Bulgarian Professor Petko Dimitrov is the creator of the idea for the application of sapropel sediments from the bottom of the Black Sea as a natural ecological fertilizer and biological products. According to the Romanian tycoon Dinu Patriciu, the sapropel sediments have the potential to be a source of non-conventional energy. Patriciu has created a marine exploration project in the Black Sea which examines the sapropel sediments of that region. Sediment cores are collected and investigated by several universities and research institutes across the world.