On 7th October 2010, the kick-off meeting of the European project “BioAlgaeSorb”, a 3-year research financed by the European Commission on the subject of micro-algae for energy and not related use, coordinated by the Norwegian Bioenergy Association, was held at the Sea Marconi’s headquarters. Twelve partners from 6 member States participate, including 3 associations of companies (Norwegian Bioenergy Association, European Biomass Association, British Trout Association), 4 small/medium enterprises (Sea Marconi Technologies, IngrePro, Varicon Aqua Solutions, Value for Technology) and 5 research institutions (Swansea University). The BioAlgaeSorb project (“Enabling European SMEs to remediate wastes, reduce GHG emissions and produce biofuels via microalgae cultivation”) approved by the European Commission with contract no. 243752 signed in June 2010, has the objective of studying the micro algae chain, a biomass with a high visibility and interest, from the cultivation through the use of the products that can be obtained from them for energy related (bio fuels) and non- energy applications (bio-chemicals).
In fact, microalgae represent a new great opportunity, both under a bioenergy point of view as source of bio products with a very high potential yield in terms of quantity of biomass per surface cultivated, much higher than other conventional cultivations. At the same time, they represent a great challenge for research on several fronts: from the technologies for cultivation, harvesting and separation, through the extraction and valorisation of the desired products.
The project has also a high environmental value for the capacity of microalgae to capture and segregate large quantities of atmospheric CO2 (greenhouse gas) and the possibility of proliferating in polluted waters, exploiting the pollutants themselves as a nutrient, thus reducing their concentration. Consequently, they can represent a fundamental link within a virtuous cycle aiming at the reduction of the environmental impact by anthropic activities.
The BioAlgaeSorb project has an important role within the conversion of biomasses into energy and biomaterials, in which Sea Marconi is engaged since several years with initiatives for research and industrial development with which the project fits with a synergic manner.
For more information: www.bioalgaesorb.com
