Integration of green roofs&walls in urban areas

Growing urbanization is associated with the emergence of environmental problems, such as the reduction of natural resources, the atmosphere pollution and the increase of the heat islands phenomenon in cities. The integration of vegetation in the urban areas, through the creation of green hanging systems, represents a possible solution to improve the energy sustainability of buildings, to combat meteoric excesses, to improve stormwater management and to reduce pollutant levels. These energy and environmental benefits are related to the properties of evapotranspiration, shading and thermal insulation of the vegetation. The work reports the results of the main studies concerning the use of han…

Prime prove di un prototipo di pirolizzatore per la produzione di biochar

La pirolisi è un processo di decomposizione chimica di biomassa, effettuata in assenza o limitata presenza di ossigeno. Durante la pirolisi complesse molecole polimeriche di biomassa sono scisse in molecole semplici di gas (syngas), sostanze liquide e carbone (char). Le quantità relative delle tre frazioni dipendono da parecchi fattori quali, ad esempio, la velocità di riscaldamento, la temperatura finale, il tempo di residenza dei gas nel reattore, il tipo di pirolizzatore, le caratteristiche fisiche e chimiche della biomassa utilizzata. Il biochar ottenuto dai sottoprodotti dell’industria agro-alimentare, dai residui di potatura, dal legno proveniente dalle utilizzazioni di colture specia…

Biowaste in a circular bioeconomy in Mediterranean area: A case study of compost and vermicompost as growing substrates alternative to peat

European policies are advocating a transition toward circular bio-economy, an economy aiming at reducing the dependence from fossil-based resources, limiting greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts. The aim of this paper is to assess the potential for circularity for bio-waste and related by-products, to highlight the role of compost and vermicompost in the circular bioeconomy and their use in the agricultural sector. Three different substrates were tested in the soilless cultivation of Salvia officinalis, a Mediterranean nutraceutical and healthy plant: vermicompost (40%), compost (40%) and peat (100%). The average values of the main biometric parameters were calculated and comp…

Biogas yield from Sicilian kitchen waste and cheese whey

The aim of this study is to determine the chemical composition of kitchen waste and cheese whey, as well as the biogas yield obtained from the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) tests of these two raw materials. Since the separated waste collection is performed in the town of Marineo (Palermo), a sample of kitchen waste, different from food industry one and included in the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW), was collected from the mass stored at the households of this town. Moreover, a sample of cheese whey was collected in a Sicilian mini dairy plant, where sheep milk is processed. This investigation was carried out inside laboratory digesters of Aleksandras Stulginskis University (Li…

Nomenclature for Hydrogeological Instability Risks

The nomenclature for hydrogeological instability risks includes four main risks, which are distinguished according to the risk causes : 1) hydrogeological risk, that is slowly caused by natural factors (e.g. collapse landslides in a calcareous cliff in uninhabited areas and erosion along a marly-calcareous slope) in environments where human activities are minimal, i.e. woods, forests and mountain pastures; 2) hydraulic-pedological farming risk, that implies the occurrence of landslides in every winter and is caused by incorrect crop selection, not suitable for the soil and climate parameters (e.g. on a hilly slope with a clay vertisol type with a landslide having different fronts, when the …

The evaluation of urban soils aimed at the sustainability of plants in public and private flowerbeds

The authors report the survey of some flowerbeds located in the city of Palermo with the aim of assessing the sustainability of the plants and the interventions to be implemented, i.e. cutting or transfer of plants, to achieve a sustainable green. In the case in which it is possible to insert other plants in the flowerbeds, it is recommended to elaborate a project using programs that allow to have a preview of the spaces available for the new plants. This work is methodological and is aimed at creating a green that can achieve the functional objectives in relation to the site where it is located (sustainability in all aspects) and at low management costs with no or almost no irrigation prac…

Proposal of a Nomenclature for Hydrogeological Instability Risks and Case Studies of Conservative Soil Tillage for Environmental Protection

In order to implement environmental protection, within the Soil Cadastre, previously proposed as a multipurpose inventory that aims to promote sustainable soil uses, the hydrogeological instability caused by human activities is the focus of this work. These activities can be aimed at sustainable agricultural soil use or the building of roads to allow the access to the fields. The soil’s hydrogeological instability causes the unsustainable use and management of a cadastral parcel. Therefore, the aim of this work is to propose a nomenclature for hydrogeological instability risks, as well as the best practices of conservative soil tillage in case studies, in order to reduce environmental impac…

