66973 - Sustainable Processes for the Energy and Chemical Sector

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will be able to analyze the main processes for the production of energy and chemical products, identifying their critical aspects and strengths in terms of environmental impact and sustainability, and therefore evaluating alternatives obtainable from renewable sources and, in particular, from biomass. The student will also be able to analyze innovative chemical technologies for the abatement of pollutants and hazardous substances from stationary and mobile sources. Finally, the student will be able to understand and analyze innovative processes and technologies for industrial chemistry and energy on the basis of criteria relating to sustainability, environmental impact, and safety.

Course contents

The physicochemical characteristics, uses, and environmental impact of raw materials for chemistry and energy will be examined in depth. A comparison between biomass and fossil raw materials will be presented in terms of functional group analysis and transformation opportunities. Chemical processes such as transesterification and hydrogenation of triglycerides will be explored; brief reference will be made to processes for the production of ethanol from first- and second-generation biomass and its use as a fuel, either as such or after conversion into ETBE; thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis and gasification, and subsequent transformations, will also be addressed. In particular, processes for the production of synthesis gas and its conversion into methanol, DME, FT diesel, and hydrogen will be described.

The principles, types, and operation of fuel cells will be illustrated, together with the most important technologies for the catalytic abatement of emissions from stationary and mobile sources. Processes for the production of chemicals from biomass will then be examined in depth, integrating them with knowledge of industrial chemistry and catalysis processes. The processes will be presented with emphasis on their chemistry, process technologies, and environmental impacts, using indicators such as atom and energy efficiency, environmental quotient, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The integration of processes for biomass conversion will then be described in order to build a systems-based approach. Finally, the principles and technologies of sustainable chemistry will be presented through catalytic processes, membrane separations, and approaches to the reduction of chemical risk.

Prerequisites

The principles of thermodynamics, chemical equilibrium, phase equilibria, and chemical kinetics.

Mass and energy balances. Process units and separation units. The main types of reactors for industrial reactions.

Nomenclature and structures of organic compounds. Main reactions involving sugars and esters; other oxidation and reduction reactions.

Fossil raw materials and their use. The main industrial processes: catalytic oxidation, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and acid/base catalysis processes. The structure of processes, through flowsheets; the difference between continuous and batch processes and between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis.

Readings/Bibliography

G. Centi and R.A. Van Santer. Catalysis for Renewables: From Feedstock to Energy Production. Weinhem Wiley-VCH

J.J. Spivey and K.M. Dooley. Catalysis, a review of recent literature, RSC Publishing

J. Dewulf and H Van Lngenhove.Renewable Based Technologies: Sustainability Assesment. Joho Wiley and Sons

F. Cavani, G. Centi, S. Perathoner and F. Trifirò. Sustainable Industrial Chemistry, Principle tools and Industrial example, Wiley-VCH, 2009.

F. Cavani, S. Albonetti, F. Basile and A. Gandini; "Chemical and Fuels from bio-based building block, WIley-VCH 2016

Teaching methods

The description of the processes will provide an opportunity to examine transformation methodologies, principles, technologies, and sustainability indicators in greater depth. Through the comparison of raw materials, technologies, and processes, the course aims to highlight the approach, methodologies, and directions for developing process sustainability. Industrial case studies will be used.

After each scientific topic has been completed, a summary will be provided and discussed with the students. At the end of the course, students will take part in a brainstorming session based on the topics covered by the lecturer.

Assessment methods

The assessment of learning aims to evaluate the ability to describe raw materials and the most common processes from renewable sources, and to analyze processes and technologies in relation to their environmental advantages, performance, and impact. In particular, an oral examination will be used at the end of the course. Starting from a process presented during the lectures, the student’s ability will be assessed in terms of identifying the chemical characteristics involved in the transformation underlying the process, discussing the reactions involved, and describing the basic flowsheet leading to the finished product, as well as identifying its critical points and characteristics, including in terms of environmental impact.

Students will also be required to place the process within the supply chain to which it belongs and to discuss the environmental and sustainability issues associated with that supply chain. This procedure will be applied to processes for the production of energy and fuels and to processes aimed at the production of chemicals, allowing different aspects of sustainability, environmental impact, and chemical risk to be addressed.

Teaching tools

The course is delivered through lectures and practical activities carried out in the classroom. These activities also make use of teaching aids such as PowerPoint presentations and video projection. The teaching material presented during the lectures will be made available to students electronically via the internet and will be accessible to students through the teaching platform at https://virtuale.unibo.it/.

Office hours

See the website of Nikolaos Dimitratos

See the website of Jacopo De Maron