sustainability – Progress in Research

Revolutionizing industrial materials sustainably

Posted on 11/12/202306/08/2024 by Erik Franco

An international team, which includes researchers from Politecnico di Milano, Rice University, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, UC Santa Barbara and other U.S. and European universities, has received $4 millions in funding from Kavli Foundation and the Carbon Hub of the Rice University to advance understanding of carbon nanotube synthesis and its potential for producing industrial materials more sustainably.

The research will be focused on the development of alternative materials to steel, aluminum and copper, whose production contributes to over 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon nanotube fibers boast strength comparable to steel and conductivity akin to copper. This makes them a promising and sustainable resource for materials needed for the energy transition an the electrification.

Current raw materials for nanotube production, such as natural gas and other hydrocarbons, are largely burned as fuels, also in the field of metal industry. As the world transitions to renewable energy, these abundant resources could be harnessed to produce global quantities of nanotubes, fixing the carbon content in durable and recyclable materials, as opposed to CO₂ emission in the atmosphere, with the positive additional consequence of generating clean hydrogen as a valuable by-product.

The group of the Politecnico participating in the project is coordinated by Matteo Maestri, professor at the Department of Energy, and includes Mauro Bracconi (Department of Energy) and Matteo Pelucchi (Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”). The researchers will focus on multiscale modelling and analysis of chemical reactions and reactors.

MIMO: new multidisciplinary modelling platform

Posted on 06/11/202306/08/2024 by Erik Franco

Kick off meeting of the MIMO project at the Department of Energy, with ten professors and researchers involved.

The MIMO (Multi-sectoral Integrated Modelling platform for planning national energy transition pathways) project aims to develop a new multidisciplinary modelling platform, based on the integration of energy and micro- and macro-economic models. A platform that will make it possible to determine how and where economic resources should be allocated to promote the energy transition, the type of technological evolution to be adopted to ensure a predetermined energy target and whether the necessary technological changes are actually compatible with sustainable growth.

These are innovative interconnected tools responding to the need to assess the technological feasibility of the transition process and quantify the implications in terms of economic, social and environmental sustainability, supporting policy decisions.

MIMO is funded with €350,000, of which €220,000 by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) as a “Project of Relevant National Interest” (PRIN). In addition to our university, it sees the participation of Università di Macerata, Università degli Studi di Firenze and IRPET, under the coordination of Professor Matteo Vincenzo Rocco of the Department of Energy of the Politecnico di Milano.

NEMESIS: new-generation numerical methods

Posted on 27/10/202306/08/2024 by Erik Franco

Developing new-generation numerical methods for the technological challenges of the 21^st century, mainly in sustainability. This is the objective of NEMESIS (NEw GEneration MEthods for Numerical SImulationS), an international research project which has been awarded a Synergy Grant of 7.8 million euros for 6 years by the European Research Council. ERC Synergy Grants fund research on topics that are ambitious and complex enough to require the creation of a specific team including two to four researchers operating in strong synergy.

Paola F. Antonietti, professor of Numerical Analysis and head of the MOX Modelling and Scientific Computing Laboratory of the Department of Mathematics at Politecnico di Milano, is a member of the NEMESIS team together with Lourenço Beirao da Veiga, professor of Numerical Analysis at Università di Milano-Bicocca; Daniele A. Di Pietro, professor of Numerical Analysis at Université de Montpellier; and Jérôme Droniou, director of research at CNRS – Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

NEMESIS is in the field of applied and computational mathematics and aims to develop a new generation of numerical methods, starting from the theoretical foundations through to their computational implementation. It also faces the challenge of validating their use in sustainability-relevant applications such as geophysics (e.g., in the mitigation of the effects of anthropic activities in the subsoil and energy transition issues) and advanced manufacturing processes.

The NEMESIS project is the second Synergy Grant won by Politecnico di Milano and addresses fascinating and critically important issues in the field of sustainable development. This is a unique achievement that consolidates Politecnico’s ability to conduct research of excellence and cutting-edge research in important international scientific contexts”.
Vice Rector for Research Alberto Guadagnini

Specifically, a numerical method will be able to simulate the seismic and environmental risks associated with past and future CO₂ storage operations in the subsoil, indicating possible telluric movements or infiltration of pollutants in a given area subjected to this process. Another possible application will be systems for aluminium extraction by smelting, in the Industry 4.0 domain. Mathematical models will be able to simulate the steps for the low environmental impact production of aluminium from bauxite.

This methodology, compared to previous ones, will have a better ability to approximate the data and the geometric domain, will allow for the direct integration of specific physics laws into the numerical domain, thus reflecting the true structure of the physical problem under investigation, and will be more efficient in computational processing.

This year, out of 395 proposals submitted under the ERC Synergy Grants programme, 37 projects (5 of which were participated in by Italian scientists) received funding, involving 135 researchers who will carry out their projects at 114 universities and research centres in 19 countries in Europe and beyond.

Reducing atmospheric CO2 with ECCSELLENT project

Posted on 16/01/202306/08/2024 by Erik Franco

The project “ECCSELLENT – Development of ECCSEL – R.I. ItaLian facilities: usEr access, services and loNg-Term sustainability” aims to strengthen Italian research facilities in the field of carbon dioxide capture, utilisation, transport and storage.

