Coppereplace: reduce the application of copper to vineyards and its environmental impact
60 microchips created at the UPC for Mars 2020 Perseverance reach Mars successfully
February 22, 2021
An innovative technology to take advantage of the surplus energy generated by solar panels
February 18, 2021The Agricultural Machinery Unit (UMA) is participating in the Coppereplace project. The project aims to reduce the application of copper to vineyards and remediate contaminated soils using integrated, sustainable solutions, in line with production methods that are environmentally friendly.
Copper has been used since the nineteenth century as a fungicide to protect vines and is the only substance authorised in organic wine growing that is fully effective against mildew. However, its continuous use increases soil toxicity and is harmful to farmers’ skin. From 2019 to 2026, the European Commission introduced reductions in the use of copper to the application of 28 kg of the metal.
The UMA will define the optimal conditions for applying plant health products, including copper microcapsules designed to reduce the amount of this metal used in the application. Based on preliminary results obtained in trials carried out in the Agrópolis facilities, other trials will be carried out at small scale on plots in France and at large scale in the vineyards of the Jean Leon winery.
Coppereplace is led by the Wine Technology Platform (PTV), and has an international consortium comprised of Spanish, French and Portuguese entities, including, in addition to the UMA, the Associaçao per a o Desenvolvimento dóna Viticultura Duriense (ADVID), Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV), Sogrape Vinhos, Centre de Valorització Ambiental del Nord (CVAN), Vignerons Bio Nouvelle Aquitaine (SVBNA), Eurecat, Família Torres, Universidade do Porto (GreenUPorto), Universitat de Vigo, LBS (Gérard Bertrand) and Jean Leon. In addition, the consortium has the support of Artica Enginyeria i Innovació (artica+i) consultancy.
Coppereplace will create a network of stakeholders that will include wine growers and other representatives of the international grape and wine-growing sector. The aim is to involve all the agents who are interested in the project so they can contribute their knowledge and experience.
The project, which started in November 2020 and should end in 2023, has a budget of over 1.6 million euros and has received over 1 million euros in funding from the South West Europe Regional Cooperation Programme (Interreg Sudoe).
Technology
You want to know more?
Related Projects
- Combining agricultural activity and the production of solar energy by means of photovoltaic panels is the aim of SYMBIOSYST, a project promoted by a consortium of 16 European partners including the UPC. As part of this project, technological tools will be developed to contribute to generating clean energy for the agricultural sector in Europe.
- The production of biogas through anaerobic digestion has been increasing exponentially in Europe in recent years. This is because it can be produced locally and has a clear positive effect on waste recycling, the generation of clean energy, sustainable development or climate action. In this context, the FertiLab project was launched, with the participation of researchers from the Department of Agri Food Engineering and Biotechnology (DEAB) of the UPC.
- The flexibility of electrical systems is fundamental in the process of energy transition towards more sustainable energy generation models. The European Commission promotes the development of solutions that respond to the challenges of managing electricity distribution networks in the future energy system based on renewable sources. An increasingly large proportion of fluctuating electricity generators, such as wind and solar systems, makes it difficult to calculate the loads that are being supplied.
- The Centre for Technological Innovation in Static Converters and Drives (CITCEA) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) is participating in the COVHE project, whose aim is to develop an electrical drive system for heavy vehicles based on a hydrogen cell.
