Antonio Carraro S.p.A., the leading company in the agricultural machinery sector, the Producers’ Consortium of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco D.O.C.G., Ecothea S.r.l. and Ero G.m.b.H., partners in the forefront of research into sustainable solutions for viticulture, have announced their participation in the "Joint workshop on the LIFE Programme - Innovative production cycles in transition towards green technologies".
The event, which will be held on 6th February 2024 in the Agorà hall of the Turin Polytechnic, represents an unprecedented opportunity to share the experiences and visions of European projects financed under the LIFE Programme.
This workshop aims to facilitate the exchange of experiences deriving from various European projects funded by the LIFE Programme, focusing on innovative products and processes linked to the development of green technologies. The discussion will focus on analysing the effective environmental impact of this ecological transition, establishing a common basis for justifying and quantifying the need for such change as an alternative to traditional systems.
The workshop will take place in various stages, offering a detailed examination of the key themes involved:
- Joint Workshop welcome and introduction: A fascinating introduction to begin the day, provided by Ecothea S.r.l., will offer an overview of the subject in hand and underline the importance of facing environmental challenges by operating innovative solutions.
- LIFE Programme – A look forward at the 2024 funding opportunities, as identified by Warrant Innovation Research Europe (WIRE): Warrant Hub S.p.A. will present a detailed picture of the principal funding opportunities within the LIFE 2024 Programme, offering participants a clear guide as to how to translate innovative ideas into concrete projects.
- The experiences of projects with different topics, to reach common goals and KPIs: LIFE ATENA, LIFE BIO-LUBRICANT, LIFE OCEAN: presentations of these LIFE projects will highlight the importance of assessing environmental impact in production cycles linked to the development of green technologies.
- Round Table: The final part of the workshop will be a round table discussion, a unique opportunity for comparison and debate about the best ways to work together in order to ensure a smooth ecological transition.
Venue and Date of the Event:
Date: 6th February 2024, 9.00 a.m.-1.00 p.m.
Venue: Campus of the Politecnico di Torino (Corso Castelfidardo 30/a, 10129 Turin, Italy), in the Agorà hall of the I3P Incubatore Politecnico di Torino.
To participate in the event, fill in the registration form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtfqL4k_hqHwKft3kYR93KCMYuQrNisEB-jTsDdHNAnZmL-w/viewform
Presentation of the LIFE Programme:
The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action, with a budget of 5.43 billion Euro up until 2027. It encourages the transfer to a clean, circular, and efficient economy from the point of view of energy, and which is neutral and resilient as regards climate change, partly through a transition towards clean energy, so as to protect and improve the quality of the environment. The presentation will focus on certain priorities for 2024, i.e.: "The circular economy and environmental solutions", including circular project management, repairability, reusability, recycling and the use of recycled content in new products and "Actions for mitigating and adapting to climate change", in order to transform the EU into a society that is neutral and resilient from a climate point of view.
The LIFE ATENA Project
LifeAtena seeks to introduce innovative technology for agricultural machinery with reduced or almost zero environmental impact, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the dispersion of lubricants, and noise pollution. The challenge consists in obtaining these environmental benefits without compromising the technical performance, aesthetics, and size of the new machines. To this end, the Producers’ Consortium of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco D.O.C.G. is taking an active part in the LifeAtena project by making available some vineyard areas with varying gradients in order to improve the performance of the machines under construction, so that they can be adapted for heroic vine-growing like that in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene zone, which has as its mission the protection and safeguarding of the environment and of the local community. The project foresees the development and validation of two types of tractor architecture: full hybrid e full electric. The implementation of fully electric tractors seeks to provide farming professionals with a more sustainable and healthy mode of working. The gradual substitution of current tractors with machinery whose source of energy is fossil-free aims to reduce fuel consumption by 45%, whilst also limiting pollutants such as NOx, HCs and PM. LifeAtena is also committed to reducing the use of lubricating oil in machinery by 30%, thus reducing the risk of dispersion in the environment during agricultural activities. The project aims to put on sale more than 3,440 ecologically advanced tractors and 3,240 fully electric vehicles within 5 years of the project’s conclusion, generating a saving in greenhouse gases of over 45% and positive EBITDA of more than 53 million Euro.
The LIFE BIO-LUBRICANT Project
The LIFE BIO-LUBRICANT project faces up to the environmental and economic challenge of waste-derived lubricants in Europe, with the goal of implementing an efficient circular supply chain. The absence of distinguishing between mineral-based lubricants and bio-lubricants in current processes has caused some losses of efficiency, but this project offers a separate collection chain and specific processes for bio-lubricants, using the technology of A&A Fratelli Parodi S.p.A.. The impacts foreseen include recuperating and treating 1,000 metric tons of bio/synthetic oil, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, diminished use of agricultural land for biofuel production, and the creation of a new circular industrial supply chain. Also, the project aims to make the European Commission more aware about drawing up an EER code specifically for waste bio-lubricants, thus favouring the development of this supply chain in Europe.
The LIFE OCEAN Project
The objective of the LIFE OCEAN project is to substitute the traditional diesel generators used for supplying the internal energy needs of the Sanlorenzo superyacht with a 60 kWe with a microbial fuel cell (mFC) system. This solution, based on green methanol, will offer a carbon-neutral technology for the maritime sector, thus contributing towards decarbonising fuels for naval use. The implementation of this mFC system seeks to achieve a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the IMO’s goals of reducing emissions by 50% by the end of 2050, and of constructing zero-emission vessels by 2100. Also, the project is considering the application of down-scaling for superyachts and yachts, taking advantage of their operating profile when anchored or berthed to maximise energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
