BALLO Project

Programme: Ministero Politiche Agricole D.M. 26271/7303/

Project Title: Biofuels from Algae in the Lagoon of Lesina and Orbetello

Acronym: BALLO

Duration: 2010-2013

Total Budget: € 247.500,00

Web site: http://www.ecodynamics.unisi.it/?p=195

Summary: The main objective of the project was to investigate and try to find sustainable solutions for the production of biofuels that have traditionally been produced from "energy crops" such as sunflower, soybean, sugar beet, maize and wheat for bioethanol. BALLO project refers to the assessment of the energy potential of aquatic biomass residues (macroalgae), in the two lagoons of Lesina and Orbetello, compatible with environmental balance and sustainable in terms of resource usage for the entire process. As part of this objective, the research organization of ISMAR - UOS Lesina, Ecology group, has been divided into:

1 - Preliminary phase: existing topographic and cartographic data collection and thematic maps realization for the Lesina lagoon system through Remote Sensing analysis, useful for the assessment of the lagoon characteristics, identification of the sampling strategy and the estimate the algal biomass present in the ecosystem.

2 - Operational phase: integrated approach to study vegetal biomass on a seasonal scale (2010-2012) and all environmental variables that could affect the dynamic process of plant biomass. Collection and analyses water, sediment and algae samples. Data processing and discussion for the evaluation of spatio-temporal trend of the measured variables.

Contact person in ISMAR:

Antonietta Specchiulli antonietta.specchiulli@fg.ismar.cnr.it

Tommaso Scirocco tommaso.scirocco@fg.ismar.cnr.it

Partnership:

Università degli Studi di Siena (Lead Partner)

CNR ISMAR Lesina