The project BioPorts aims to contribute to a new strategy for green maritime transport and ports, by developing biotechnological solutions, integrating native bioremediation agents with robotic systems, to tackle accidental and chronic pollution in seaports. BioPorts concept is driven by the actual need of different stakeholders of maritime industries, to use more environmental and economically efficient strategies to respond to spills of crude oil, maritime fuels and Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) inside ports. Ports of Leixões and Viana do Castelo, the two most important ports in the north of Portugal, will be used as case studies. For that, microbial consortia will be tailor-made for each port, using samples of water and sediment to select the microorganisms that can degrade the target pollutants. After, for the most promising bacterial strains, an optimization of the biomass production and lyophilization process will be done envisioning the formulation of lyophilized bioremediation agents. In parallel, two types of autonomous vehicles will be adapted for in situ application of the bioremediation agent: a drone (to detect and respond to surface pollution incidents) and an underwater vehicle (to treat sediments/water column – chronic pollution). This innovative solution will be validated by field tests and demonstrations inside ports.
The project is based on previous expertize of CIIMAR to produce native microbial consortia to degrade pollutants, and on its previous experience in development of protocols to response to oil spills, and on the large experience of INESC TEC regarding the development and adaptation of autonomous vehicles for marine applications.
The project will start by compiling information regarding the specificity of each of the seaports (Leixões and Viana do Castelo), in order to identify the most relevant pollutants and establish the operational needs to respond to accidental and chronic pollution. After, native microorganisms with ability to degrade crude oil, maritime fuels or HNS will be selected through an enrichment process, using water and sediment from the two seaports, and their taxonomic and functional gene diversity will be characterized by metagenomics approaches. In parallel, microbial strains will be isolated, the most promising will be used for the development of microbial consortia, and their biodegradation potential will be optimized in microcosm experiments. Then, the biomass production and lyophilization of the selected microbial consortia will be optimized, to preserve microbial viability and biodegradation efficiency for future application. The obtained lyophilized bioremediation consortia will be validated in mesocosm experiments in which ports environmental conditions will be simulated. Also, a team of autonomous vehicles will be developed, including a drone for detection and response to pollution incidents at water surface, and an underwater vehicle able to treat sediments/water column (chronic pollution). This will include specification, development, and implementation of the containers and release systems for bioremediation consortia, the release control software, and the application for mission control and data acquisition and processing. Finally, the native bioremediation consortia will be integrated in the autonomous vehicles and this innovative solution will be validated in both lab and field environments and demonstrated at a “quasi-real” scenario.
BioPorts is a result-oriented project, envisioning the development of innovative products and services that include: tailor-made native microbial consortia for bioremediation of accidental and chronic pollution inside ports; devices for application of bioremediation treatments by robotic systems adapted to operate inside ports; and an integrated protocol for bioremediation application. Combining these technologies will enable a fast and efficient response to maritime pollution incidents with crude oil, maritime fuels or HNS that may occur inside ports, increasing the environmental and economic sustainability of the traditional cleaning solutions currently used inside ports.
Overall, the project will contribute to the EU mission “Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters”, namely for the prevention, reduction, mitigation and removal of marine pollution, through the development of solutions to reduce discharge, loss and leakage of contaminants originated from sea-based activities. The project will also contribute to the goals of the European Green Deal, in particular to a new strategy for green maritime transport and ports, as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 14 – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources).