SBS was established in 1984 and it designs and builds directly continuous machinery equipped with stainless steel belts for a wide range of applications in continuous industrial processes. Since 1984 SBS has been involved in the design, construction and after-sales service of stainless steel strip industrial plants and, specifically, continuous process machinery, equipped with stainless steel strip, for a wide range of applications in industrial processes, chemical, petrochemical, food, plastic and powder coatings.

SBS counts more than 500 installations all over the world. SBS machineries are reliable, ergonomic, innovative and patented in the fields of:
-Oil & Gas: flaking and pastillating units for a wide range of products’ applications
-Chemical & Rubber: endless steel belt systems worldwide
-Food: continuous cooling and freezing conveyors with endless steel belts
-Powder Coating: complete process lines for powder coating production line applications
-Fertilizers: 24 specific installations worldwide in the production of fertilizers with full “turn-key lines”.

SBS is the pioneer and the present worldwide leader in the pastilliation/granulation technology of elemental components in several industries including Food and Fertilizers (fertilizers are produced in small granules to be dispersed on the soil).

ROLE IN THE PROJECT:

SBS coordinates and monitors the project. Its role extends specifically in the construction of a pilot plant with continuous mixing for the realization of the organic-mineral fertilizer. It also has a role in the environmental impact assessment of the project and its subsequent commercial use.

F.lli Branca is a privately owned family company. It was founded in 1892 exclusively as manufacturer of citrate and lemon essential oil obtained manually with the traditional “sponge” extraction method. Following the initial success, the company extended its activity to include orange and mandarin processing for the production of juice concentrates, diced peels and the corresponding essential oils. Over the last 20 years the company experiences a tremendous growth thanks to continuous technological innovations and targeted investments, thus reaching the current dimensions which place the company in a leading position for the production and marketing of citrus derivate. Among citrus derivate there is the increasing importance of dried peel, and the company is constantly oriented to improve this process and to diversify its use.

F.lli Branca SpA supplies dried orange peel and carries out the case study involving its factory.

ROLE IN THE PROJECT:

F.lli Branca SpA supplies dried orange peels to be used to produce the new organic-mineral fertilizer. The company is also in charge of the formulation optimization.

The American Farm School Post-Secondary and Training Association (the institute) is a private, not for profit organization that focuses in the agrofood sector with the mission to educate youth and adults to become professionally accomplished in the latest aspects of agriculture, ecology, and the life sciences, and to make Greece, and its neighbours, a better place. To fulfil its mission, it introduces and applies research in the areas of land management, crop diversification, “smart” agriculture methodologies in plant and animal production located in its two 130ha farms. More recently, it develops distance learning courses to serve a growing interest of young people. The extension resulted to significant community development in Greece and abroad.

ROLE IN THE PROJECT:

The American Farm School is the executor of extended open field tests in an area of 12 hectares in Thessaloniki Greece with durum wheat following. The School also organises Opening event, promotion of transnational cooperation between Mediterranean countries and Balkan area.

UNIRC was born in 1968 and now it combines tradition with an orientation towards the future. Located on the Messina Strait, at the heart of the Mediterranean Area, it’s an internationally reputed European research University and it provides high-quality education for both domestic and international students. UNIRC has, currently, 6 departments: Agriculture, Heritage-Architecture-Urbanism, Architecture, Law, Economics and Human Sciences, Civil, Energy, Environmental and Material Engineering, Information Engineering, Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy.

ROLE IN THE PROJECT:

Prof. Muscolo Adele is the Scientific coordinator of this project, and Professor of Soil Ecology Pedology and Soil Chemistry at the Department GESAF of Agriculture. Since 1988 she investigates connections between soil chemistry, biochemistry and function in regulating ecosystem-level processes. In particular, UNICR and the Scientific coordinator use and test the new organic-mineral fertilizer, analyse chemical and biochemical characteristics of treated soils, focus on crop quality assessment and on characterization and certification of the fertilizer. Finally, they handle paper and article publications.

ZOLFITAL is the link between production of Sulphur and its use. It takes the Sulphur from refineries, where otherwise it would be burned producing SO2, and it solidifies & transforms it into a raw material which is useful for different industries. ZOLFITAL is exercising an essential function of link between the phase of Sulphur production and the utilization market. ZOLFITAL’s Sulphur is used in the Industry for production of sulphuric acid and caprolactam, for sulfonation process, for other industries and for agricultural purposes. In fact, ZOLFITAL does not limit itself to the Sulphur marketing activity but it works in the field of logistics and products transfer flows. Due to its more than fifty years of experience and its always updated knowledge of the needs of every consumers, ZOLFITAL can boast the possession of a very deep know-how of the Sulphur sector and it is able to utilize the most suitable and convenient means of transport: road or railways tankers, solid Sulphur by sea, etc. to reach the important multinational customers wherever they are building long-term trust with its recurring customers.

ROLE IN THE PROJECT:

The company has a big sulphur plant and warehouse in Priolo-Sicily, within the project ZOLFITAL exercises the essential function of link between the phase of Sulphur production (refineries, crude and natural gas extraction plants) and the utilization for the new organic-mineral fertilizer.