Solutions for agriculture and energy
Presentation of the BioHyst project in Sicily: a concrete response to reconcile sustainable agriculture, food security and clean energy.

On 29 January 2015, in the picturesque Castle of San Marco Charming Hotel & SPA in Calatabiano (CT), BioHyst met entrepreneurs, local authorities and Sicilian institutions at the conference titled “Hyst Technology: a bridge between Sicily and the Mediterranean area”. A meeting that started off BioHyst marketing activities in Sicily.

The speakers included: Mr. Ezio Veggia, Vice President of Confagricoltura, Mr. Franco Del Manso, International, Environmental and Technical Relations, Unione Petrolifera and Dr. Danilo Scordia, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania.

During the conference the BioHyst company presented the Hypercritical Separation Technology (Hyst): a groundbreaking method for developing production processes aimed at the sustainable growth of the entire food chain, one of the pillars of the Italian manufacturing industry – within which Sicilian businesses play a very important role.

The Hyst process fits the concept of a third-generation integrated biorefinery, which uses local plant biomass and food and agricultural by-products to convert them into high added-value food, feed and biofuels with low environmental impact.

At the beginning of his presentation Mr. Veggia greeted Mr. Ettore Pottino, President of Confagricoltura Sicilia, who was also attending the event. Recalling Confagricoltura’s commitment to seek new solutions that will make businesses more competitive, Mr. Veggia stressed the need to create a “circular economy” based on the reuse of waste resources. “The process that we have seen this morning is especially important for the achievement of this goal,” said Ezio Veggia, and assured BioHyst of Confagricoltura’s readiness to promote, among its members, a technology that can help to keep our environment healthy and stable.

Mr. Franco Del Manso defined Hyst biomethane as “definitely an advanced biofuel” and recalled the 2018 obligation to use non-food derived biofuels. According to Del Manso it is “absolutely necessary” for an “agreement” to be reached between the oil industry, biomethane producers and the new technologies, such as Hyst, that enhance production performance with appropriate pretreatments. “There are all the necessary conditions for the biomethane market to take off,” he said, pointing out the advantages that the product has also with respect to the national economy. In fact, being 100% Italian, the benefits derived from its use would go entirely in favor of the national agricultural sector.

After the lunch break, Dr. Danilo Scordia, in Prof. Salvatore Luciano Cosentino’s team at the Department of Agriculture Food and Environment, University of Catania, presented the possible applications of the Hyst on lignocellulosic and perennial grass species. The presentation was concluded by proposing Hyst as an efficient pretreatment system with which to resolve, with a view to biorefinery, the problem of lignocellulosic “recalcitrance”.

The presence of the diplomatic missions of Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia and Turkey show how Africa is following with keen attention the project Bits of Future: Food for All, promoted by the Scienza per Amore Association in collaboration with the BioHyst company.

The governments of eight African countries have already joined the cooperation project and relations with the Commission for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union are becoming stronger with the aim to study the possible applications of Hyst on African territory.

The meeting ended with an invitation to concretely explore the vast potential of the Hyst on February 13, at the BioHyst Research Center in Switzerland. Present at the technical/scientific demonstration will be entrepreneurs and experts of the sector.

At http://press.technohyst.com/?page_id=4300&lang=en documentation downloads.

• Meeting proceedings [italian version]