Venice scum put to ‘green’ use

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Published: 27 March, 2009, 11:26

One of the most beautiful cities in the world is on the brink of a green revolution. The city of Venice says it will soon transform the stinky, slimy algae that overrun its canals into clean, renewable energy.

Commonly referred to as Lagoon City for its 118 islands situated over a vast area of saltwater marshes in the northern Adriatic, the city of Venice has announced a 220 million euro eco-friendly project to harvest the prolific seaweed that lines its miry canals and transforms it into emissions-free energy.

The energy produced would supply half of the needs of the city’s historic centre while helping to preserve the lagoon’s delicate ecosystem, says the Venice Port Authority.

“The plant would have zero emissions and would produce half of the electricity needed for the city. If the go ahead is given, the plant could be up and running within two years,” says the president of the Port of Venice Authority, Paolo Costa.

The project, which is the first ever in Italy, and the third being planned in Europe, adopts simple science. Collected from the city’s swampy waters, the algae will be cultivated in laboratories, where it will be placed in special plastic cylinders.

Water, carbon dioxide, and sunshine will trigger rapid photosynthesis and ensure the proliferation of the leafless plant – one of the oldest in the world. The oil produced by the algae will then be harvested and converted into biodiesel. The carbon dioxide that is inevitably produced in this process will be fed back to the algae, resulting in zero emissions.

If harvested correctly, algae can double its biomass overnight. Unlike other biofuel feedstock, such as soy or corn, it can be harvested 24 hours a day, every day.

“I tried for weeks to find out what the trick was, it seemed like such an incredible project, but in the end I gave up… the technology is revolutionary. It is not as unstable as other renewable energy sources, like solar and wind – it traps carbon dioxide and emits oxygen,” says Willer Bordon, president of Enlag, a renewable energy services firm that will collaborate on the project.

Venice city hall’s main objective is self-sufficiency: Venice wants to eventually generate enough clean energy to satisfy the entire city’s energy needs, including that of the ships and cruise liners that dock in its harbour.

The algae-fueled power plant will be located at one of the city’s main ports and produce some 40 megawatts of energy. Venice Port officials also spoke of their intention to construct an adjoining photovoltaic park, big enough to produce 32 megawatts of solar energy.

Brenda Dionisi for RT