This course aims to provide technical knowledge useful for the management of agricultural waste in different contexts, from a single farm/small community of farmers to a large agri-food company. The course will deliver theory and practice to evaluate the qualitative features of the agricultural waste flows, as well as their amount and availability, and to apply and manage the technologies for their mechanical, chemical, thermochemical, and biological treatments according to an “integrated biorefinery” approach consistent with the Circular Economy and Carbon Neutrality targets defined by the European Commission. Up-to-date technologies, together with an overview of the emerging technologies and applications, for the conversion of agricultural waste into resources, high-value products, biofuels and energy sources will be analyzed, considering the technical, economic, and environmental aspects. The technologies will be described covering process’ fundamentals, design, operational aspects, and technology readiness level. The economic assessment will be based on CAPEX, OPEX, ROI and NPV. The environmental assessment will be based on Life Cycle Thinking tools (environmental footprints and LCA).

The students will develop, as engineers, the ability to choose, apply and manage the available technologies for the conversion of agricultural waste flows into resources, high-value products, and energy sources. Significant decisional criteria will be the economic profitability, the management, environmental, and social aspects, as well as the specific local context (regulations and policy, infrastructures, available technologies, etc.). The students will acquire skills for the independent analysis of significant and representative real case-studies using multiple tools (mass and energy balances, cost-benefit analysis, business model canvas, circularity and sustainability KPIs).

Organic and Environmental Chemistry, Sustainability and Safety, Introduction to arable and fruit cropping systems, Economics and Management, Policy and Safety.

Introduction and basic concepts (0.5 ECTS, ICAR/03) Overview of agricultural waste flows: sources, availability, physic-chemical and biological characteristics, regulations for their management in EU. Characterization: procedures and equipment. Collection and storage. Physic-mechanical treatment processes: fundamentals, design, operational aspects, and technology readiness level. Thermochemical processes (2 ECTS, ING-IND/09) Gasification: fundamentals, design, operational aspects, and technology readiness level. Valorization and management of the outflows. Pyrolysis: fundamentals, design, operational aspects, and technology readiness level. Valorization and management of the outflows. Biofuels and biochar: features, feedstocks, and conventional and emerging applications. Biological and chemical processes (2 ECTS, ING-IND/25) Fermentation and chemical processes to obtain chemicals, building blocks, biopolymers, biofertilizers etc., anaerobic digestion, composting: fundamentals, design, operational aspects, and technology readiness level. Valorization and management of the outflows. Application of the technologies and Project (1.5 ECTS, ICAR/03) Design of a decisional matrix based on technical, economic, social, environmental and policy/regulations criteria and KPIs for an optimized management of agricultural waste flows (0.5 ECTS). Analysis of real case studies (team project) (1 ECTS). Technical visits and talks with invited professionals (0.5 ECTS).

The course is organized in lectures, practical activities (exercises), technical visits and a team project (analysis of case studies). The team project will be carried out by a team of 4-6 students and developed partly during the classes and partly independently. The team project will be delivered as a report (submitted on the course page by the end of the course), and a presentation to a panel including professors of the I-II-III semesters and experts. The students involved in the team project will be engaged in an active discussion by the panel and the other students.

The teaching material (slides and handouts), as well as supplementary scientific papers and technical reports, will be available on www.polito.it on the course page.

Slides;

Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula); Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato progettuale in gruppo;

Exam: Written test; Compulsory oral exam; Group project;

... The final examination consists of a written test (2 hours) made of 6 open questions and calculations (marks specified in the text), an oral exam, and the team project. The use of teaching material during the exam is not allowed. The team project report is submitted by the end of the course and presented to a panel including the professors of the I-II-III semesters and experts. The final mark consists of 40% written test, 30% oral exam, and 30% team project.

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.