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TMek is the new rapid and accurate diagnostic test for malaria developed by the Politecnico di Milano, following on-field trials held in Cameroon involving 75 patients with clinical suspect of malaria.
During the validation study TMek, due to the absence of false negatives and a few false positive results, confirmed its potential as a quantitative, stage-selective, rapid test for malaria.
Currently the most sensitive malaria detection method is based on gene recognition of the various strains of plasmodium through the PCR method, which is complicated, expensive and not available in African dispensaries. The standard method that is currently used in Africa due to its ease of use involves placing infected red blood cells in a drop of blood on an optical microscope. Although this method is sufficiently sensitive, it requires very skilled staff, there can be variability in interpreting the results and analysis times are long.
The system designed by the team led by Riccardo Bertacco, professor at the Department of Physics of the Politecnico di Milano, is based on a ‘lab-on-chip’ approach, where complex operations are engineered and miniaturised into a low-cost, disposable microchip which is connected via USB to an electronic reading device, and aims to provide a rapid and cost-effective solution for malaria diagnosis, compatible with adoption in tropical areas where there are no specialised staff.
TMek came from a research project financed by the Polisocial Award, the Politecnico di Milano’s social responsibility programme.
The device has been patented by the Politecnico di Milano as a “Social patent”. The research group launched an ethical start-up with social objectives
A study carried out by Professor Carlo S. Casari and his team at the Micro and Nanostructured Materials Laboratory (NanoLab) of the Department of Energy has been published in the American journal The Journal of Physical Chemistry C as the cover article.
The study, in collaboration with Professor Davide M. Proserpio of the Department of Chemistry at the Università degli Studi di Milano, is a computational-modelling project investigating a class of two-dimensional carbon-based materials.
Two-dimensional materials consist of only one or a few atomic layers and represent a very interesting research topic because they have different properties than the same material when composed of many layers.
One of these materials is graphene, which has unique properties: it is the only two-dimensional carbon-based material that is used for technological applications. But its properties are fixed: if you want to combine it with other materials with different properties, you have to change the material type. There is a whole range of two-dimensional inorganic materials that are suitable for this purpose. However, there are also two-dimensional carbon-based materials – other than graphene – whose existence was presumed in the eighties, called graphdiyne. These are crystal structures consisting of hexagonal units – as in graphene – combined with linear units characteristic of atomic carbon strands. They have very interesting properties and from an experimental point of view there is still a lot of research to be done.
The aim of Casari’s team was to understand how many types of these materials can exist and be replicated in reality, and what their properties are.
The researchers made a classification of all possible two-dimensional carbon-based structures. To do this, they started with graphene and used an automated algorithm to replace parts of its structure with linear carbon units. This algorithm produced around 40,000 different structures, which were then selected and filtered to see which ones could potentially be realised. The selection algorithm is based on ToposPro, a computational code for the analysis of crystal structures developed by the Samara Center for Theoretical Materials Science (SCTMS), with the collaboration of Prof. Proserpio.
Twenty-six structures were selected and their stability characteristics and electronic properties were analysed. It has been shown that these structures can be metals, semi-metals and semi-conductors.
This study lays the foundations for new two-dimensional carbon-based materials with very interesting potential applications in technology and energy.
explains prof. Casari.
This research is part of the ERC EspLORE project, which seeks to develop innovative materials by using the potential of carbon atomic wires and exploring their possible applications for advanced technologies in the energy field.
This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement no. 724610.
Financing sustainable building renovations in the service sector with an innovative tool that will accelerate the ecological transition and counteract energy poverty: This is the objective of the European project SER-Social Energy Renovations, which sees the participation of the Italian CGM Finance, Politecnico di Milano, ENEA, and Fratello Sole, a consortium of non-profit entities dedicated to fighting energy poverty. Other partners include the Spanish company GNE Finance, the project leader, Secours Catholique-Caritas France, and the Bulgarian branch of Econoler.
