Elsevier

Waste Management

Volume 31, Issue 11, November 2011, Pages 2327-2335
Waste Management

Country Report
Valorization of winery waste vs. the costs of not recycling

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2011.06.001Get rights and content

Abstract

Wine production generates huge amounts of waste. Before the 1990s, the most economical option for waste removal was the payment of a disposal fee usually being of around 3000 Euros. However, in recent years the disposal fee and fines for unauthorized discharges have increased considerably, often reaching 30,000–40,000 Euros, and a prison sentence is sometimes also imposed. Some environmental friendly technologies have been proposed for the valorization of winery waste products. Fermentation of grape marc, trimming vine shoot or vinification lees has been reported to produce lactic acid, biosurfactants, xylitol, ethanol and other compounds. Furthermore, grape marc and seeds are rich in phenolic compounds, which have antioxidants properties, and vinasse contains tartaric acid that can be extracted and commercialized. Companies must therefore invest in new technologies to decrease the impact of agro-industrial residues on the environment and to establish new processes that will provide additional sources of income.

Highlights

► Lactic acid, biosurfactants, xylitol or ethanol may be obtained from wine residues. ► By-products valorization turns wine wastes into products with industrial applications. ► The costs of waste disposal enhances the search of economically viable solutions for valorizing residues.

Section snippets

Background

Wine production is one of the most important agricultural activities throughout the world. The most competitive wine-producing countries are the United States, Australia and Chile, followed by Italy, Spain, Argentina and South Africa, with France and Germany also producing important quantities of wine (Hussain et al., 2008). For example, local wine business have become the largest agricultural sector in Santa Barbara (California, USA) with increases of 85% and 78% in wine grape growing and wine

The costs of not recycling

The main solid by-products and wastes produced during winemaking are grape stalks, grape marc and wine lees. According to the European Council Regulation (EC) 479/2008 on the common organization of the wine market, grape marc and lees must be sent to alcohol distilleries, to produce exhausted grape marc and a liquid waste (vinasse). However, small wine-producers usually do not obey with this law, and generate grape marc and wine lees together with grape stalk as organic waste. Aerobic

Vinasse

The wastewater generated in the distillery fundamentally from wine lees and grape marc is referred to as vinasses, and is characterized by a high content of solids composed mainly of dead yeast, grape pulp, skin and seeds. Vinasses are associated with alcohol production, and are obtained as a residue after distillation, whereas wine lees are obtained after clarification during winemaking. Yeasts proliferate during fermentation of the must and then die when nutrients are depleted. The dead

Conclusions and recommendations

The fines imposed for unauthorized discharge of industrial waste to the environment have increased in recent years in Spain. Thus, prior to 2000, the fine for illegal discharges was approximately 3000 Euros, whereas in recent years such fines have increased to approximately 30,000 Euros, with complementary penalties such as obligatory cleaning of the polluted area or even prison sentences.

The use of trimming wastes, grape marc and wine lees for production of lactic acid and biosurfactants is a

Acknowledgments

The present study was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (MEC, CTM2008-01608) and by the Xunta de Galicia Government (Ángeles Alvariño contract).

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