The project is approaching the final rush. The documentation developed is available in the section "Deliverables", while the main specific actions are described as follows:

Implementation of Pilot Projects

 “Project on soybean and rapeseed cultivation for bio-diesel production for Navigli Lombardi"

The project, to whom CTI participates both as a partner within Bio-NETT and as a technical support body, is focused on the production of bio-diesel from soybean and rapeseed. The bio-diesel produced will be given to the Union of Bio-diesel Producers for the national market. At the same time a quota of the bio-diesel produced will be used to fuel some boats operating on the Milanese canals network (Navigli).

The project, supported by the Lombardy Region (DG Agriculture, DG Nets and Services of public Usefulness and DG Quality of the environment), is coordinated by Navigli Lombardi scarl and sees the participation of: 

A first evaluation had emphasized some problems of sustainability of the whole chain in respect of the current prices of products from agriculture (seeds). It has been decided then to focus not only on soybean but also on colza and to support the experimentation on the use of the cake - as animal feed - that, according to bibliography, should be considered a product of high nutritional value. The idea was also to decrease the cultivated area from the initial 1000 ha to about 700.
  
This is therefore an experimental project focused on the production and trade of bio-diesel from a quantity of about 700.000 litres of soybean and colza oil extracted from the cultivation of 700 ha in Lombardy Region, to boost the use of bio-fuels in the “Navigli” area. A quota of the bio-diesel produced will be used, mixed with traditional fuels, as a fuel for the public transportation network (canals and roads).

The objectives of the project are:  

A summary of the project is avaliable here.

Project "biodiesel in the park"

The Consortium “Parco Lombardo della Valle del Ticino”, to promote the use of bio-diesel towards fossil fuel, has installed a “private” bio-diesel distributor (B25) in the territory of the park. The distributor should be used to supply all the diesel vehicles (cross-country vehicles, commercial vehicles and cars) in endowment to the Park organization, the bio-diesel will also be available also for the employees of the Park  that could be "environmentally sustainable" using a renewable bio-fuel.

The project is closed and a summary can be read here.

Implementation of Local networks for the diffusion of the use of Bio-Fuels

The national activity carried out by CTI within the Bio-NETT project is also represented by the work performed to set up one or more interacting networks favouring the diffusion and the use of renewable bio-fuels for public fleets and vehicles at local level.
The networks should involve both the productive side (agricultural and industrial sectors) and the commercial side, as well as the end users (public services)
For this reason CTI got in touch with many representatives within the sector and is trying to involve all the interested stakeholders. 

A few examples follow:

• Assocostieri Unione produttori biodiesel
• Regione Lombardia
• Regione Piemonte
• Regione Marche
• Coldiretti
• ITABIA - Associazione Italiana Biomasse
• Associazione di consumatori
• Confagricoltura

Moreover a first contact with QualitàComuni, an association of 17 Municipalities ISO 9000 certified, has been activated.

Activities of training and communication

CTI started a series of formative actions according to the programme of Bio-NETT focused on the diffusion of the bio-fuels for public fleets.

Several courses have been performed for a total of 28 hours of training and about 110 people attended the lessons with a lot of positive feedbacks showing the important of such actions.