This is a particularly important topic with regard to the efforts to mitigate climate change: alongside improving energy efficiency and harnessing renewable energy sources, CCUS (CO₂ Capture, Utilisation and Storage) technologies have also been identified as a strategic measure with a view to reducing carbon emissions.

For three years, the ECCSELLENT project, which has been created as part of the European ECCSELL network, will be responsible for developing new technologies and research infrastructure in the field of CCUS, while simultaneously encouraging access to and enhancing the services and sustainability of the laboratories in the network that already operate within the CCUS sector, making it possible to reinforce scientific excellence and providing the national research system with the tools necessary to promote the decarbonisation of industry, one of society’s biggest challenges.

ECCSELLENT will be financed by 16.5 million euros from the Ministry of Universities and Research as part of NRRP Mission 4 “Education and Research” – Next Generation EU. The partners, coordinated by the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS, are the University of Bologna, the Politecnico di Milano (in partnership with LEAP, the research centre founded by the Politecnico di Milano which operates in the energy-environment sector), ENEA and the National Research Council of Italy (CNR).

Thanks to this important project, the Politecnico di Milano will be equipped with a mobile experimental system for carrying out applied research activity relating to CO₂ capture processes which are crucial for the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industry sectors,
Manuele Gatti and Matteo Carmelo Romano, professors at the Politecnico’s Department of Energy

AMBITION: supporting education of young professionals across Europe and Africa

Posted on 05/12/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

The Politecnico di Milano has been awarded an Erasmus+ grant to develop the project AMBITION. The project will last until mid-2025 and has been funded with 400.000 euros.

The Erasmus+ AMBITION – AMBassadors for sustainable transITION’s will support the education of a future generation of qualified young professionals trained across Europe and Africa, well equipped with the tools to promote a culture of sustainable development and activate research in this field.

This goal will be achieved through the development of a Joint Honours Programme in technical disciplines for talented PhD candidates who wish to become ambassadors for Sustainable Development.

Specific aims are planned on three levels.

Institutional level: to co-design and implement a Joint Honours Programme for PhD talented candidates across the partner university as an asset for international cooperation to boost the contribution of multidisciplinary science and competences in the sustainable transition in both EU and AU universities.

People level: to enrich the capacity of PhD candidates and provide them with a proper enabling environment in term of skills and platform, to act as science ambassadors to boost sustainable innovation in the EU-AU countries partner universities.

Strategic level: to consolidate PhD education as a strategic asset for countries and regions since it fosters the role of science diplomacy and responsible research, to create an added value for society and policy makers when dealing with the global and just sustainable transition.

AMBITION is the first joint initiative developed by the IDEA League Expert Working Group “Partnerships with African Universities and Institutions”, that aims to strengthen and expand IDEA League’s collaborations with African universities by promoting and addressing the global challenges as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.

The partners in the project are: Politecnico di Milano (coordinator), RWTH Aachen University (Germany), Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), TU Delft (Netherlands), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana), Strathmore University (Ghana), and ETH Zurich (Switzerland) as an associate partner.

Researchers from the Department of Energy in Tunis

Posted on 22/11/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

Researchers from the SESAM group (Sustainable Energy Systems Analysis and Modelling) of the Department of Energy of the Politecnico di Milano held a workshop on “Science Diplomacy and Evidence-Based Policymaking” in Tunis on 26 October, followed by a three-day technical training addressed to members of a Tunisian consortium for energy-economy modeling as well as faculty members and students of the National Engineering School of Tunis (ENIT).

The activity, which involved SESAM researchers Diana Shendrikova, Francesco Tonini and Giacomo Crevani, coordinated by Prof. Matteo Vincenzo Rocco, was conducted within the framework of the project “DIAPOL-CE – Policy Dialogue and Knowledge Management on Low Emission Development Strategies”, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and implemented Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

DIAPOL-CE assists policymakers in building national energy and low-emission development strategies on the best available knowledge and strengthens the link between decision-makers and academia in countries of Western Asia and Africa.

New laboratories for the design of advanced and sustainable materials

Posted on 15/11/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

The new laboratories for research, innovation and technology transfer of the Politecnico di Milano, developed thanks to the collaboration agreement with Regione Lombardia,have been inaugurated today.

Laboratories are the soul and heart of research. They are structures of excellence that allow our university to position itself among the best in Europe and to grow in our territory by focusing on innovation as a characterising element.

The aim of the laboratories is the design of advanced and sustainable materials at the service of two great challenges for advanced manufacturing: the development of new solutions for 3D printing in the biomedical field and the study of innovative solutions for energy storage in support of energy transition. The laboratories are among the most advanced infrastructures in Europe for the study of nanomaterials, thanks to the installation of one of the first 3D bioprinting systems in the world for vascularised tissues and state-of-the-art X-ray labs.

