Valorizzazione di sottoprodotti vegetali fibrosi per alimenti zootecnici e biogas

The project develops a sustainable short food supply chain in Emilia-Romagna, repurposing 500,000 tons yearly of agricultural and industrial by-products—such as tomato residues, sugar beet waste, and cereal scraps—into cattle feed and biogas. Led by CRPA spa and the University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, with support from the European Commission under the 2014–2020 Rural Development Programme, it involves key partners including the Regional Breeders Association and Ferrari Giuseppe & C. farm. Trials used minisilos to test additives like dried beet pulp, wheat bran, sucrose, and whey to improve silage quality, with a Central Composite Design (CCD) analyzing interactions between dry matter, feed composition, and fermentation. Equipment such as a John Deere machine was used for cutting, and parameters like nutritional value and fermentation profile were measured. Palatability tests were conducted on cows. Mathematical models identified solution 4 as most cost-effective (€25,663). Batch BMP tests with 27-day incubations assessed biogas yields using inoculum from a biogas plant, showing clover hay silage had average methane yield. Alfalfa showed about 10% of the biogas potential of silage maize. Sustainability metrics indicate a carbon footprint of 0.91 kgCO2-eq per kg of milk, comparable to other northern Italian farms.