be converted into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), the basic constituents of bioplastics, which are finding increasing use in industry in order to replace plastics made from fossil-derived chemical compounds. The project aims to increase the yield of PHA with a two-pronged approach: optimizing the growth conditions of the selected microbial species and improving the extraction procedures of the compound. The project involves enterprises operating upstream (bioconversions with CO2 release) and downstream (use of bioproducts for packaging) of the "CSUC" approach, respectively. The role of enterprises is crucial in the development of the circular economy approach, both in identifying the best substrates to use and in assessing the quality of bioplastics.
Participants in the project are:
- University of Padua:
Stephen Campanaro https://sites.google.com/site/ stefanocampanaro/?pli=1
Laura Treu https://www.biologia.unipd.it/people/?tx_wfqbe_pi1% 5Baccount%5D=laura-treu
Lorenzo Favaro https://www.dafnae.unipd.it/en/Favaro - Euronewpack
Flavio Pendin https://www.euronewpack.com/ - Agricultural Society La Pesenata s.s.
ENERGY
MATERIALS
Our materials are as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible:
- Light bottles: a normal bottle weighs about 500/600 g. We choose light bottles that weigh only 350/400 gr. Our 2019 production stands at 6500 bottles, while in 2020 we produced 8,500 bottles and in 2021 we reached 10,000 bottles. By choosing a lightweight bottle we take more than 1000 kg off the weight carried. Then there is also to consider the energy cost of producing the bottle, which is certainly lowered. Glassworks estimate energy consumption per kilogram of glass produced, including the energy cost of transportation and disposal, to be around 15 MJ (Mega Joules), equivalent to an emission of about 2.7 kilograms of CO². In a quick calculation with the 2019, 2020 and 2021 vintages, we have saved the planet about 10 tons of CO² by bottle choice alone!
- Stoppers: we have chosen a technological stopper, which guarantees the organoleptic integrity of our wine, but above all is sustainable. It is made of polymers of natural origin, completely biodegradable and recyclable. The patented formulation of the Nomacorc Green Line is based on vegetable polymers extracted from sugar cane, a 100% renewable source of raw materials. (source https://www.vinventions.com/it/nomacorc-sustainability )
- Capsules: we have chosen PVC-free capsules made of only ecological materials
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS
VINERY PLASTIC FREE (Vineyard without plastics)
Modern agriculture makes massive use of plastics, especially on disposable consumables.
In a vineyard, a lot of wire, plastic-coated iron ties or plastic tubes are used as binders to support the plants.
As soon as we entered the vineyard we were running, we realised that all the wires supporting the plant were soaked in iron-plastic ties left there from previous years. Plastics do not degrade, of course, so they are almost completely intact even after several years. Many of these unluckily fall into the ground and pollute the soil.
We have therefore started a project of total reclamation of all plastic-coated binding materials.
This year we have been using a type of wire covered with a photosensitive biodegradable sheath for tying the shoots, which degrades within a season or so without leaving any pollutants in the field.
Next winter we will start replacing all the green plastic tubes that bind the tops of the trunks of the vines. We will replace them with wicker or rubber binders, which are completely natural.
Once the clean-up is complete, we will calculate the weight of the plastic collected before delivering this waste to an authorised collection centre.
Project name: Vinery plastic free
Project duration: 5 years
Implementation steps: collection of iron-plastic laces (3 years), replacement of iron-plastic laces (1 year), replacement of plastic laces with wicker or rubber (5 years).
VINERY TREE (trees in the vineyard)
Numerous tall trees are growing spontaneously in our vineyard.
These are oak trees (Downy Oak, Oak), walnut trees, elms, hackberry trees, mulberry trees, sagebrush, etc.
We had a thought: how many years does it take a tree to become an "adult," tall with adequate foliage? 20 years, maybe 30!
The consequent thought was, how much longer will our vineyard live before replanting in another plot? Maybe 10 or 15 years since it is already 25 years old.
So if we were to plant trees where the vineyard is now from the time we go to remove the vineyard itself, we will have lost about 15 years of growth.
Therefore, we want to raise some trees within our vineyard in order not to lose these 15 years of growth. This will entail that some vine plants will be abutting these trees.
According to the way modern vineyards are cultivated, apart from some light grassing between rows, there should be nothing but vine plants. A monoculture for all intents and purposes, with the consequences for the environment ranging from the abatement of biodiversity to the desertification of soils.
Instead, we would like to recreate the agricultural biodiversity of yesteryear, when plots of land were relatively small (so much so that in Verona the agricultural unit of measure is the "Veronese field" 3,000 square meters, which is less than one-third of a hectare) and there were ditches at the edges, and especially tall trees, such as willows, from which "stroppe" (natural ties) were made.
There was a time when even vineyards were made in the spaces between tall trees from which the wires for the supports of the shoots departed. Mulberry trees in particular were used whose leaves were used to raise silkworms.
Agricultural biodiversity is a primary goal of ours!
