LIFE-OPTIMAL 2012 aims at demonstrating an innovative approach for the handling of the manure produced by livestock farming. Spreading of manure on agricultural soil is in fact a main source of ammonia emissions and/or nitrate leaching. Therefore, the EU restricted the use of manures over a specified period with the Directives 2001/81/EC and 91/676/EEC ensuring greater protection of the environment and human health. The disposal of manure has therefore become an economic challenge for farmers, as the amount of waste produced is often greater than the limit allowed. Thus, the conversion of manure via anaerobic digestion (e.g. in a biogas plant) could be a sustainable solution having both by-products (solid and liquid digestate) the potential to be used as fertilizers and/or soil amendments in the crop management.

The specific objectives of the LIFE-OPTIMAL project are:

• Implementation of an environmentally sound system of the treatment of solid and liquid manure in an anaerobic digestion plant;
• The decrease of regional nutrient surplus in the air and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions;
• Production of natural high quality both solid and liquid fertilizers to be tested both in controlled conditions with model crops and in field conditions with grapevine plants;
• Conservation of the life standards of the farmers involved in the project. They do not have to reduce the amount of animals in order to meet the environmental specifications.

The unibz Research unit is in charge of the evaluation of the fertilizing potential of the digestates obtained from the Biogas Wipptal Gmbh plant either in the form of liquid fraction or as a solid pellet. The assessment is carried out both with pot experiments in controlled conditions and in field conditions in a local vineyard in collaboration with the Cantina Tramin.

Principal Investigator: Tanja Mimmo — Faculty of Science and Technology
Project Duration: 01/07/2013 - 30/09/2020
Project Partner: Biogas Wipptal (Lead Partner), Cantina – Kellerei Tramin, Università degli Studi di Torino, Zunhammer
Project Webpage: biogas-wipptal.it/en/life-optimal-2012
GA: LIFE12 ENV/IT/000671