On August 28 in Segno (Predaia in Val di Non – Italy), a cable car for transporting apples was presented and entered its operational phase.
This is a Leitner system (via Agudio) developed for Melinda, derived from passenger cable cars. It transports apples from the Melinda facility to the dolomite mine in Rio Maggiore.
The apple transport system is 1.3 kilometers long and overcomes a 90-meter elevation difference. The highest section of the line runs through the mine. There are 28 cabins on the line for transporting apples and one cabin for transporting operators. Thanks to this system, it will be possible to transport 460 containers per hour, each weighing 300 kilograms, at a speed of 5.0 m/sec. The special-type cabins are loaded and unloaded using a fully automatic system, and the movement of apples to the storage cells is also highly automated. The cable system will be powered by renewable energy sources (photovoltaic and hydroelectric) and will use the descending weight of the apples to generate energy.
In the mine, Melinda has 46 cold storage cells (the mine is also used by the Cavit wine group and Trentingrana to store their products), with a total capacity of 40,000 tons. The cells ensure an optimal cold storage regime with a constant temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. Another advantage is that the dolomite can accumulate part of the cold, which can be generated in advance of the apples being stored, and then released when the apples are placed in the cells.
The cable transport system will eliminate more than 5,000 truck trips per year, reducing CO2 emissions and lowering risk for workers.
The cableway section cost approximately 10 million euros, 40% of which was covered by PNRR funds managed by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture.
