Vegetable wastes: energetic and reuse opportunities

This plan pursues the general objective of enhancing the waste management of fruit and vegetable growers companies in order to pursue a circular economy, in which the products retain their value as long as possible and minimize the waste production their impact on the environment. The expected results are:
• The reuse of the vegetable scraps through digestion by larvae of Hermetia Illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). From the mature larvae it will be possible to extract fats especially suitable for the biodiesel production and protein panels that can be used in the bio-gas plants to produce energy.
• Pyrolysis of larvae residues to obtain syngas (energy) and biochar. The biochar can be used as soil amendment to improve soil quality and structure.
• The extraction and characterization of molecules contained in the bio-oil fraction (tar) in order to assess their possible re-use (as additives or antioxidants).
To realize the plan the following activities will be organized:
• Larvae digestion of vegetable scraps, separation of fat and protein constituents to obtain energy.
• Pyrolysis of the larvae residues to obtain energy (Syngas), biochar and bio-oil. Use of biochar as soil amendment to improve soil quality and structure, use of syngas to produce thermic or electric energy. The bio-oil constituents will be analyzed in order to evaluate if it is possible to use it to obtain food additives.
• Life cycle assessment of the activities undertaken in order to evaluate the reduction of the environmental impact due to the re-use of vegetable scraps.