Chemical and Chemical and Process Process

Engineering Engineering Department Department

“G.B. Bonino”“G.B. Bonino”Head of Dpt.Head of Dpt.

Prof. Eng. Mauro RovattiProf. Eng. Mauro Rovatti

Faculty of Faculty of Engineering Engineering

University of University of GenoaGenoa

The Department The Department The Department of Chemical and Process Engineering "G.B. Bonino" develops its research activities both on traditional and newest topics of Chemical Engineering, Biotechnologies and Environmental Engineering. The research is funded by a number of national and international agencies, including the MIUR (Ministry of Istruction, University and Research), the European Commission, national and overseas governments, and industry.

The DICheP laboratory has met the ISO 9001:2000 quality standards and has received registration by CSQ- QNET in 2007. DICheP supports several PhD and Degree courses in Engineering Faculty, Mathematic, Physic and Chemical Science Faculty and Medicine and Surgery Faculty. Many of the staff represent Italy on national and international specialist committees, such as European Federation of Chemical Engineers working parties.

At present time DICheP staff includes 26 Professors (7 Full Prof., 10 Associate Prof., 9 Assistant Prof.), 10 post-doc researchers, 12 PhD students and 15 people belonging to technical-administrative staff.

Research areas Research areas

The Department maintains a strong research tradition that, at the moment, is focused on following areas:

Analytical and Environmental Chemical Engineering     (Coor.: Prof. Mauro Rovatti)

    Biotechnology and Food Technologies    (Coor.: Prof. Attilio Converti – Prof. Patrizia Perego)

    Surface chemistry and Industrial Catalisys    (Coor.: Prof. Guido Busca)

    Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Protection of Metals    (Coor.: Prof. Giacomo Cerisola)     Chemical Reactor Engineering     (Coor.: Prof. Renzo Di Felice)

    Modeling and Plants for Industrial and Environmental Safety    (Coor.: Prof. Emilio Palazzi)

    Sustainable processes development    (Coor.: Prof. Marco Del Borghi)

The research is funded by a number of national and international agencies, including the MIUR (Ministry of Istruction, University and Research), the European Commission, national and overseas governments, and industry.

The research feeds into the undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes, ensuring that our courses involve leading edge fields and that students leave with a taste of leading edge research.

Many of the academic staff represent Italy on national and international specialist committees, such as the Working Parties on Loss Prevention and Environmental Protection of EFCE (European Federation of Chemical Engineering) and Environmental Biotechnology of EFB (European Federation of Biotechnology).

Research activitiesResearch activities

Analytical and Environmental Chemical Engineering

Analytical and Environmental Chemical Engineering

LAICA has these main aims: to provide students in Environmental Chemical Engineering and in

Environmental Sanitary Engineering with a useful experimental support;                                                               

to do research and to give consultancy to public authorities and private organisations in the environmental field.

Coor. Prof. Mauro Rovatti

Energetic valorization and disposal of solid wastes; Gasification and pyrolysis processes in fixed bed reactors at medium scale

for different materials; Characterisation and treatment of first flush waters coming from running

off processes in different urban and industrial areas; Integrated processes for extraction and biodegradation of volatile organic

compounds in wastewaters by membrane bioreactors; Wastewater treatment with particulate biofilm air-lift reactors; Air-lift photobioreactors for wastewaters treatment and for algae

production.

The LAICA team works on these research fields:

Analytical and Environmental Chemical EngineeringAnalytical and Environmental Chemical Engineering

LAICALAICALab-scale plantsLab-scale plants

Biotechnology and Food Technology

Biotechnology and Food Technology

The Section of Biotechnology and Food Technology was created with the aim of setting up a network between national and international Universities and Industries working on agro-food research and environmental biotechnology.

It is made up of:

The Food Technology research-group

The Environmental Biotechnology research-group

About 10 researchers with different scientific backgrounds are working in synergistic collaboration in the multidisciplinary areas of food production and environmental biotechnology.

Prof. Attilio Converti – Prof. Patrizia Perego

• Exploitation of agro-industrial residues (starch hydrolysate, cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysates, etc) for biotechnological production of xylitol, high fructose corn syrups (HFCS), food flavours and microalgal biomass using living and lyophilised cells of yeasts and bacteria, both in suspension and in biofilms, and immobilized enzymes as biocatalysts.

• Nutraceutical and functional food development (olive oil, soil-bean germ, aromatic plants, wine industry).

• Technology of food preservation.

• Industrial process optimisation.

Food technology Food technology and biotechnologyand biotechnology

RESEARCH ACTIVITYRESEARCH ACTIVITY

Biotechnology and Food TechnologyBiotechnology and Food Technology

Environmental Environmental Biotechnology Biotechnology

RESEARCH ACTIVITYRESEARCH ACTIVITY

Exploitation of biotechnology to solve environmental problems.

