Matching farms requirements to an environmentally sound agro-zootechnical by products management

The group deals with the sustainable management of agro-zootechnical biomasses such as animal manure and by-products from the cereal, wine and fruit production sectors. Concerning livestock manure, all steps of manure management chain are considered: processing, storage and land application.

The research revolves around the functional tests and the development of innovative equipment for the treatment (e.g., mechanical and chemo-mechanical slurry separation, reverse osmosis membranes for slurry nutrients concentration) and for the land application of solid and liquid manures. The group also deals with the quantification of ammonia (NH₃) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manure management and with the development/testing of novel mitigation techniques (slurry coverage systems, acidification, nitrification inhibitors). 

The energetic valorization of agro-livestock biomass is examined through the implementation of the anaerobic digestion and the gasification processes to produce, respectively, biogas and syngas. Particular attention is paid to the energetic utilization of cereal straws and stovers, by-products from the olive oil industry (vegetation water, pomace), wine (e.g. grape marcs and grape stalks) and fruit (pruning residues and explants) production sectors as well as from the agri-foodstuff (whey, tomato peels). The group has also a long-term expertise in the field of chemical, enzymatic, mechanical, biological and thermal pre-treatments of ligno-cellulosic biomasses to increase their degradability in anaerobic conditions and to increase their methane yield.

Moreover, the group deals with the evaluation of particulate matter emissions from agricultural operations, with the end goal of developing technical solutions for the abatement of fine particulate emissions from the agricultural sector.

Insights
Biomass & Waste Management Group

• Innovative concepts and technologies for Ecologically sustainable Nutrient management in agriculture aiming to prevent, mitigate and eliminate pollution in soils, water and air (EcoNutri), European Union Horizon Europe Innovation programme under the Grant Agreement No. 101081858. - https://econutri-project.eu/universita-di-torino/
• NODES - Nord Ovest Digitale E Sostenibile – Spoke 2 Green technologies e industria sostenibile - https://www.ecs-nodes.eu/
• Agritech National Research Center for Technology in Agriculture – Spoke 6 – Management models to promote sustainability and resilience of agricultural systems - https://agritechcenter.it/
• Towards a Mediterranean Climate Neutral Farm model (LIFE CLINMED-FARM), LIFE20 CCM/ES/001751
• Improvement and disclosure of efficient techniques for manure management towards a circular and sustainable agriculture (LIFE-Agriclose), LIFE17 ENV/ES/000439
• OPTImised nitrogen MAnagement from Livestock production in Alto Adige (Life-OPTIMAL), Life 12/ENV/IT/0000671
• Recovery and Use of Nutrients, Energy and Organic Matter from Animal Waste (ReUseWaste). Marie Curie Initial Training Network project. Funded within the EU 7^th Framework Program. Contract n° 289887
• Sviluppo di una Filiera sostenibile per la gestione e valorizzazione dei reflui zootecnici nei frutteti della Provincia di Cuneo (FiReZoF). Project funded by the "Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo"
• Migliorare la gestione degli effluenti in pratica: utilizzo del software SEESpig nelle imprese zootecniche (GEZOO). Funded by the Fondazione AGER-Agroalimentare e Ricerca
• Multi-regional Solutions to improve the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of PIG manure management in the Regions of the Po and Veneto basin (AGER-SEESPIG) (Funded by the Fondazione AGER-Agroalimentare e Ricerca)
• European Biogas Initiative to improve the yield of biogas plants (EU-Agrobiogas). Funded within the EU 6^th Framework Program. Contract n° 019884

• Menduni G. et al. (2023). Measurement of methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia in atmosphere with a compact quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensor. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Vol. 375.
• Blandino M., Scapino M., Rollè L., Dinuccio E., Reyneri Amedeo (2023). Biomass and Methane Production in Double Cereal Cropping Systems with Different Winter Cereal and Maize Plant Densities. Agronomy, Vol. 13, Issue 2[LR1]
• Zanellati A., Spina F., Poli A., Rollé L., Varese G.C., Dinuccio E. (2021). Fungal pretreatment of non-sterile maize silage and solid digestate with a Cephalotrichum stemonitis strain selected from agricultural biogas plants to enhance anaerobic digestion. Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 144.
• Ferrero F., Dinuccio E., Rollé L., Tabacco E., Borreani G. (2020). Suitability of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) harvested at two stages of maturity to ensiling and methane production. Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 142.
• Maffia J., Balsari P., Padoan E., Ajmone-Marsan F., Ricauda Aimonino D., Dinuccio E. (2020). Evaluation of particulate matter (PM10) emissions and its chemical characteristics during rotary harrowing operations at different forward speeds and levelling bar heights. Environmental Pollution, Vol. 265.

AARHUS University (Denmark)
Copenhagen University (Denmark)
Lisbon University (Portugal)
ATB-Potsdam (Germany)
KTBL (Germany)
Dohler Agrar (Germany)
Wageningen University (Holland)
University of Murcia (Spain)
BOKU- Wien university (Austria)
Universidad Nacional Villa Maria (Argentina)