Sostenibilità, Energia e Benessere animale alla Macellazione (SEBEM).
Dottorati PON – Bando 2021 – Ciclo 37 (XXXVII) – DM 1061 del 10 agosto 2021
Azione IV.4 – Dottorati e contratti di ricerca su tematiche dell’innovazione
Azione IV.5 – Dottorati su tematiche Green
It aims to improve the sustainability of sheep meat production through the development of innovative strategies for the management and valorization of slaughter waste and monitoring animal welfare at the time of the killing. Biogas Sardegna Green s.r.l., a partner of this project holds a plant for the transformation and enhancement of 2nd and 3rd category animal by-products (SOA) in the Municipality of San Nicolòd’Arcidano, province of Oristano (Sardinia).
In Italy, more than 40% of sheep farms are mainly intended for meat production, with about 250,000 animals slaughtered each month. Among the different parts of the production chain, slaughtering is responsible for the production of waste (SOA) that varies between 50% and 70%, and their management is a complex and costly problem. Through an anaerobic digestion process, slaughter waste will be transformed, producing biogas that, following purification and dehumidification, is intended to produce electrical and thermal energy. In contrast, the digestate is transformed into usable fertilizer compost in agriculture, in a perspective of circular zootechnics. The other main objective is to improve the monitoring of sheep welfare at the time of killing by validating animal-based indicators to assess the effectiveness of the stunning method. The aim of the SEBEM project is in line with the growing demand for a more ethical and sustainable food system, as high standards of animal welfare are correlated to reducing the environmental impact of livestock farming, allowing more efficient use of resources with a reduction of waste.
MSc in Evolution of Animal and Human Behavior fromthe University of Turin (UNITO).
BSc in Animal Science fromthe University of Padua (UNIPD).
Master thesis on aggressive behavior and post-conflict mechanisms in pigs (Sus scrofa). This thesis is a part of the project “SO.PIG” (Socially Pig) which investigate the social behavior and emotional communication in semi-free-ranging pigs (UNITO).
Bachelor thesis on methane emission in extensive dairy farming (UNIPD).
I am focused on animal welfare for a sustainable food system.
Publications: Orcid ; Scopus ; IRIS-AIR
Supervisor Prof. Emanuela Dalla Costa