Financed under the Horizon 2020 programme, the project will last three years, in which a de-risking mechanism will be designed and developed to reduce the risk associated with financing and allow access to credit, even for subjects with limited economic capacity. The mechanism will include analysis and technical standardization when defining interventions to make buildings more energy efficient.
The projects will be consolidated and subject to social impact assessment and then financed, allowing investors to access safe, effective investments in line with ESG criteria. It will also allow social companies to carry out green renovations at accessible prices with the necessary technical assistance.
ENEA and Fratello Sole will involve service entities and select buildings used for non-profit activities, intervening with energy-efficient and sustainable restorations. Energy renovation will be carried out by Fratello Sole Energie Solidali – ESCo, a joint venture between Fratello Sole Scarl and Iren Energia.
Within the project, the Politecnico di Milano will identify indicators to assess and analyse the social impact of the financed projects.
The question of evaluating social impact is as current as it is complex, growing from a topic of interest to few people into an integral part of business strategy and an essential issue in finance.
Mario Calderini, professor of social innovation in the Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering Department He adds:
This project aims to improve not only the environmental impact generated by building efficiency interventions, but also the social impact generated by service-sector organizations, which will be able to offer better services due to the benefits of such interventions.
Finally, Secours Catholique-Caritas France, together with the Bulgarian branch of the energy efficiency consultation company Econoler, will explore the possibility of replicating of this tool in other European countries.
Laura Pernigoni, a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering at the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology of the Politecnico di Milano,has been awarded one of the Amelia Earhart 2021 scholarships.
The scholarship was established in 1938 in honour of the famous female pilot Amelia Earhart, and it is granted by Zonta International to support PhD research by women in Space Science and Aerospace Engineering.
It will further support Pernigoni’s research work, that focuses on self-repairing materials applied to inflatable and deployable space structures.
The research project Desarc-Maresanus is carried out by Politecnico di Milano and by Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (Euro-Mediterranean Climate Change Centre) with the support of Amundi, in partnership with CO2APPS.
Desarc-Maresanus studied an alkalinisation process to combat two environmental problems of great significance at the same time: the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere, and the resulting acidification of the oceans.
The process consists of disseminating calcium hydroxide on the ocean surface. Combining with water through a spontaneous reaction, it increases sea water’s capacity to act as a buffer against acidity, thus preventing a drop in pH levels. This favours removal of CO2 from the atmosphere.
The study conducted a detailed technical and economic feasibility study of this process, its environmental balance, and benefits for the marine sector, with focus on the Mediterranean.
Prof. Stefano Caserini, Professor of Climate Change Mitigation at Politecnico di Milano and Project Leader for the research, explains:
The results achieved are reassuring that CO2 can be removed from the atmosphere at reasonable costs, also providing a solution to the great issue of ocean acidification. More studies are required, both concerning the technological process and interactions with the environment, but these early results are promising.
The Desarc-Maresanus research has achieved some important results.
The study of models has revealed that dissemination of calcium hydroxide on the ocean surface would prevent the Mediterranean’s acidification trend; the calcium hydroxide released binds water and CO2 through a spontaneous process, which increases sea water’s capacity to act as a buffer against acidity, thus impeding the drop in pH.
The study conducted with fluid dynamics modelling confirmed the high dispersion rate of calcium hydroxide, when it is released in the wake of a ship, thus suggesting the possibility of spreading large amounts of it by either exploiting existing ships or by creating dedicated vessels; calcium hydroxide released in the form of liquid suspension dissolves as a result of the considerable turbulence in the wake of a ship.
Several scenarios have been studied for the dissemination of calcium hydroxide in the Mediterranean, with various types of ships, and the dissemination potential was also evaluated in a global scale, based on data on existing maritime traffic; dissemination on the part of existing ships seems to be the most efficient solution.
