Saturno: Biorefinery of organic waste and CO2 into biofuels, fertilizers and biochemicals
About this good practice
Two of the challenges to be faced in order to make urban areas and industrial production environmentally sustainable are the capture and conversion of CO2 into useful compounds and the transformation of urban waste into raw materials for agriculture and industry.
The SATURNO platform allows:
- on the one hand, the conversion of municipal organic waste into useful raw materials for different sectors (industrial and waste chemistry, fuels and automotive, agriculture, biochemistry and industrial biotechnology and cement factories);
- on the other hand, the recovery and conversion of CO2 through the development, application and validation of innovative methodologies.
The SATURNO biorefinery represents a practical example of circular economy at urban level thanks to the creation of new processes and new products, with particular attention to the recovery and reuse of CO2.
The project was born within a territory, Piedmont, with the highest concentration of biorefineries in Italy and aims to strengthen this regional system through interaction with other territorial networks and the creation of specific alliances that strengthen the presence and exportability in national and European contexts.
Resources needed
total budget 13.2M€, of which 5.6M€ financed through ROP Piemonte ERDF 2014/2020.
Evidence of success
The SATURNO project aims, among other objectives, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through the development and validation of different recovery and reuse technologies, in line with the new EU legislation, whose objective is the reduction of 30% of carbon dioxide emissions for industries such as automotive, construction and waste.
Potential for learning or transfer
The development of new technologies to reduce Co2 emissions through the valorization of waste makes it possible to address two very sensitive issues and can constitute a virtuous example of circularity.
The project was born within a territory with the highest concentration of biorefineries in Italy, and aims to strengthen this regional system through interaction with
other territorial networks and the creation of specific alliances that strengthen the presence and exportability in national and European contexts.
Agriculture, automotive, bioplastics, scientific research and technological development: these are some of the sectors touched by the project.
A central segment of the green economy is represented not only by the valorization of waste and by-products from different supply chains for energy generation, but especially by the production of process intermediates and new products.
Further information
Good practice owner
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