Carla Micheli

I propose an innovative method for evaluating the potential bioenergy resource of phytoplancton and cyanobacteria blooms which appear in the Lakes of Lazio (central Italy), by remote sensing technique. Microalgae and Cyanobacteria are considered potential precursors of liquid fuel, an alterntive of bioenergy conversion and in the lakes of central Lazio (Albano, Bracciano, etc) can be monitored by the new OLI sensor, using some multispectral images recorded during the different seasons. The water body of the lakes are characterized by significant impacts due to human activities with related load of nutrients and pollution. The presence of blooms (micro-algae and cyanobacteria) with significant production of biomass makes the sites greatly interesting for the field-testing of integrated techniques of "bioremediation" and innovative biofuels production. In fact, the abilities and strategies of algae to recycle nutrients offer an attractive solution for the subsequent application of their biomass in the production of fuels and petrochemicals. In the context of bio-energy production various types of phytoplankton present at various depths can offer an ecologically friendly and cost-effective solution for the production of value-added products.