Innovative systems have been studied to store CO2, which must not be released into the atmosphere, as alternative solutions to traditional geological storage, evaluating the feasibility of the various options, including underwater storage in the form of bicarbonates or in glass capsules; detailed simulations have been carried out on the latter to evaluate their mechanical resistance; conditions that might make the various options more or less advantageous, based on the local context, were discussed, besides the additional research required to guarantee that the potential environmental impact will be reduced to a minimum.
Various methods are available to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, and the estimated costs of the new process studied are in line with the high prices of CO2 on the carbon market expected for the coming decades.
The evaluations made using life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology show that a number of process variants are possible, which can use various types of fuels, with a different range of benefits, criticalities, and technological challenges that must be tackled in the future.
The time is right to propose something really ambitious to combat climate change and acidification of the oceans. The reassuring results of this project come at the most propitious time, precisely when we are entering the decisive decade for dealing with these epoch-making challenges, and when the European Union is also proposing strong, concrete mitigating strategies.
says Prof. Mario Grosso, Scientific Coordinator for Research at the Politecnico di Milano.
For the first time two new studies, carried out as part of the Desarc-Maresanus project and published on Frontiers in Climate, develop the idea of ocean alkalinisation on the base of a technically feasible pathway of implementation providing a first step towards a real-world application.
The first study, realized with the financial support of Amundi and the collaboration of CO2APPS, presents an analysis of marine alkalinization applied to the Mediterranean Sea taking into consideration the regional characteristics of the basin. Researchers used a set of simulations of alkalinization based on current shipping routes to quantitatively assess the alkalinization efficiency via a coupled physical-biogeochemical high-resolution model.
In the second study, researchers realized an estimate of the potential of maritime transport for ocean liming, highlighting a very high potential discharge of slaked lime in the sea by using the existing global commercial fleet of bulk carrier and container ships. For some closed basins, such as the Mediterranean Sea where traffic density is relatively high, the potential of ocean alkalinization is far higher than what is needed for counteracting ocean acidification.
These two publications provide a key contribution to the international and national scientific and technical communities working to find solutions to these two issues – atmospheric CO2 removal and counteracting ocean acidification – which we will have to tackle in the future. Even if further investigations are needed, these results are encouraging.
Coffins held a special role in the religion of Ancient Egypt. They were one of the most important elements for the preservation of the body in the afterlife.
The “Faces Revealed” project focus on the study of the yellow coffins, a specific class of artefact that appeared in Thebes at the end of the New Kingdom and were used for more than a millennium peaking during the 21st Dynasty (1069-945 BCE ca.).
In recent years, the question of the identity of ateliers and the reuse of the objects have been the subject of specific projects characterized by the combination of different but interconnected skills and competences from diverse disciplines: Egyptology, Diagnostic and Conservation. Thanks to such collaborations, a protocol of scientific analyses and a specific methodology have been devised that aim at studying the composition of the various materials and deepening our understanding of the practices lying behind ancient reuse using the latest technologies available in Cultural Heritage.
The “Faces Revealed” project takes its lead from these innovative research trends and seeks to contribute to the study of the coffins through the development of a new and efficient methodology based on a simple yet low-cost technology.
The project is mainly based on the analysis of the coffin faces which in general terms appear to have been made from one large piece of wood, which was then carved into shape. There is normally only a small quantity of plaster visible, and where this was applied it also served to help to create curved surfaces. At the end of the production phase, the painted decoration was applied. Facial features are important elements in understanding the typology and classification of statues, but they have rarely been considered in the analysis of Egyptian coffins, perhaps because such features are difficult to discern under the superimposed pictorial decoration.
Today, new technology can help us: photogrammetry is particularly useful for this structural analysis. The monochrome solid model, curvature shading, and shadowsallow us to discover the original sculpture of the face and can reveal fine surface details, which are not always discernible in visible light, because they are mostly covered by the painted layers. This evidence has never been considered before and, therefore, has much potential to add to both the recent projects concerned with the yellow coffins and the more traditional analytical approaches to these objects. In both cases, they consequently pose a series of interesting questions on Egyptian burial practices.
