Renewable and Sustainable Energy Technology - International ...

The International Experience113A discovery of boric acid in the lagoon in ‘Monterotondo’ and ‘Castelnuovo’ was made bythe director of the Grand Duchy’s pharmacies in 1777. In 1799, Paolo ‘Mascagni’ patentedthe use of natural heat in the extraction of boric acid which was used for:• Pharmaceutical products• Ceramic glazing and weldingDespite the economic interest in this discovery, it still took until 1812 for the first company tobe founded to ‘exploit the natural manifestations’ which were found.Attempts to put ‘Mascagni’s method’ into action failed and soon they were using wood tocreate heat to evaporate the water’s of the lagoons to extract boric acid.© SustainablePlanet.com.au© SustainablePlanet.com.auIn 1818 the ‘Societa Chemin, Prat, La Motte’ Larderel was established by the ManagingDirector Francesco Del Larderel. In this time there was about 50 tons of boric acid beingproduced annually. As time went on, the increase of a non renewable resource (namely wood)began to diminish with production and profits following suit. The company was in decline andFrancesco Del Larderel bought out the other share holders and became sole owner.Del Larderel decided to experiment with the use of natural steam for the evaporationprocess and constructed a cover over the lagoon, to maintain the heat. This with other newinnovations, increased the total production of boric acid to 125 tons annually in 1829.© SustainablePlanet.com.au © SustainablePlanet.com.au