Environment Park SPA

Profile

Envipark is Turin technology park that supports the implementation of the circular economy principles by companies and institutions within the Piemonte Region and at national and European level. We have experts and a specialist lab infrastructure for the recovery of by products from food production and processing so to obtain high added value chemical compounds for the chemical industry, cosmetics and nutraceuticals.

Envipark is committed to support the implementation of the circular economy principles by cooperating with companies and institutions within the Piemonte Region and at national and European level.

More specifically, we have significant experience in supporting companies that produce and process food to enable them to introduce circular economy practices:

- With respect to the recovery of by products from food production and processing, we have been working on:

- identifying food production opportunities starting from processing waste: for example, in the InterReg Alpine Space AlpBioeco project, Envipark supported a start-up that demonstrated the use of apple flour (juice production byproduct) for the production of baked goods

- obtaining high added value chemical compounds from food and food-processing waste to be made available to the chemical industry (production of biopolymers and biofuels for example), cosmetics (products based on active compounds from grape and tomato processing waste) and nutraceuticals (special foods e.g. for coeliacs)

- obtaining compost from aerobic and anaerobic digestion processes; from the latter also obtaining biogas. In addition to being a widely used soil improver, compost is used in research projects in which Envipark participates for the regeneration of urban soil in a "new soil" that has proved suitable for application in urban kitchen gardens and green areas (Horizon 2020 project PROGIREG). This avoids the importation of agricultural soil from the countryside to the city and thus further preserves the productive capacities of local agriculture. 

- With respect to introducing innovation in the agriculture sector: Envipark participates in projects aimed at introducing advanced management processes in small and medium-sized farms, thus demonstrating how the digitisation of rural areas can support the territory and its economy (e.g. Horizon 2020 AURORAL project)

Competences & Capabilities

Main areas of specialisation and technological expertise are:
- Biomass pretreatment lab: chemicals and enzymatic hydrolysis; steam explosion; three-phase centrifuge
- Development of processes for the exploitation of by products into high value resources
- Support to food processing companies for minimisation of impacts and recovery of value from their by products
- Establishment of novel value chains for a systemic implementation of the circular economy
- Co2 recovery via algae