Italy
From left to right: Broni Hornsby, Patricia Harvey, Ninni D’Aguanno, Paul Goacher, Giuseppe Aiello
Corissia (Broni Hornsby) arranged for Prof Harvey (ACP lead partner) and Paul Goacher, an investor from Hafren Investments UK to meet Dr Ninni D'Aguanno and Ing Giuseppe Aiello .
Dr Ninni D'Aguanno, is President of Japi Trapanis Associacione dele Picole e Medie industrie and owns a 28 Ha salt pan that produces high quality salt in a shallow pond system. Ninni D’Auganno was enthusiastic about the algae biofuel production system and was willing to consider housing an experimental area for algae production or to find an alternative site in Sicily.
A sample of lake water was sent to the MBA UK for analysis to determine whether there was evidence for Dunaliella sp. This has now proved positive.
Dr Ninni now wants to establish a biorefinery that produces salt, glycerol, β-carotene and fish feed from Dunaliella cultivation in a parallel operation with salt production. If feasible, this could serve as a demonstration system for other salt pan operators in the region and elsewhere. He heads an association of SMEs in Trapani.
The next steps are to analyse the density of Dunaliella as a function of water depth and pond size, water characteristics and salt concentration at a number of set points in the pond systems, to get algae production data over a time course of ca 1 year.
Dr Ninni will now be linked to the D-Factory CO2 Biorefinery FP7 project along with a selected team of scientists (chemists, aqua culture specialists and engineers) drawn from the University of Palermo, and led by Ing Giuseppe Aiello, Technical Director of Leonardo Engineering.
The sequence of steps was proposed:
- 'Field' (Pond) assessments to quantify current algal performance in a biorefinery that is currently optimised for salt production only
- Lab assessment to determine environmental parameters (maximum CO2 sequestration, effects of stirring, light emission and incidence, nutrients) for optimal algal performance in ponds of different salinities.
- Process optimisation for the pond system to achieve both optimal algal and salt production in the ponds - includes recommended choice of harvesting technology, sources and methods of CO2 introduction, sequence of water movements around the ponds, months of operation for production of either algae or salt or both.
- Biorefinery products - application fractionation technology for maximal recoveries of b-carotene, glycerol.