CO2 recovery from wine production: Possible implications on the carbon balance at territorial level

The Province of Siena (Tuscany, Italy) is characterized by two features: 1) the carbon neutrality of its territory and 2) the great production of quality wine. The GHG balance of the Province of Siena, realized in time series according to the IPCC guidelines and validated ISO 14064-1 under the REGES Project, testifies the carbon neutrality of the territory (the percentage abatement of gross emissions passed from 72% in 2006 to 106% in 2015). This ambitious goal was achieved in 2011 after the activation of specific environmental policies (concerning energy and waste sectors, forests, transport and education) with local benefits in the short run. This paper presents a systemic investigation of the effects of the application of technologies for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture/storage on the GHG balance of the provincial area; in particular, recovery of biogenic CO2 from alcoholic fermentation of grapes could be seen as a new strategy to consolidate the status of carbon neutrality. The hypothetical installation of recovery plants in Siena wine farms could approximately capture more than 6000 t CO2, corresponding to an improvement of the GHG balance of the territory (i.e. increase of net absorption of almost 8%). CO2 can be captured and stocked in high-pressure containers and reused in production activities, both within and outside the area, avoiding the use of gas obtained in chemical industries by fossil fuel-driven production processes. The economic evaluation confirms good performances obtained by the environmental assessment. These results can inspire policies at the farm level for reducing impacts on GHG emissions from a life cycle thinking viewpoint and at the territorial (or producer consortia) level, in order to decrease impacts by means of dedicated projects, generating positive effects on the local carbon balance and relevant consequences at global scale.