Stefania Mainieri is the Principal Investigator of the Project, coordinated by Christian Greco, Director of the Museo Egizio di Torino, and Kathlyn Cooney, Professor of Egyptology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (ABC) of Politecnico di Milano is hosting Mainieri as secondment of the project for a training period, supervised by Corinna Rossi, Professor of Egyptology and led by Dr Alessandro Mandelli, Senior Specialist Technician at ABCLab.
The Project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant agreement No 895130.
Going beyond today’s technology by realising integrated photonic devices that operate on a much broader electromagnetic spectrum that includes extreme ultraviolet and soft X-rays. This is the objective of the interdisciplinary X-PIC (eXtreme ultraviolet to soft-X-ray Photonic Integrated Circuits) project H2020-FETOPEN coordinated by Prof. Salvatore Stagira at the Politecnico di Milano.
Integrated photonics currently sees the realisation of miniaturised devices based on the manipulation of light, with applications ranging from telecommunications to sensors, quantum technologies, the biomedical sector and optical computers.
Despite huge developments, these devices only use the small part of the electromagnetic spectrum between the near infrared and visible region. This is a limitation inherent in today’s technologies as the materials the photonic devices are made from absorb the light not included in this part of the spectrum.
The new technology we intend to develop will be based on the generation of light in the extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray region inside photonic devices powered by a compact laser source. The light will propagate and will then be manipulated and used in hollow waveguides fabricated thanks to laser micromachining in the sublayer of the device. Photonic circuits made in this way will be just a few millimetres in size and will enable the miniaturisation of countless applications that today are only possible in large infrastructures.
explains Prof. Stagira.
New fields of use include photolithography and extremely high-resolution microscopy, surface chemical analysis; frequency comb metrology in X-rays; nanophotonics, quantum technologies and optical computers based on high-energy photons, optical circuits that operate at extremely high frequencies.
Two prototypes will be produced using the technology developed by the X-PIC project, the first for photolithography of electronic circuits with higher resolution than current technology, and the second for hyperspectral imaging with high spatial resolution in surface chemical analysis.
Launched just recently and coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano, this 4-year project will involve the CNR Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnology (IFN – CNR (Italy), the Institutul Naţional de Cercetare Dezvoltare pentru Tehnologii Izotopice şi Moleculare (Romania) and the company Class 5 Photonics GmbH (Germany).
Tag: landfill, energy, hydrogen, animal waste, biomass, biogas, sustainable, green, methane, steam, decarbonization Researcher: Giampaolo Manzolini Department: DENG – Energy Department
The use of hydrogen as an energy source could reduce both pollution and the production of greenhouse gases. However, most of the hydrogen currently produced comes from natural gas, coal or oil, processing all of which creates carbon dioxide. Biomass, though, is an almost carbon-neutral renewable energy source. The anaerobic digestion process of residual biomass from various sources – animal waste, sewage treatment plants, industrial wastewater and landfills, for example – produces biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. Politecnico di Milano has an important focus on this matter. One of the most promising technologies developed by our researchers comes from the European project BIONICO (BIOgas membrane reformer for deceNtralIzed hydrogen produCtiOn), funded with over 3 million euros under the Horizon 2020 scheme.
The team developed, assembled and is currently testing a pilot plant that converts biogas directly into hydrogen, with a novel reactor concept at its core. The plant is expected to produce 100 kg of hydrogen per day. It will be the first example of a biogas-to-hydrogen plant based on membrane reactor technology installed in a real biogas plant at this scale, with more than 100 membranes in a single fluidised bed membrane reactor. It aims at a hydrogen production efficiency of 70%, 10% over same-size conventional reactors. It works with biogas produced through biodigesters or from municipal waste, fed into the plant together with steam inside the reactor. The reaction is enhanced by a catalyst which circulates in the reactor through the same flow of biogas. Inside the reactor, palladium tubular membranes on ceramic support allow to selectively separate the hydrogen. The high efficiency obtained with the BIONICO reactor is guaranteed from the simultaneous production and separation of hydrogen in a single reactor. The use of a single reactor operating at temperatures limited (550 vs 800 ° C) also allows to simplify the system, with potential cost advantages over traditional systems.
