Enhancement of sustainable bioenergy production by valorising tomato residues: A GIS-based model

In order to increase the utilization of renewable energy sources, the biomethane production through anaerobic digestion has notably developed over the last years. Although, it is worldwide recognised, that valorising waste resources (i.e., by-products) is an opportunity to improve the efficiency rate of the agro- industrial chains, by reducing economic and environmental impact, it is necessary to support the strategic planning development of a future sustainable biomethane chain in line to circular economy. In this study, by adopting network information technologies, the importance of a strategic planning for sustainable developing biomethane sector was highlighted, since feedstocks logistic and supply phase is a key-aspect of any bioenergy project. The developed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – methodology, that could be applied in any territorial area considering any type of biomass, allowed to define suitable locations for allocating new anaerobic digestion plants with the aim of developing a sustainable valorisation of tomato residues, by minimising the economic and environmental impacts. The achieved results provided advanced knowledge for the literature on the topic, helping to develop an operational GIS-tool for defining sustainable strategies for planning new plants, and proved that the development of integrated approach to define sustainable strategies for resource management along the whole supply chain is crucial.