Abstract

This project aims to develop a sustainable energy regulation system for wineries and vineyard irrigation, based on the electrolysis of rejection currents of desalination processes in reversible electrochemical cells with photovoltaic solar energy, to produce chlorine, hydrogen and a solution of sodium hydroxide that also contains the salts present in the rejection currents. Hydrogen and chlorine are stored in gasometers and are subsequently used to produce electricity in the absence of solar radiation, for which the same reversible electrochemical cell will be used as in electrolysis operating, this time, in fuel cell mode. The use of air instead of chlorine as an oxidizer will be evaluated, also looking for alternative uses of chlorine as a phytosanitary agent. The saline solution of sodium hydroxide will be used in gas/liquid absorption systems to retain carbon dioxide produced in wineries (fermentation and combustion processes of vinasses) and in vineyard irrigation (where they will capture the exhaust gases of the generator sets powered by Diesel, which are used in the hybrid electric power supply system mostly used in irrigation in Castilla La Mancha). In the first case, spray columns will be used while in the second Venturi mixers. The absorbent will be dried by means of parabolic solar concentrators producing a solid whose quality will be evaluated for burial in a deep zone or as a raw material to produce glass. The evaporated water will be recovered to be returned to the natural environment avoiding the salinization of this medium. The technology has been developed in an incipient way for wastewater treatment plants within the framework of an Explora project of the National Plan (in which only its technical feasibility has been verified, given the limited nature of this type of calls reaching a technology readiness level, TRL, 3) and will be adapted and optimized for use in the wine sector, no longer in an incipient way but until a stage in which you can start thinking about industrial transfer. The project has two work packages in which the technology is developed in a complete way for each of the two applications at the TRL 4. These two packages are complemented by another work package in which the scaling is faced up to reach a level of technological availability of TRL 5 (approximating the 6), carrying out two case studies, one in the experimental winery of the IVICAM and the other in irrigation within the Experimental Farm “El Chaparrillo”, both belonging to the Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal de Castilla-La Mancha (IRIAF). A final work package provides a globalizing vision in which the processes are modeled, a process simulator will be developed to control the energy regulation in each of the two applications, and an analysis of the sustainability and possible use of all the by-products of the process will be carried out. The team of researchers who will work on the proposal is part of the Electrochemical and Environmental Engineering Laboratory, is solid and has experience of working together for many years in the development of electrochemical technology in both the environment and energy. It is complemented by three Latin American professors who have been collaborating intensively with this group also for years, being specialists in different stages of the project and also by an IRIAF researcher whose contribution is very important in order to develop a truly applicable technology. The impact is very important since it allows to increase the sustainability of the wine processes both in industrial (winery) and agricultural (irrigation) installations, allowing an important differentiation for the wines produced in La Mancha, that in addition to their growing quality, will be able to have a much lower carbon footprint and with a lower negative environmental impact, as they will contribute to avoid the salinization of aquifers. Technologies are approached from the fundamental and applied point of view and a significant number of scientific contributions are foreseen. The dissemination plan and the transfer plan are well planned, being collected in two work packages in which the project management is coordinated through the 36 months of duration of the project.