Technological Centre

BIOVINO project develop a birefinery model for valorization of wine industry

CETIM is valorising successfully wine wastes, especially pomace wastes, by means of their biotransformation into bioplastics, specifically, the so-called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).

These degradable biopolymers are being obtained through the application of microorganisms that convert the organic matter of the waste into volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in a first stage and PHAs accumulating bacteria in the following two stages of enrichment and accumulation.

PHA film obtained from pomace residues; BIOVINO project.
PHA film obtained from pomace residues.

From European Comission through a new Circular Economy Action Plan in the European Green Deal is promoting an efficient use of resources and an improvement waste management through reuse with the goal to create a cleaner, more competitive and climate neutral Europe by 2050.

Within the framework of the initiatives suggested for a sustainable product policy, several measures are presented that focus on reducing waste production and ensuring the availability of an efficient internal market for high-quality secondary raw materials, without forgetting, also, the responsibility towards generated waste in the European Union.

Meanwhile, the wine production sector does not intend to lag behind in the transformation towards a more circular economy. By the hand of research and innovation, it is promoting initiatives to recycle its current waste (vine shoots, lees, pomace, seeds, stems) in order to create new value chains around the valorization of this kind of biowaste.

At present, this biowaste is destined for distillation, deposited on the land or valorised as compost, although due to its characteristics, it can become secondary raw materials for high added value products, such as antioxidants, bioplastics, polyols, biocides, etc.

From this approach and supporting to wine sector in its transition towards a more circular economy model and zero waste, the BIOVINO project has conceived a biorefinery model that allows to valorise, with parallel and cascading processes, the different wastes generated in the wine industry.

In collaboration with the Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACYL), the Campus de Tecnologia e Inovação (BLC3), the Univerisdad de León (ULE), the Universidade de Aveiro (UAVR) and the Universidade do Minho (UMINHO), CETIM has participated from 2019 to the present in Programa de Cooperación INTERREG V-A España–Portugal 2014-2020, with the objective of improving the scientific excellence of the cross-border Cooperation Space between Spain and Portugal.

Within BIOVINO project (POCTEP BIOVINO 0688_BIOVINO_6_E), different inventories have been carried out about the biomass waste generated in the target areas of Castilla y León, Galicia and Portugal. In addition, different sustainable valorisation routes are currently being developed for vine shoots, both fresh and exhausted pomace and extra musts, among others, to obtain compounds with bioactive properties, polyols or degradable biopolymers through primary or secondary biorefinery processes. In addition, wastewater from different processes is being treated to obtain biogas.

Finally, the market of the products and the Ambiental and technical-economic feasibility of the different processes developed are being evaluated.

Role of CETIM
CETIM is using along BIOVINO project, sustainable technologies based on ultrasound energy and deep eutectic solvents to obtain natural bioactive compounds. Among these bioactive compounds, polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanin pigments are obtained, whose antioxidant and biocidal bioactivity is being evaluated.

Sustainable technologies used by CETIM Technological Centre at BIOVINO project.
Sustainable technologies used by CETIM Technological Centre.

On the other hand, CETIM is valorising successfully wine wastes, especially pomace wastes, by means of their biotransformation into bioplastics, specifically, the so-called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). These degradable biopolymers are being obtained through the application of microorganisms that convert the organic matter of the waste into volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in a first stage and PHAs accumulating bacteria in the following two stages of enrichment and accumulation.