Unibo Principal Investigator: Prof. Fabio Fava Dept. of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering - DICAM
Brazilian Principal Investigator: Prof. Josè Osvaldo Beserra Carioca, Universidade Federal do Cearà, UFC, Dept. od Tecnologia de Alimentos, Fortaleza DETAL
The aim of the project is to create an Italian-Brazilian consortium among research institutions and industries to develop a proposal for the development of an integrated process for the production of Biohydrogen, Biomethane and electricity from organic waste agri industrial-products .
The actors of the consortium, in addition to DICAM at University of Bologna, will be the Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos (DETAL) of the Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC) (Fortaleza, Brazil) and the national distributors of energy ENEL and Coelce (Fortaleza, Brazil), both interested in studying solutions to increase the efficiency of the process of energy production based on the simple Biomethanation of organic matrices in conventional processes of anaerobic digestion.
For this purpose, basic research will be conducted to assess the feasibility of a modular Biorefinery, characterized by the integration of the following processes:
- anaerobic digestion of organic experimental matrixes, conducted in conventional reactors (Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor, UASB), for the production of bio-methane. It will also be evaluated the opportunity to conduct the process in two stages, the first of which in conditions of dark fermentation for the production of Biohydrogen;
- microbial electrolytic cell, by which digestate and biogas produced in the anaerobic digestion are refined with an additional consumption organic matter and carbon dioxide, allowing the production of low carbon water (therefore more easily reusable) and a richer Methane biogas ;
- termocathalitic cracking of methane, with hydrogen production;
- fuel cell powered by hydrogen (possibly via fermentation dark) fo electricity production.
Research Group
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM-UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
- Prof. Fabio Fava, DICAM
- Dr. Lorenzo Bertin, DICAM
- Dr. Flavio Frascari, DICAM
BRAZIL
- Prof. Prof. Josè Osvaldo Beserra Carioca, UFC
- Dr. Rui Carlos Barros, UFC, Departamento de Química
- Dr. Eduardo Galdino, UFC
- Dr. Cesar Abreu