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TESLA (Transfering Energy Save Laid on Agroindustry) is a EU project pointing to the reduction of energy consumption and the improvement of energy efficiency in key agro-food sectors’ cooperatives, as those processing fruit and vegetables. After a general analysis of energy consumptions during the first phase of the project, the processes responsible for the higher energy consumptions in these fruit and vegetable industries, as cold storage, have been identified. In the second phase of the project, a few case studies aimed at proposing customized solutions for reducing energy wastage and for improving energy efficiency in specific selected cooperatives have been performed. In this manuscript we report preliminary results of a case study carried out in an Italian horticulture cooperative having several production lines for fresh (1 st range) and minimally processed (4 th range) fruit and vegetable products. In this cooperative, an in-depth energy audit has been performed, and additionally a process simulation software has been applied to model, evaluate and improve the operations in this processing centre and in the supply chain from the primary production sites. Such case study may be used as an example for similar cooperatives of the fruit and vegetables sector, thus contributing in making this sector more economically and energetically sustainable.

L’industria alimentare e delle bevande rappresenta un settore manifatturiero leader in Europa. Nel 2012, l’industria agroalimentare italiana, includendo agricoltura, industria di trasformazione, vendita al dettaglio, servizi e altre componenti correlate, ha raggiunto il 17% del PIL nazionale. L’intero sistema agroalimentare consuma ingenti quantita di combustibile fossile. Questo manoscritto esamina il comparto dell’industria agroalimentare in Italia e nel contesto europeo, focalizzando sul settore ortofrutticolo, e trattando le principali misure, linee politiche e tecnologie che determinano i consumi di energia nell’industria agroalimentare. Inoltre, vengono discussi alcuni strumenti disponibili per migliorare l’efficienza energetica ed una gestione piu efficiente dei consumi energetici.

Nell’ultimo decennio, il sistema agroalimentare nazionale nella sua accezione più ampia di agricoltura e industria alimentare, ha assunto una configurazione fortemente sistemica, aperta al contributo di diverse discipline e tecnologie. Tale evoluzione ha consentito al sistema agricolo di raggiungere posizioni ragguardevoli se consideriamo che nel complesso l’agroalimentare rappresenta per l’economia italiana un valore di 250 miliardi €, pari a circa 16% del PIL. Il mondo agricolo, nel suo complesso, costituisce ormai uno snodo fondamentale per attività che riguardano: l’energia, l’ambiente, il cibo, il territorio, il benessere dei cittadini, il sistema economico aree urbane-aree rurali. Il lavoro è focalizzato sul ruolo strategico dell’agroalimentare per gli obiettivi del Pacchetto Europeo 20-20-20 nonché per lo sviluppo economico sostenibile del sistema Paese. Agriculture and economic sustainable development: energy, energy efficiency, environment and food This article briefly examines the evolution of the agricultural sector in Italy and outlines the concept of the agro-food system that includes the agriculture and the food industry activities. The Italian agro-food system has reached a global annual value of 250 billions €, which corresponds to about 16% of the added gross value. The agricultural system is also analyzed in respect to the objectives of the European Package 20-20-20. This article outlines the impact of the agro-food system in terms of energy, energy efficiency, use of renewable resources related to the food production. The impact of the large retail groups and the key role of the agro-food system are also analyzed in respect to the development of a sustainable economy.

Evaporative systems are generally used in warm regions for commercial greenhouse cooling, such systems require large quantity of water that is often a scarce natural resource in Mediterranean areas. Solar absorption cooling systems can be applied for greenhouse climate control in regions with high values of solar irradiation as alternative to evaporative systems by exploiting renewable energy sources. The paper presents the preliminary results of a research on the application of a solar absorption cooling system to a Mediterranean greenhouse. The aim of the research was to assess the potential of the system in terms of energy absorption related to the solar collector surface and to the greenhouse covered area. The simulation study was realized based on the experimental data collected at the experimental centre of the University of Bari, Southern Italy, in order to control the temperature of a plastic film covered greenhouse, having a surface of 300 m2. The cooling system was designed by adopting suitable technologies of energy saving, in order to reduce cooling energy needs. The designed system consists of an absorption chiller having a cooling capacity of 35 kW and of 80 m2 of evacuated-tube solar collectors.

