94270 - Chemistry from Nature

Learning outcomes

Students will explore the principles of Green and Sustainable Chemistry with a focus on utilizing nature as a source for chemical production. They will learn about renewable resources, fermentation processes, and the development of biopolymers, examining sustainable strategies to create valuable chemical products from natural materials. The student is expected to be able to: 1. Understand and apply the principles of renewable resource utilization, including biomass conversion into bio-based products and biofuels, and evaluate their sustainability and applications ; 2. Analyze and implement fermentation processes to produce chemicals from biological sources; 3. Develop and evaluate biopolymers as sustainable alternatives to traditional materials.

Course contents

The Course will be made of three modules with the following contents:

(1) Renewable Sources

In this module the relationship between sustainable chemistry and renewable sources will be explored. The main components of biomasses will be presented, comparing the structure of fossil feedstock with that of renewable feedstock. The central concept of biorefinery will be introduced, illustrating different types of pre-treatments of biomass affording bio-platform chemicals that feed the biomass-based chemical industry for the production of chemical compounds, biopolymers and biofuels. The diversity of biorefineries and examples of existing biorefinery will be presented. Finally, the main biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas and bio-hydrogen) and the “generations” of biofuels will be critically analyzed.

(2) Chemical Products from fermentation

In this module the most important techniques used for producing chemical substances exploiting microrganisms will be illustrated. The variety of metabolic pathways leading to useful chemicalswill be presented.

A critical comparison will be performed between purely chemical and fermentative processes will be performed.

(3) Biopolymers

In this module the most important Biopolymers will be illustrated, together with their main production processes.

Comparison of the properties among different biopolymers and between biopolymers and other plastic materials will be presented

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes will be available for students.

Additional bibliography:

Module (1)

• P. V. Petrovic, P. T. Anastas, (2023) "First do No Harm"; Jenny Stanford Publisher.
• Anastas, P. (2012) Handbook of Green Chemistry. Wiley

Teaching methods

The course unit is divided in three modules taught independently at different times in the academic year.

Each module is organized in theoretical classes where main concepts are explained, as well as tutorial classes with discussion of case-study examples.

Assessment methods

Each module is assessed in a specific way that will be specified at the beguin of module’s classes. Assessment can be: a written assignment, a power point presentation or analogous a, including a report on literature research, a short written test or a review.

Module (1) will be assessed through individual report on a topic related to the module content (50%) and a written test (50%).

A limited, declared, and non-substantial use of AI is permitted for support activities (summary, reformulations). Substantial use for completing the requested report is not permitted.

The Course Unit grade will be the arithmetic average of grades from the three modules.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Videoprojection.

PC hands-on work with use of the freely available software.

The power point or pdf presentations of the lessons are available in the Moodle space of the Erasmus Mundus master which is shared with the partner universities (https://emmcchir-learning.ualg.pt/login/index.php)

Office hours

See the website of Emilio Tagliavini

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