Tax benefits for the energy requalification of Italian real estate assets

The need for energy-efficient buildings has emerged since the onset of the first energy crises in the 1970s. It's in this decade that the concepts of sustainable development and energy saving have been introduced in the construction sector. Currently, the greatest energy saving potential for buildings does not lie in new buildings, but in the energy redevelopment of existing buildings. In order to promote interventions for building restoration, which are often costly and not economically convenient, Italian legislation has made a series of economic incentives available to the sector. This work reviews the main incentive systems for the energy requalification of buildings.

Identification of Energy Hubs for the Exploitation of Residual Biomass in an Area of Western Sicily

Recent years have witnessed a marked reduction in financial incentives for renewable energy production in Italy as a consequence of the fact that the nation has already reached its energy policy targets for 2020, However, incentives still persist in certain sectors, such as those of specialized crops for biomass and residual biomass. In order to increase use-efficiency of biomass resources, careful study is needed of their characteristics, and their distribution within an area and over time: biomass use is of interest when production is concentrated in a given area and sufficiently available throughout the year. In order to assess the competitiveness of the biomass energy sector, the logist…

Le trappole a feromone per il monitoraggio del punteruolo rosso delle palme

Effects of Vermicompost, Compost and Digestate as Commercial Alternative Peat-Based Substrates on Qualitative Parameters of Salvia officinalis

Peat is a common substrate used for the cultivation of potted plants. However, the use of peat in horticulture has recently been questioned from an environmental standpoint, since it is a non-renewable resource and plays a major role in atmospheric CO2 sequestration. The aim of this work was to assess the potentialities of substrates obtained from vermicompost, compost and anaerobic digestion processes to partially substitute peat for sage (Salvia officinalis L.) cultivation. Therefore, we planned an experiment to assess the effect of these substrates on essential oil (EO) yield and composition, as well as on leaf nutrients concentration of sage plants. The three substrates were mixed with …

LA PRODUZIONE DI BIOGAS E DIGESTATO IN SICILIA: UN MODELLO DI SVILUPPO ECOSOSTENIBILE NELLA FILIERA AGRO-ENERGETICA

Sicilian potential biogas production

This study is aimed at predicting the Sicilian potential biogas production, using the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW), animal manure and food industry by-products, in a region where only one biogas plant using MSW and one co-digestion plant are nowadays available. The statistical data about OFMSW, the number of animals bred in medium and large farms and the amounts of by-products of food processing industries were evaluated, in order to compute the Sicilian potential biogas and energy production. The OFMSW produced in Sicily, that is 0.8 million tons ca. per year (37% of MSW), could be used in a bio-reactor, together with other raw materials, for Anaerobic Digestion (AD) p…

Life Cycle Impact Assessment applied to cactus pear crop production for generating bioenergy and biofertiliser

Among the potential uses of cactus pear, the generation of bioenergy (biogas) and biofertiliser (digestate), from the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of cladodes and fruits, is surveyed in this paper. Data for Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) was drawn from a farm located in Roccapalumba (Palermo, Sicily, Italy), where three cultivars were cultivated: 1) yellow pulp cultivar; 2) red pulp cultivar; 3) white pulp cultivar. LCIA was applied to six scenarios: 1) current dry crop; 2) current irrigated crop; 3) dry crop for fruit and bioenergy production; 4) irrigated crop for fruit and bioenergy production; 5) dry crop for bioenergy production; 6) irrigated crop for bioenergy production. According t…

Valorisation of urban green areas for producing renewable energy and biochar as growing substrate of Sicilian aromatic and nutraceutical species in a circular economy

This work is aimed at evaluating the possible building up of a gasifier for the energy valorisation of residual biomass deriving from urban areas and their surroundings. The area and the volumes of supply and economic convenience have been determined by implementing a GIS-based geographic method to the localisation and quantification of non-uniform elements of plant biomass. The pyrolysis and gasification processes of the lignocellulosic biomass obtained from pruning and maintenance operations of the urban and ornamental green include the production of a residual amount of biochar. The biochar can be used in agriculture as a soil improver and a substrate alternative to peat in the sustainab…

