Integral valorization of grapevine shoots from the variety Grüner Veltliner: A technoeconomic assessment

Abstract

Lignocellulosic biomass keeps getting momentum as an alternative to fossil carbon sources for the production of biobased chemicals, materials, biofuels, and bioenergy (Menon and Rao, 2012). Agroindustry and forestry are some production chains where LB can be produced and it was accounted that the annual production of LB is around 3.7x109 tons (Bentsen et al., 2014). Cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and extractives are some of the platforms that can be used from these feedstocks and their entire valorization should be considered for the production process to be sustainable (Serna-Loaiza et al., 2019). Among the different agricultural chains, vineyards are one of the most spread crops worldwide with around 8 million hectares (Statista, 2021). The annual waste generated during the cultivation, processing and harvesting in the vineyards has been estimated to be 5 tonnes per hectare (Zacharof, 2017), with the primary residues being grapevine shoots (GVS), lees, and marc (processed grape skins, seeds, and stalks). In Austria, grape production accounted to approximately 330 thousand tons with an area of 48 thousand hectares in the year 2018 (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2020).