Laurea Magistrale (Second cycle degree/Two year Master - 120 ECTS) in Low Carbon Technologies and Sustainable Chemistry

The specific objective of the second-cycle degree programme is to train technologists expert in chemical, environmentally sustainable and low carbon technologies for work in public and private bodies and firms dedicated to the green and sustainable economy. The graduate must have the knowledge and theoretical and practical competencies needed to work in multi-disciplinary, international environments dedicated to:

- research,

- development,

- production,

- assessment and monitoring of environmental impact,

- application and commercialisation of materials or products for high sustainability industrial systems, agriculture, services and consumption.

The graduate is able to tackle problems relating to the definition, design, development and implementation of:

- industrial processes for energy production and chemical and biochemical transformation, with particular attention to the problems of compatibility with the environment, safety and low raw materials and energy consumption,

- processes for the production of sustainable materials and chemical technologies,

- materials for energy production and chemical transformation,

- industrial processes for the reduction of CO2 emissions via efficiency improvements and the accumulation and utilisation of CO2,

- protocols for the investigation and assessment of sustainability and environmental impact.

The graduate is also able to understand and tackle problems relating to use of the most advanced spectroscopic methodologies for the analysis and design of innovative materials, and the development and implementation of industrial processes.

The specialist curriculum followed by the student guarantees in-depth knowledge of a homogeneous selection of topics relevant to the objectives of the degree programme.

In particular, the theoretical and experimental course units cover:

- the chemical and biochemical reactions on the principal classes of products, including biologically-active products, or materials, including innovative functional materials and nano-materials; as well as techniques for their design, preparation and characterisation;

- the reactions of the principal inorganic and mineral species within the bio-geo-chemical cycles and industrial and agricultural production processes;

- criteria for the selection and use of materials or products for low environmental impact industrial systems, agriculture, services and consumption;

- aspects relating to the transfer of chemical and biochemical processes and chemical technologies from the laboratory experiment phase to commercialisation, including the scale-up methodologies, the reconfiguration of industrial processes, safety problems, environmental impact assessment, production quality control, economic aspects and the assessment of process profitability;

- the principles that govern the structure-activity or structure-property relations of products and materials for the production of chemical and energy and the interactions with electrons and photons; their chemical, physical and spectroscopic characterisation;

- methodologies for the design and creation of new, low environmental impact and high sustainability products or materials, taking account of any critical materials and including the waste reduction, reuse and recycling processes;

- methodologies for environmental monitoring and assessment in work areas and the various environmental sectors, and pollutant dispersion and diffusion processes;

- methodologies for the preparation of products derived from low carbon biomass and with high environmental sustainability, giving particular attention to the impact on bio-geo-chemical cycles and the closure of industrial cycles;

- aspects relating to the development of chemical materials and technologies applicable in the field of renewable energies;

- spectroscopic methodologies for the analysis of molecular species in a gaseous state, including in relation to atmospheric and environmental matters;

- development of techniques for the characterisation of environmental matrices and the analysis of surfaces and materials;

- methodologies for assessing the environment effects and impact on ecosystems of emissions from chemical processes and for energy, and for assessing the impact of product life cycles and the effects on health.

In order to achieve the objectives listed, it is considered fundamental to undergo prolonged, continuous training with a high experimental or practical-experimental content into the laboratories of the department or of bodies or industries that have agreements with the University.

MAKING JUDGEMENTS

Graduates possess:

- the ability to design, plan and conduct experiments; to exercise independent judgment in evaluating and quantifying data and experimental results;

- exceptional organizational skills, strict time compliance, analytical skills and close attention to details;

Each graduate's judgment skills are assessed by his/her dissertation supervisor on the basis of his/her independence and ability to complete the work, alone or as part of a team, during the internship and dissertation preparation phase, and are verified by an appropriate commission during the dissertation discussion.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Graduates possess:

- the ability to communicate in English;

- interpersonal skills, the ability to interact with others and to conduct collaborative activities, nationally and internationally.

Written and oral communication skills in English are also developed during seminars, exercises and other training activities that involve the preparation of reports and written documents and their oral presentation, often using multimedia tools or computer demonstrations.

The evaluation of the acquisition of these communication skills takes place through the drafting of the degree dissertation and its presentation and discussion.

In all classroom and laboratory activities, students are encouraged to intervene publicly in order to improve their ability to describe any doubts and/or requests for clarification on specific topics in a clear and understandable way.

LEARNING SKILLS

Graduates possess:

- the ability to continue their scientific and professional training, including through the continuous consultation of international bibliographic sources;

- the ability to work towards goals independently or in a team, reacting positively to the problems encountered;

- the right aptitude for the continuous updating of their knowledge of scientific and technological development, the market and existing products.

These learning abilities are acquired within the study programme as a whole, particularly through all activities related to the preparation of the master's dissertation.

The ability to learn is assessed through training activities, requiring the presentation of independently retrieved data, through tutoring activities when developing projects, and through an evaluation of the student's ability to learn independently, gained during the master's dissertation.