I am Assistant Professor in Chemical Plants and Processes and a member of the research group Laboratory of Industrial Safety and Environmental Sustainability.
An environmental engineer by training and a chemical engineer by doctoral studies, my research interests lie at the interface of process optimization and environmental protection.
I'm working extensively on the optimization of flue gas treatment in waste-to-energy plants, with the aim of coupling ultra-low emission targets with minimal cross-media effects in terms of reactant consumption and generation of process residues. Research in this area is conducted at 360 degree: from the microscopic (lab-scale experimental activities and fundamental reaction modelling) to the macroscopic scale (test campaigns at full-scale facilities and process simulations), from process control issues to life cycle sustainability analysis. The experience gathered on gas-solid reaction for flue gas cleaning applications has been extended also to CO2 capture with solid sorbents, as a visiting researcher at ETH Zurich.
I'm exploring the integration of quantitative sustainability assessment methods in process design and optimization, as well as the use of life cycle assessment to steer the design of novel materials and emerging technologies towards sustainable solutions, where there is the concurrent need of expertise in process engineering and industrial ecology.
MAIN RESEARCH LINES
- Modelling of the removal processes of acid pollutants in Waste-to-energy facilities. Experimental investigation on the reactivity of solid sorbents for HCl and SO2 capture. Development and validation of models for the description of gas-solid reactions.
- Optimization of flue gas cleaning systems in Waste-to-energy facilities. Analysis of the economic and environmental performance of alternative configurations for the emission control in waste combustion. Joint research activities with HERAmbiente, Termomeccanica Ecologia, ARPAE Emilia-Romagna, Brianza Energia Ambiente.
- Development of novel sorbents for CO2 capture. Testing of novel sorbents, either synthetic or obtained from industrial waste streams, for CO2 capture by means of the carbonate looping process. Collaboration with ETH Zürich (Switzerland).
- Prospective life cycle assessment. Development and application of quantitative sustainability assessment frameworks for emerging technologies in the materials and chemical engineering areas, where integration between the tools of process engineering tools the mindset of industrial ecology is needed.
EDUCATION
2017 PhD Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Bologna, with a dissertation on the Analysis of sustainable technologies for acid gas removal (supervisor: prof. V. Cozzani). Visiting student at ETH Zürich (Switzerland) in 2016 and 2017 under the supervision of prof. C.R. Müller.
2012 MSc Environmental Engineering, University of Bologna, with honours.
2010 BSc Environmental Engineering, University of Bologna,with honours.