Atti dei Georgofili

Colture massive di microalghe: calamitĂ  o risorsa?

Mario R. Tredici

Pagine: 16
Contenuto in: Atti dei Georgofili 2006

Copyright 2006 Accademia dei Georgofili

The lecture shortly describes both the potential of microalgae mass cultures and the main drawbacks associated with natural algal blooms. Understanding the common features of these two complex ecosystems, especially at the phycosphere level (the area at the cell surface where the alga interacts with its associated bacterial and viral populations), is considered crucial for their manipulation, with the contrasting goals of increasing productivity and stability of artificial algae cultures and interfering with the formation of, or disrupting, algae blooms. The growing threat posed by toxins produced by microalgae is addressed with special emphasis on the recently discovered capacity of cyanobacteria to synthesize BMAA (β- N-methylamino-L-alanine), a neurotoxic amino acid suspected to be involved in ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Current applications of microalgae for the production of health food, feeds, pharmaceutical compounds, and the necessary culture systems (open ponds and photobioreactors) are described, and the possibility to exploit their great potential to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, reclaim waste-waters and produce renewable fuels is discussed. The research activity carried out by the Florence group of algologists, born in 1956 thanks to the far-seeing inventiveness of Prof. Gino Florenzano, is finally mentioned.