MARCOPOLO is today an international reality operating in the environmental field, with a large number of patents and production processes, for the “sustainable and active” industrial enhancement of good waste / by-products and the production of energy from renewable sources. The environmental activities or Marcopolo environmental Group are many and can be aided Into. Production of green energy
Easy Engineering: A brief description of the company and its activities.
MARCOPOLO: The company was born in 1978 upon my return as an emigrant to the USA OHIO where while I was working in an industrial bakery “Audino Bakery” I was attending as an auditor at the Faculty of Agriculture at Columbus University and there I saw biogas – earthworms – microbes – composting.
I had emigrated because of the desperate situation on my ‘Albesa Srl’ farm of having to oestrogenise calves and administer drugs for growth, as well as a fine of 900,000 lire paid in 1976 ‘Merli Law’ because my stockbreeders, having no land to spread the sewage, threw it into the ditch when it rained.
When I returned to Italy I resumed rearing French calves in a new facility at our home, 2,500 head bred BIO from Fassone calves that did not need to be treated with oestrogen. I built my first lombriculture plant to exploit manure and started selling my Humus CICLO ‘Ciclo Srl’ (photo). Then in 1982 I built the first biogas plant in Racconigi, Cascina Tagliata owned by the Biolatto brothers, equipped with Fiat’s Totem engine, 970,000 million Lire, a result that Enel did not withdraw the energy in the absence of the law of merit that had been promoted but, ‘Italian-style’ came out 10 years later with CIP6/92.
At the same time, in 1982, I activated research in the microbiological sector with the production of a microbial consortium of non-genetically modified bacteria and fungi “ENZYVEBA” and in 1985 with the founding of MARCOPOLO ENGINEERING SpA I activated production in Tunisia for secrecy problems, then from 1990 to 2010 we entrusted the research of microbial characterisation and uses to the University of Turin Biology Department, now since 2000 this research continues with other Italian universities and in Algeria.
Never discouraged I continued with calves and earthworms “Humus CICLO” and going around the world to sell my know-how and technology in Africa and South America.
E.E: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
MARCOPOLO: In 1992 MARCOPOLO built the first Biogas Energy plant from the biogas produced by the Bassano del Grappa landfill, a plant that was sold. Given the good technical, operational and financial results with CIP6/92, which paid us 222 Lire per kW, from 1992 to 2016 I built about a hundred plants defined MESBG from Sicily to Piedmont, 69 of which were managed by selling the energy ourselves, with design, authorisation, construction and management done by Marcopolo with local workers that we trained at the Guidonia Roma school plant, paying the landfill owner a royalty on the energy sold.
In 2005, I realised that the world of landfills would come to an end in the next twenty years or so, and given that the livestock sector in northern Italy, due to the tightening of laws on the management of manure and slurry, we started the construction of three plants (Verona, Alessandria, and Cuneo) known as MESAD, which still collect manure/slurry from about fifty stables that give us the share of this manure/slurry that cannot be spread on their farmland, in accordance with the Nitrates Regulation.
These plants produce biogas-energy-humus with earthworms, humus that my son Lorenzo’s PANECO AMBIENTE Srl sells in organic farming.
Also in 2005, we started making photovoltaic and wind power plants.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
MARCOPOLO: Since 2015, we have started work to diversify on landfills from biogas energy to biogas biomethane, and at the end of the year our first plant in Taranto with 2.000 Stm3 of gaseous biomethane will start up.
Also, since 2015, we have been researching hydrogen and are now in the authorisation process for two photovoltaic plants with a hydrolytic system.
In 2019 we started the MIBIFEI-SACRAE “agricultural photovoltaics” project and with Partner Researchers we tested the system vertical panels that collect water, cost less, have less impact, require less cleaning and have a double curve yield, i.e. they produce a lot in the morning and in the afternoon where the energy is more paid.
MIBIFEI-SACRAE is a project born in 2010 as SACRA Agricultural Development with Environmental Recovery to create energy FARMs in pre-desert areas in order to preserve the human heritage that manages to live and produce with high climate and little rain, now in 2020 it has become MIBIFEI-SACRAE to be implemented mixed with photovoltaic integration (photo).
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
MARCOPOLO: Among the range of products mentioned above we have now started the technology of floating photovoltaics, photovoltaics for airports, ports or industries as fencing; soon we will start the construction of biogas, biomethane, CO2, agricultural humus plants in circularity with the agrovoltaic plants where the land with photovoltaics that we cultivate to produce biomass necessary for biogas, will be fertilised with the humus produced by the MESAD plants;
In 2000, the B2B project was born, then MESBAP&BH, which treats pre-sorted municipal waste from the valuable dry parts, processing the remainder in mega cyclic digesters, producing biogas, energy and soil improvers. A typical project for less industrialised countries that can replace landfills with a construction and operating cost competitive with landfill costs;
2015 saw the development of the BEBSSS project to valorise FORSU, organic matter from municipal and agro-industrial waste. We have five plants in development all of 60,000 T/A and one of 180,000 T/A. All to produce biogas, methane, CO2, hydrogen and soil improvers.
In 2020, the ENFOOD brand was created as a supervisor of ecological systems combined with the MESBG, MESAD, BEBSSS, MIBIFEI SACRAE, and MESBAP&BH projects to bring the correct knowledge to the consumer who produces waste how it can contribute to the preservation of the environment and human and animal health;
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
MARCOPOLO: The market today as far as we are concerned is active in all our processes in Italy especially MESBG, MESAD, BEBSSS, MIBIFEI SACRAE, abroad especially MESBG-MIBIFEI-SACRAE and MESBAP&BH.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
MARCOPOLO: Above all, the market needs energy at a fair cost, and that those who work in the environment and energy do so by solving pollution problems.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
MARCOPOLO: Ours are all innovative in this World in need of energy, organic agriculture and real waste recovery, all to improve public and environmental health.
E.E: What estimations do you have for the rest of 2023?
MARCOPOLO: We foresee growth that will materialise from 2023 with stable double-digit growth year on year for the next decade.