Sustainable Valorisation of Biowaste for Soilless Cultivation of Salvia Officinalis in a Circular Bioeconomy

The aim of this work is to assess the usefulness of biowaste deriving from CircularBioeconomy (CBE) processes (i.e., vermicompost, compost and digestate), as growing substratesfor the partial or total replacement of peat, by measuring the vegetation biometric parameters ofsage (Salvia officinalis L.)&mdash

Italian Potential Biogas and Biomethane Production from OFMSW

This work is aimed at predicting the potential biogas and biomethane production, using the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW), in Italy, where 1388 Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants (power of 7.4 TWh, equal to 640.4 ktep) are nowadays available. In order to compute the potential biogas and biomethane production in the 20 Italian regions, the data about OFMSW production in 2010-2013 period have been evaluated. The Italian production of OFMSW, that was 5.2 million tons in 2013 (18% of MSW), could be used inside bioreactors for producing biogas and digestate, that must be aerobically composted into a biofertiliser. In 2013, the Italian potential biogas production from OFMSW was 73…

Terra Frumento e pane. Il ciclo del grano a Marineo

A Contribution to Environmental Protection Through the Valorisation of Kitchen Biowaste

The worldwide interest in Renewable Energy Sources (RES) is gathering momentum. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process is steadily growing, as more people are setting up bioreactors in order to produce biogas and digestate. AD process is the fermentation of solid biowaste in the absence of oxygen and is zero emission, i.e. it is CO2 neutral. The aim of this work is to test HomeBiogas 2.0, i.e. a revolutionary equipment that used the kitchen biowaste from the canteen of the agricultural institute of Marsala (Trapani, Italy). This equipment works as a continuous flow bioreactor: the waste is fed in one end, while biogas and digestate come out from the other. The process continuously took place at a…

Comparison of Mechanical, Assisted and Manual Harvest of Origanum vulgare L.

In Italy, the production of Origanum vulgare L. is lower than the national market demand, so there is an increasing interest in this crop, even if the manual harvest and bunch binding represent ca. 60% of the production cost. The aim of this work is to evaluate the harvest efficiency, as well as the working capacity, productivity and quality of mechanical harvesting by means of a reaper-binder designed for cereal and forage crops and assisted harvesting by means of a long-reach edge trimmer. In fact, the final aim is to suggest a machine and a method for oregano harvesting that could significantly reduce the time and, therefore, the cost of this crop operation, while achieving a product qua…

Assessment of organic waste management methods through energy balance

In Italy, the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid W aste (OFMSW) is nowadays landfilled or processed through aerobic composting. The Italian towns curre ntly support a high cost for OFMSW disposal and cause a high environmental impact, because of long distance s travelled from towns to a few available landfills and fewer treatment places, as well as the used waste m anagement methods. An interesting option for OFMSW is Anaerobic Digestion (AD), producing biogas and “digestate”. In this survey a theoretical biogas plant was placed near a town of Sicily Region (Italy), centra lised with reference to the area considered for pro ducing OFMSW. The distances travelled every year to transport OFMS…

Case Study of Potential Production of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) from Livestock Wastes in Mediterranean Islands

The aim of this work is to evaluate the potential production of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) from livestock wastes that are commonly found on Mediterranean islands, by using the island of Malta as a case study. Organic wastes in the form of livestock manure and slurry, as well as other by-products originating from the food transformation industry in the making of alcoholic beverages and the processing of olives, tomatoes and other streams, if mixed in such a way to achieve a correct C/N ratio, can be subjected to anaerobic co-digestion for the production of biogas and digestate. Biogas can be further transformed into biomethane, a fuel that can be used to power surface transportation and …

Sustainable architecture for wine cellars

Environmental sustainability in the wine sector is one of the major factors of commercial interest for consumers and producing companies. The link between wine production, territory and architectural typology of wine cellars is always more important for the food and wine sector. This work explores the connections between architecture and energy efficiency with regards to minimizing environmental impacts in wine production and the sustainable use of resources in production processes. The role of economic and cultural promotion of wine cellars with bioclimatic architecture towards the tourism industry is highlighted.

