Energy, in Catania, a pilot project for the conversion of the … – Giornale di Sicilia

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CATANIA. A pilot plant for converting citrus waste, the so-called “pulp” in clean energy . It was presented in Catania, and was made possible thanks to the project ‘Energy from Citrus: an opportunity for the entire supply chain, “sponsored by the Citrus District of Sicily with the collaboration of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A) University Catania and the Cooperative Empedocles. In support of the initiative, the funding is not conditioned by The Coca-Cola Foundation.

The industrial production of citrus juice leaves a residue wet, “pulp”, which represents about 60% of the quantity treated . It is currently run like a rejection and generates high costs. Only in part is used as fertilizer in agriculture and, in small amounts, such as animal feed, additives for human food or compost. A resource is to transform it into the pilot plant which exploits the amount of anaerobic digestion for the production of electrical energy, biogas, bio-based and nutrients to the soil. Today dispose of over 340 thousand tons of pulp produced on average each year, costs the industry more than 10 million euro
(30 euro / ton). A small plant that enhances citrus pulp, other by-products of food chains Mediterranean (pomace, grape pomace, blades of prickly pears) and crops in rotation or second crops can provide, for example, 500 normal cubic meters of biogas and activate a generator able to produce 1 MW of electricity, sufficient to power an average consumption of 333 homes. The goal is to extend the project to the entire region: it has been calculated that to solve the problem of waste citrus in Sicily would be enough 20 ‘digesters as the pilot plant.

“This is a project that has many positive aspects. The first is that it has turned the spotlight on a real problem related to the reuse of a product, the pulp, which has critical factor has the potential to become a resource. Second encouraged dialogue between the public, (the University) and private (the supply chain). Third, this project has given value to the innovation of the system given by the District of Citrus and passionately supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation: a real positive energy required to change course of the entire sector, “said Federica Silvery, President Citrus District of Sicily.

“This is an opportunity for the first Sicilian Region, which can become a virtuous model for the whole Italian territory – said Vittorio Cino, director of Institutional Relations and Communication Coca Cola Italy -. We are sure that after this startup phase the project can continue its path independently: first for the objective quality of the construction industry; second because it comes from a demand and a need of land and productive world. “

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