From microalgae to third generation bioethanol for sustainable mobility

Turin, 14 April 2014

BioAlma Workshop – 15 April 2014 at 4 p.m. at AGORÀ I3P, Via P. C. Boggio 59 – Turin

In Turin, after FIAT, which pioneered the use of bioethanol for sustainability mobility (starting from Brazil) and Slow Food initiatives for valorisation of the territory, the BioAlma project (Biofuel from algae for sustainable mobility in urban areas) offers extraordinary opportunities for development of the strategic topics of EXPO 2015: “Feeding the planet. Energy for life”.

On April 15, at the Innovative Enterprise Incubator of Turin Polytechnic, a Workshop will be held during which the results expected from the BioAlma project will be discussed with opening address by Cristina Tumiatti, President of the Group of Young Entrepreneurs and Sales Director of Sea Marconi, one of the excellent SME of Turin. BioAlma is a project funded in 2012 by the Ministry of the Environment and Protection of the Territory and Sea that envisaged the participation of Sea Marconi, of the Polytechnic of Turin, of the University of Turin and the University of Catania. In the micro-algae sector, Sea Marconi participated in the European project BioAlgaeSorb (FP7), concluded in 2013.

The project surprisingly demonstrated the feasibility of direct conversion of micro-algae cultivated in laboratory into third generation bioethanol: a new “bio” fuel that can be used for transport in metropolitan areas.

For some years, research has been moving along the path of transformation of algae into biofuels, especially for biodiesel. With the BioAlma project, a completely new, promising approach has been explored and the research team has successfully moved from micro-algae to bioethanol exploiting the action of particular bacteria and overcoming the more complex, more expensive procedures adopted for the production of biodiesel (extraction, drying, extraction of the oil, transesterification).

The innovation consists, therefore, in having discovered a new approach to the production of biofuel from micro-algae that is decidedly simpler, faster and more economical. This will lead to the production of bioethanol with smaller plants (that can therefore be installed closer to urban areas) and lower start-up investments.

LThe use of micro-algae is perfectly aligned with the requirements of the European Commission (Directive “RED”, 2009/28/EC) which establishes that, by December 31, 2020, fuel manufacturers must reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by at least 10%. Also, Brussels has placed micro-algae at the top of the list of biomasses whose contribution to achievement of the target of 10% will be considered highly rewarding compared with other renewable sources.

The results of the research of the BioAlma project mark the start of an extraordinarily sustainable supply chain due, above all, to the micro-algae that can be cultivated without occupying agricultural land, do not necessarily require clean water, grow quickly without the use of pesticides or fertilizers, have a high yield per unit of surface cultivated paving the way to numerous applications also for production rejects, absorb higher quantities of carbon dioxide, permit a drastic reduction in environmental impact in terms of equivalent CO₂ , with particular regard to reduction of climate-altering emissions (Global Warming Potential, GWP).

Participants in the BioAlma Project include:

1. Sea Marconi Technologies which carries out its main role in the phase of conversion of the biomass into biofuels, also through development of small-scale prototypes of the conversion process concerned;

2. The Polytechnic of Turin (DIATI, DENERG, DISAT), coordinator of the project with a cross-project role, dealing with aspects of LCA and energy analysis of the production scenarios and processes considered in the project;

3. The University of Turin, in the person of prof. Gianfranco Gilardi, international expert in the field of enzymatic conversion;

4. The University of Catania (Department of Agronomic, Agrochemical Sciences and Animal Production), responsible for aspects relating to production processes (cultivation) of the algae biomass and any improvement options with regard to the state of the art.

Sea Marconi was set up in Turin in 1968 at the initiative of businessman Vander Tumiatti. Today, the company operates in the key sectors of energy and the environment and is international market leader in the sector of services, technologies and products for the management of fleets of electrical machines with insulating fluids, in a continuous search for solutions able to promote truly sustainable development.

Sea Marconi operates in Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Argentina with more than 3000 customers on 5 continents.

The company has around 100 employees, holds more than 40 patents and has a particular vocation for research and development in the field of bio-energies and bio-products at Italian and international level.

Bioethanol can replace all types of gasoline (premium, super and leadless) or be used in mixed with conventional gasoline in broadly variable proportions.

Ethanol can be produced from any biological matrix containing an appreciable amount of sugar and from materials that can be converted into sugars such a starch or cellulose. Various biogenic matrixes can be used in the production of ethanol such as sugar cane, maize and also wood biomasses. Micro-algae, which contain sugar and starch fractions, and also cellulose in cell walls can be converted into bioethanol.

The use of bioethanol for internal combustion engines would appear to be more easily applicable compared with vegetal oils or biodiesel, in that:

• it is easier to standardise (it is a clearly defined molecule while biodiesel is in fact a chemically heterogeneous mix);
• broad experience has already been acquired on engines specifically developed for also variables mixes of ethanol and gasoline (e.g. E85, 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). Also, conventional gasoline engines are normally easy to modify for functioning with mixes of of ethanol, at least in concentrations of around 20%;
• it is easier to synthetize ETBE (Ethyl tert-butyl ether) from ethanol; this is a combustible organic compound with characteristics similar to MTBE which is however toxic and of typically fossil origin. Both MTBE and its biogenic substitute ETBE are already widely used as gasoline additives to increase their anti-knock properties (number of octanes);
• in particular with regard to the quality of air in the urban environment, spark-ignition engines (gasoline and therefore potentially bioethanol) are more favoured than diesel engines as they involve fewer technological complications and therefore lower costs for compliance with emission limits