Potential production of biogas from prinkly pear (opuntia ficus-indica L.) in sicilian uncultivated areas

The aim of this work is to evaluate the potential production of biogas and, indirectly, biomethane or electric and thermal energy, from prinkly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.), to be grown in a part of Sicilian uncultivated areas and co-digested together with the available livestock manure and slurry. In order to increase the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and reduce the dependency from fossil ones, the conversion of biomass into biogas through Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process is paramount for producing biomethane, to be used as fuel for means of transport and agricultural machines or heating, or electric and thermal energy through Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants. Moreover, the digestat…

Towards the European harmonisation of a Soil Cadastre inventory as a tool for environmental, social, economic, legal and taxation purposes

The cadastral systems existing in EU Member States satisfy private and public needs but there is no common regulation describing the purposes, minimum requirements and functions of the Cadastre in each State. In order to satisfy the need for harmonisation of Cadastres at the EU level, the Spanish Government's Official Performance Programme of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council supported, in the first semester of 2002, the initiative proposed by the Spanish General Directorate for the Cadastre to hold the "First Congress on Cadastre in the European Union" (15-17 May 2002). The main objective of this conference was to study the role of the Cadastre at EU level and the methods for the in…

Innovation for the Italian agricultural and food industry sector

The food industry is one of the largest energy consumers in the world, with 95 EJ/year. In this context, in Europe the amount of energy needed to cultivate, process, package and bring food to the homes of citizens reached 285 Mtoe in 2015, of which 14 Mtoe due to the Italian agricultural and food system. With the aim of favoring a drastic reduction in energy consumption, the European Commission, and the main international agencies, ie: FAO, OECD, UN over the last decade have aligned on the need to develop policies to support energy efficiency, renewable energies and sustainable technologies in order to minimize the use of fossil fuels and to reduce the final energy consumption, especially i…

Monitoraggio del punteruolo rosso nella città di palermo con l’uso di trappole.

Sicilian potential biogas production from Citrus industry by-product

In Europe, Italy is the second nation after Spain in Citrus production and 49% ca. of national fruit production is located in Sicily. The by-product obtained from the industrial processing of Citrus fruits into juice and essential oils is called “pastazzo” or Citrus Waste (CW). This study is aimed at evaluating the Sicilian potential biogas and energy production from the above “pastazzo” and verifying the possibility of using this by-product for Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process within 30 km from processing plants. The areas cultivated with Citrus species in Sicily and their distribution in the various municipal districts were mapped and analysed by means of QGIS software, together with the …

Energy consumption and improvement of energy efficiency for the European agricultural-food system

This work addresses the subjects of reducing fossil energy consumption and the interventions to improve energy efficiency in the European agricultural-food sys-tem. Following an overview on both such subjects, the results of European projects TESLA and SCOoPE are also analysed with attention to best practices and technologies available to improve energy efficiency in order to reduce the fossil energy use in agri-food systems of Mediterranean countries. A list of Key Performance Indicators for the fruit and vegetable sector, useful for comparative analyses aimed at selecting best methods of energy management and technologies for improving energy efficiency, is reported. Finally, a brief focu…

Manure as a potential source of renewable energy: The behaviour and characterisation of biofuels generated from three animal manure types when subjected to pyrolysis

Regions with high livestock density lack sufficient land on which to apply manure without exceeding the legal limits set by the European Union Directives. The lack of manure processing alternatives aggravates the situation, especially in the case of islands. Consequently, manure becomes a liability rather than an asset. Results indicate that pyrolysis is an option for manure processing. However, a significant limitation is the moisture content of the starting material, that could compromise the process efficiency. Yields of biogas, bio-oil and biochar, all of which have a potential use as biofuels, are particular to animal type and manure handling system. The conversion of manure to biofuel…

Sustainable technologies for greenhouse systems

The greenhouse cultivation system in European countries represents one of the most energy-intensive sectors in the agriculture and agro-industry sector. In this regard, renewable energies represent an innovative solution to reduce energy costs and environmental impacts. Both, the energy demands and the economic aspects are analyzed with regard to the main energy users, i.e.: heating and cooling systems, lighting and pumping for irrigation. This work considers the use of solar photovoltaic and thermal energy. The use of semi-closed greenhouses is also considered.