Bosco Gerolo: the farm that sells biomethane to motorists

Cows not only produce milk but also gasoline. Or rather, clean, affordable fuel. It sounds like a fairy tale, but it's actually just the result of a process that has combined agriculture with energy, all in the name of the circular economy . Without waste.

The Bosco Gerolo farm is located in Rivergaro, in the province of Piacenza, and sells locally sourced products: cheese, milk and dairy products, yogurt, and meat. But alongside these products, Nicoletta Cella, the company's owner, has also achieved a small miracle by entering the energy sector, opening a biomethane distributor . This biomethane is produced on the farm and sold daily at a fixed price of €1,19 per kilo.

How biomethane is produced from cows

How does biomethane production work in Rivergaro? Cow manure , which is the source of all the farm's products, is mixed with agricultural byproducts, from straw to corn stalks. The mixture ends up in the pre-tank, from where it then passes into the anaerobic digester, a sort of reinforced concrete pot. Here, it rests for about 30 days, before moving on to an upgrading plant , from where it is sent to storage in cylinders and to the distributor. During the entire production process, nothing is wasted, and agricultural waste is used as fertilizer.

Thanks to its six hundred cows, the Bosco Gerolo farm produces 2.064 cubic meters of biomethane per day, and there's always a line of drivers waiting in front of the self-service station to fill up. Some arrive at night, hoping to avoid the line, but there's still a wait. Just a few meters from the plant, which required six years of permits and paperwork, the farm continues its agricultural life, producing its products, its agritourism, its restaurant, its swimming pool, and even its open-air nursery. This, too, is part of the circular economy: the ability to sustainably combine multiple levels of production.

The images are taken from the Bosco Gerolo farm Facebook page

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