Greening the tobacco flue-curing process using biomass energy: a feasibility study for the flue-cured Virginia type in Italy

Tobacco is among the top sectors, worldwide, for revenues and aggregate turnover with a global market arena and a group of top players progressively driving the change toward high-quality standards and a strong customer and environmental care. Behind cigarettes, the tobacco supply chain includes agricultural and industrial phases, to grow and cure the tobacco leaves and to manufacture and deliver the final products. This study addresses the goal of greening the tobacco flue-curing process, aimed at drying the tobacco leaves and known as the most energy-intensive process, presenting a joint techno-economic and environmental feasibility study for Virginia tobacco type in Italy. Starting from a review of the process, the curing barn features and the required physical conditions to obtain top quality flue-cured tobacco, this study investigates the impact of using biomass instead of fossil fuels to feed the heat generators. The input data, to support the analysis, are from Italian producers selling tobacco to an international leading company that joined the present research. Results highlight that the switch to non-fossil fuels for tobacco curing leads to annual cost savings up to 13% and to global environmental savings, i.e. emitted equivalent carbon dioxide reduction, up to 95% without product quality decrease.