Background: Sustainable biohydrogen production can be achieved by dark fermentation of organic wastes, and studies were carried out using a range of substrates and inocula. The bacterial populations involved were mainly identified as facultative anaerobes (Enterobacteriaceae) and strictly anaerobes (Clostridiales), and their dynamics in relation to H2 and metabolite production depends on the physical and environmental conditions of the bioreactor. This study has evaluated the use of length heterogeneity (LH)-PCR fingerprinting to detect changes in the microbial community during continuous hydrogen production under dark fermentation. Methods: A mesophilic continuous dark fermentation was established using coastal lake sediment as an inoculum in a synthetic medium with glucose as a substrate. The LH-PCR profiling associated to the sequencing of 16S rRNA genes was used for the characterization of the bacterial community and identification of species during a continuous production of H2. Results: The resulting dominant units of the communities present at both 24 h (batch) and 210 h (continuous culture) were affiliated to species of the genus Clostridium. Fluctuations based on their relative abundance over time were observed. At 24 h, a higher ratio was detected for the group Clostridium butyricum - Clostridium tertium followed by Clostridium bifermentans and Clostridium perfringens, while at 210 h, the group Clostridium aurantibutyricum - Clostridium acetobutylicum was the most abundant. Conclusions: The LH-PCR profiling has proven to be a sensitive and rapid method for the evaluation of the dynamics of a functional consortium formed by species of the genus Clostridium and has a potential for studies aimed at the optimization of biohydrogen production. © 2013 Di Bonito et al.; licensee Springer.

Nowadays the growth of the cities increased built and paved areas, energy use and heat generation. The phenomenon of urban warming, called urban heat island, influences negatively outdoor comfort conditions, pollutants concentration, energy demand for air conditioning, as well as increases environmental impact due to the demand of energy generation. A sustainable technology for improving the energy efficiency of buildings is the use of green roofs and walls in order to reduce the energy consumption for conditioning in summer and improve the thermal insulation in winter. The use of green roofs and walls can contribute to mitigate the phenomenon of heat island, the emissions of greenhouse gases, and the storm water runoff affecting human thermal comfort, air quality and energy use of the buildings. Recently, a number of municipalities started to adopt regulations and constructive benefits for renovated and new buildings which incorporate green roofs and walls. The aim of this paper is to describe the green roofs and walls plant technology.

Il sistema produttivo costituito dall’impresa produttiva dell’acquacoltura si configura di estremo interesse in termini di produzione di cibo soprattutto se consideriamo le prospettive socio-demografico che, sulla base di valutazioni FAO, vedono la popolazione entro il 2050 aumentare di una percentuale non inferiore al 70% rispetto alla popolazione attuale. Tale aumento demografico comportera, secondo la FAO, la necessita di garantire la produzione di cibo senza, tuttavia, aumentare il prelievo di risorse naturali e l’emissione in atmosfera di gas ad effetto serra. L’acquacoltura, infatti, rappresenta uno dei comparti produttivi potenzialmente in grado di soddisfare l’aumento sostenibile delle richieste di cibo. Questo lavoro riporta una descrizione delle tecnologie che si riferiscono ai Sistemi di Acquacoltura Integrata (SAI) e descrive brevemente gli aspetti di produzione integrata tra l’acquacoltura, la produzione di alghe, vermi e insetti.

L’efficienza energetica rappresenta la policy europea di maggiore interesse per favorire la riduzione dei consumi energetici nei diversi settori produttivi e la riduzione delle emissioni di CO2. In particolare, questo lavoro e focalizzato sul settore agricoltura e industria alimentare nazionale di cui riporta un quadro generale in termini di consumi energetici delle diverse filiere produttive; inoltre il lavoro brevemente affronta le innovazioni disponibili per migliorare l’efficienza energetica ai fini della diminuzione dei consumi di energia fossile nella produzione di beni alimentari. Vengono descritte le caratteristiche tecniche relative all’impiego della biomassa solida e alla tecnologia solar cooling per la climatizzazione nel comparto dei sistemi serra. Inoltre, viene presa in considerazione la tecnologia dei tetti verdi e delle pareti vegetali per sostenere il miglioramento dell’efficienza energetica degli edifici e la diminuzione delle emissioni di CO2 nelle citta. .