On September 27th, a meeting of the scientific project committee was held at the headquarters of Sea Marconi in Collegno. The meeting took place with the Wordcafe mode.
What is it?
The Worldcafè is a meeting mode inspired by old cafes, creating a work environment that inspires participants and invites them to a free and passionate discussion. This technique facilitates the exchange of innovative and unconventional ideas thanks to a very light form of moderation and the guidance of some general questions.
Participants are divided into different discussion tables and are invited to exchange every 20/30 minutes; the facilitator has the task of briefing newcomers on what has already been discussed and of gathering from these new ideas. Like in cafes, people can write and draw on the tablecloth (paper), drink and eat something during the meeting.

The members of the scientific committee of the BIOENPRO4TO project welcomed the Worldcafè procedure very positively and openly shared impressions, points of view and knowledge, which were noted on colored post-it notes and put in the minutes of the meeting. What emerged has concretely clarified some technical aspects common to some WPs and at the same time allowed updating on reference standards, terms and definitions useful for the rest of the project.

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

Project LORVER Homécourt, 16^th December 2013.

The technology implemented for the LORVER Project (patent no. IT TO2010A001043 of 23/12/2010) is absolutely innovative, but, at the same time, is the result of 14 years of work performed by Sea Marconi as leader within two European projects (patents Haloclean Conversion no. G1RD-1999-00082 and Haloclean Application no. G1RD-CT-2002-03014).

The research by Sea Marconi and the further design and construction choices, demonstrated that it is possible to develop a modular, ultra-compact, pre-fabricated system, with containerised sizes facilitating the logistics, not requiring particular infrastructures, but just a resting bed. The system is designed to operate 24/24 with a high operational availability (up to 7,500 h/y) with a supervision and control system also in remote mode.

The system implemented is based upon 5 modules:

1. feeding
2. pyrolysis, through a particular design of the reactor (using thermally conductive bodies) perfectly sealed with respect to the ambient, in the absence of oxygen, with temperatures between 450 and 550 ° C capable of ensuring the 5 fundamental functions:
   1. transfer of heath into the biomass to be converted
   2. transfer of the biomass during the conversion
   3. mixing
   4. milling (progressive crushing of the material)
   5. catalytic function;
3.  heating the highly conductive bodies in a closed-loop circuit using the biochar as provider of energy. From this module it is possible to spill biochar for dedicated applications such as in agriculture as soil amendment capable of capturing CO2 in a ongoing mode (1 kg of biochar captures up to 3 kg of CO2 equivalents).
4. production of syngas provided by a sealed rotary reactor converting the pyrolysis gases into permanent gas at 850 °C under hyper-dynamic and catalytic conditions. The syngas can be considered of energetic high quality with a reduced content of TARs: highly viscous organic substances.
5. treatment of the syngas through a 3-stage integrated system:
   1. elimination of ashes through a cyclone,
   2. cooling of the gas through a washing by closed-loop water where the temperature changes to 40 – 60 °C,
   3. neutralisation of the acid products by an alkalization process.

The syngas can be used either directly as a high energy value fuel for heating or in gas driven engine for electric and thermal co-generation.

• This system can be easily geared and can, later on, move from 100 kg/h to 1,000 kg/h of biomass to be converted for a size capable of producing about 1MWe and 1.2 MWt.
• It provides a great reduction of the dimensions of the system about 50 times with respect to systems equipped with rotary furnaces.
• Flexibility. The Sea Marconi technological solution provides the conversion of different types of materials with different granulometries and a higher reliability since it is lacking the limiting factors by other systems such as “down-draft”.
• Lower investment costs.
• Easy and fast installation (a few days).
• Higher control of the temperature in each single phase of the processes and conversion times of the biomasses.
• Complete maintainability of the system thanks to a design facilitating an easy and fast access by the operators.

Sea Marconi showed skills for an outstanding multi-tasking winning the extreme challenge in implementing the competences acquired in the core business in a different setting until it produced new lines of technological innovations. Within the LORVER Project Sea Marconi covered the entire production chain moving from the conceptual idea, through the engineering and the fabrication (also with specialised suppliers) to the installation phase, the start-up and the support and monitoring phase also in a remote mode.

The technology developed by Sea Marconi represents surely a new line of technologies with a key role for the future expansion of the business in different global markets for bioenergy and bio-products.
The other applications in this field, grouped under the designation BioEnPro, pertain to the conversion of municipal waste, to be considered a non-combustion technology or non-incineration technology, with a 0 Km approach, small sized, particularly suitable for civil protection or exhibition events. Not only, the Sea Marconi proposal is a fully sustainable solution since it respects and is winning under all the following aspects:

• Scientific
• Best environmental and landscaping available technique
• Economic and financial
• Social

The COP 18, the eighteenth UN conference on climate changes has just been over in Doha (Qatar). Vander Tumiatti participated to the conference as an official member of the Italian delegation. Sea Marconi is always in favour of topics linked to the protection of the environment and, most recently, it oriented part of its research toward the development of sustainable technologies for the production of bio-energy and bio-products.

COP 12 has been an ideal showcase to present the latest developments of our researches.

In Fact, on 4th December 2012, in the Europe pavilion, one of the most reputable experts of ecology and climate changes, the Noble Prize Prof. Riccardo Valentini, illustrated the concept of the BioEnPro project by Sea Marconi.

BioEnPro is a combination of technologies finalised toward the production of bioenergy and products from municipal wastes in a totally self-sustainable manner, at Zero Km, Zero Waste, CO2 negative, creating new jobs (Green jobs).