The project shows the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the solution and define the market potential for the new plant, while proving biogas-produced hydrogen to be a viable sustainable energy source, with potential environmental benefits that can come from using such plants in the long term.
The BIONICO consortium benefits from the cooperation of eight partners from seven different countries across the EU. Each partner has been involved in a different aspect of the mission, such as the design and testing of the reactor together with the main system components. The BIONICO project stems from the knowledge gained in years of research from three previous projects: ReforCELL, FERRET and FluidCELL.
Tag: orbital dynamics, space surfing Researcher: Camilla Colombo Department: DAER – Department of Aerospace Science and Technology
The motion of objects in space is governed by the gravity of the primary body (i.e., the Sun or the central planet or Moon), but it is also strongly influenced by natural forces such as atmospheric drag solar radiation pressure, third body effect and so on. Such orbit perturbations are responsible for the trajectory divergence of an orbiting object. In case of a spaceship, for example, this increases the requirements for orbit control. In the conventional models for orbit propagation, these external forces are seen as perturbations that need to be counteracted by orbit manoeuvres, thus increasing fuel requirements.
ERC project COMPASS, funded with 1.500.000 € under the Horizon2020 scheme, represents a breakthrough in the current space mission design philosophy: from counteracting disturbances, to exploiting natural and artificial perturbations. Researchers studied how to leverage the dynamics of natural orbit perturbations to develop novel techniques for orbit manoeuvring by “surfing” through orbit perturbations.
The first goal of COMPASS is to investigate the orbital dynamics in planetary and interplanetary missions in presence of perturbations through numerical, semi-analytical and analytical approaches, considering both natural orbit perturbations and artificial accelerations. The second goal is to study the dynamics of perturbations in the phase-space of the orbital elements through Hamiltonian dynamics and perturbation methods.
Researchers also considered the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project. The potential impact of the COMPASS project will be to significantly reduce the current extremely high space mission costs and risks. This will create new opportunities for space exploration and exploitation, and space debris mitigation, thus increasing the services that spacecraft can offer to society, such as the monitoring of our planets, weather forecast, global positioning and navigation, global internet, telecommunications. The COMPASS methodology also aimed at engineering the natural effects through optimisation to obtain useful space applications such as satellite end-of-life disposal and orbit raising and to enhance the conventional techniques for modelling the relative motion.
COMPASS is a project based in Politecnico di Milano and benefits from an extensive international network, including the ESA, NASA, JAXA, CNES, and the UK space agency.
Matteo Sangiorgio, PhD student under the supervision of the prof. Giorgio Guariso, has published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) a study on the evolution of world agriculture in the new climatic conditions that could occur in the future: Potential for sustainable irrigation expansion in a 3 °C warmer climate.
Climate change is expected to reshape the distribution of irrigated lands. The research investigates global patterns of irrigation water demand and availability in 1.5 °C and 3 °C warmer climates. We find that up to 35% of currently rain-fed croplands, irrigation could be expanded without negative environmental externalities on freshwater resources. Irrigation expansion could improve crop productivity to feed up between 0.3 and 1.4 billion additional people with water storage of different size. This work identifies target regions in the world where investments in irrigation expansion are needed.
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the official journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), is an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans the biological, physical, and social sciences. The journal is global in scope and submission is open to all researchers worldwide.
PNAS is one of the world’s most-cited and comprehensive multidisciplinary scientific journals, publishing more than 3,300 research papers annually.
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