Lombardy, one of the four engines of Europe, invests in development looking ahead to great challenges such as advanced materials, which represents an essential advantage for the growth of the manufacturing industry. This agreement further strenghten the collaboration between Politecnico di Milano and Regione Lombardia, which represents a solid understanding on cutting-edge issues.
Prof. Donatella Sciuto, Deputy Vice Rector of Politecnico di Milano with responsibility for Research and Rector elected for the six-year term 2023/2028.

Within the laboratories it will be possible to design advanced, innovative and sustainable materials through the so-called Crystal Engineering, namely an investigation on the crystalline structure at the service of optimising the properties of advanced materials, which are relevant for the most advanced technological applications. Specifically, the laboratories are specialised in 3D bioprint and in electrochemical technologies for energy storage.

With this intervention, which Regione Lombardia has supported with 1.7 million Euros, we have given our university system the opportunity to equip itself with cutting-edge equipment and unique technologies in Europe. Thanks to it, we can compete with the best international research centres.
Fabrizio Sala, Vice-President of Regione Lombardia.

Eni Award 2020 to Bi-Rex project

Posted on 19/10/202106/08/2024 by Erik Franco

The Eni Award ceremony has taken place at the Palazzo del Quirinale in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella, of Eni Chairman Lucia Calvosa and of Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi.

The Award, now in its 13th year, is also known as the “Nobel Prize for Energy” and has become an internationally recognised award for research in the energy and environment sectors. The Scientific Commission, which evaluated the applicants’ research, is made up of scientists belonging to the most advanced research institutes in the world and over the years has seen the participation of six Nobel Laureates.

In association with Joule, Eni’s business school, the company this year created an additional award for teams, university spin-offs and start-ups, with a view to encouraging technology use, enhancement and transfer,while promoting the creation of a sustainable innovation ecosystem.

One of the projects awarded with this important prize is Bi-Rex an early stage start-up (TRL 4) that has developed a green process for biopolymer production. A significant example of female entrepreneurship, it was founded by Monica Ferro and Greta Colombo Dugoni, two researchers from the Politecnico di Milano, and is in the process of industrial development thanks to the support of a business angel. Recognised by Joule at the 2020 “StartCup Lombardia”, it has benefitted since January 2021 from a customised incubation scheme led by Polihub, with the methodological support of Joule.

Bi-Rex, was born in the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” from the union of two research projects: study of new green and non-toxic solvents, and study of biopolymers, in particular of cellulose.

Despite being born only a year and a half ago, Bi-Rex led to four patents and the winning of important funding. In fact, after being selected among the winners of the 11th edition of Switch2Product Innovation Challenge, it has won the € 30,000 grant and the acceleration path within Polihub. Furthermore, thanks to the skills acquired, Bi-Rex obtained a pre-seed grant of € 160.000 from Poli360, an investment fund managed by 360 Capital Partners, a leading European venture capital company.

The project is about an innovative and eco-sustainable treatment of different biomass deriving from agri-food processing normally considered and managed as waste, in order to recover high added value products, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, chitin, silica. The project is fully part of the circular economy, also recognized by Legambiente with the special mention in the Innovazione Amica dell’ambiente 2019 Award.

The pre-seed grant will allow to validate the proof of concept by tackling the scale up from the laboratory to the pilot plant. This will allow to study technical feasibility and economic sustainability on an industrial scale.

The ESPERA project serving the production of PGI Mantua pears

Posted on 29/09/202106/08/2024 by Erik Franco

The Politecnico di Milano coordinates the project called ESPERA – Economia circolare e sostenibilità della filiera della pera IGP del Mantovano (Circular economy and sustainability of the production of PGI Mantua pears). Initiated last June, this three-year project is financed by the Lombardy Regional Government.

Principal investigator is Prof. Alessandro Torricelli from our Department of Physics. Participants in the study include our Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, the Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies at the CNR, the Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing at the CREA, and the Università degli Studi di Milano.

The overall goal of the project is to improve the management of the production chain of PGI Mantua pears using a technical and scientific approach based on recent concepts of innovation, collaboration, and circularity as ingredients in a sustainable agriculture system.

The project is characterised by its particular innovative features, which relate to various aspects.

Technological innovation: the use of a multidisciplinary approach that combines a new optical technique (picosecond laser spectroscopy in the near infrared) with an innovative model of kinetics to mature the fruit (biological age) in order to define the ripening indicators to use for selection when the fruit is harvested.

Product and process innovation: recovering scraps through a combined approach entailing the use of fruit with diseases or defects to produce dried rounds of pear — a new product with high nutritional value that extends the remaining life — and using the scraps from producing the rounds to extract nutrient-rich compost.

Business model innovation: The goal of the project is to advance knowledge and demonstrate the feasibility and sustainability of innovative models of the circular economy as applied to the Mantua pear production chain, and the Italian fruit and vegetable industry in general. This entails the development and experimentation of integrated technological solutions and the contextual redesign of management and logistics processes, thereby reconfiguring the production chain to manage food excess and waste.

The project will be carried out in external collaboration with Cooperativa Ortofrutticola, the direct beneficiary of the results. Through this, cultivars and fruit will be selected and existing processes in the production chain will be studied to find solutions to reduce waste, enhance the products, and increase the sustainability of the entire production system. The results of the project will also be transferred to indirect beneficiaries.