Main research-fields:

• Biofiltration of gaseous emission

• Decontamination of polluted soils

• Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by microalgal cultivation

• Metal removal from wastewater by biosorption

Surface chemistry and Industrial Catalisys

Surface chemistry and Industrial Catalisys

The main research fields are

1. Production of hydrogen via steam reforming of methanol, (bio)ethanol and propane.

2. Waste gas purification by catalytic methods: DeNOx, dioxin abatement

3. Purification of biogases via adsorption or catalytic abatement

4. Production of fuels: Fischer Tropsch reaction.

Prof. Guido Busca

Surface chemistry and Industrial CatalisysSurface chemistry and Industrial Catalisys

1. ENItecnologie: Study of deactivation of Fischer Tropsch catalysts

2. ECODECO: purification of biogases

3. Ansaldo Fuel Cells: purification of biogases

4. Pirelli: mixing of elastomers with silicates for tyres

5. CESI-ENEL: dioxin abatement

INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS: INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS:

Catalysts preparation: full inorganic preparation lab.

Catalysts characterization: XRD, BET, FT-IR, Raman, UV-vis, SEM, TEM

Catalyst and adsorbent testing: full flow lines with fixed and / or fluid bed reactors, analysis by GC, GCMS, IR on line.

Studies on reaction mechanisms: spectroscopic and transient methods

MAIN ACTIVITIESMAIN ACTIVITIES

1. CORROSION

Laboratory of Electrochemistry Corrosion and Protection of Metals

Laboratory of Electrochemistry Corrosion and Protection of Metals

Study of the corrosion of passivable metals and protection by organic

coatings

Coor. Prof. Giacomo Cerisola

RESEARCH ACTIVITY RESEARCH ACTIVITY (1 of 2)(1 of 2)

Study of the electro-catalytic materials for the complete oxidation of organic pollutants in wastewaters:Pollutant – ze- CO2 + H2O

2. ENVIRONMENTAL ELECTROCHEMISTRY

00.20.40.60.8

1

0.8 1.3 1.8

E (V vs. SHE)

i (m

A c

m-2)

Study of the materials and electrocatalytic proces of high temperature fuel cells

Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Protection of MetalsElectrochemistry, Corrosion and Protection of Metals

3. FUEL CELL

RESEARCH ACTIVITY RESEARCH ACTIVITY (2 of 2)(2 of 2)

Anode supported fuel cells

(LSM-YSZ/YSZ/NI-YSZ)

SOFC rig

Laboratory for SOFC study

and characterisatio

n

Laboratory for MCFC study and characterisation

Modeling and Simulation of SOFCs

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 6000.50

0.55

0.60

0.65

0.70

0.75

0.80

0.85

0.90

0.95

1.00

1.05

1.10

1.15

100 %H2

mea

n vo

ltage

(V)

current density (mA/cm2)

points exp data lines simulation

950 900 850 800

Activities related to Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems

Fuel Processing for SOFCs

CPO

M2

M1

SP2

M4

PRREF

CA1 SP3

SP1

M3

MV1

E1

NG

0.5429.057

150.0009.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

STOICAIR_CPO

0.1574.536

380.0009.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

INL_CPO

0.2345.851

373.4159.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

TO_DES

0.64010.921

158.9309.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

TO_BYPASS

0.5639.607

365.4559.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

AIR_BURNER

0.0000.000

380.0009.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

FUEL_CPO

0.0771.315

365.4559.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

INL_PRREF

0.77313.593

340.0899.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

OUT_PRREF

0.731983.3913.593Vapor

506.2969.000

G-MOL/SECliter/minG/SEC

CBAR

OUT_CPO

0.3085.851

835.9639.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

S1

S2

REC

0.0981.864

228.9309.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

S4

BYPASS

INL_DES

0.64010.921

365.4559.000Vapor

G-MOL/SECG/SECCBAR

S3

GM Normal Load Fuel Pre-processing Cycle

Desulfurizer

Chemical Reactor EngineeringChemical Reactor EngineeringProf. Renzo Di Felice – Prof. Paola Costamagna

+ some 10 people (research assistant and PhD student)

Fluid Dynamic Studies of Multiphase Systems

BASIC RESEARCHBASIC RESEARCH

Transport Phenomena in Porous Media

• Fluidization

• Sedimentation

• Air-lift reactor

• Food packaging

• Catalytic membrane reactors

Chemical Reactor EngineeringChemical Reactor Engineering

Modeling and Plants for Industrial and Environmental Safety

Modeling and Plants for Industrial and Environmental Safety

Prof. Emilio Palazzi – Prof. Renato Pastorino

Prof. Bruno Fabiano – Eng. Fabio Currò

RESEARCH ACTIVITYRESEARCH ACTIVITY

The main research topics are

Accidental and environmental risk analysis, Road and Railway Tunnel fires: forced

ventilation and mitigation systems, Releases of dangerous substances, modeling

and mitigation systems: water barriers, chemical curtains,

Risk assessment in dangerous good transportation by road, railway and water,

Occupational accidents.

Sustainable Processes DevelopmentSustainable Processes DevelopmentCoor. Prof. Marco Del Borghi

The research group “Sustainable Processes Development” provides research, teaching and support for enterprises and companies activities in the fields related to Sustainable Development of processes and products.The research group focuses its activity on the environmental impacts assessment with an approach considering the whole life cycle.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Eco-design. Implementation of studies for the achievement of Environmental System

(ISO 14001; EMAS) and Product (EPD) Certifications. Environmental Impact Studies. IPPC and BAT. Calculation and Compensation of GHG emissions. Emission Trading (EU-ETS; CDM; JI). Statistical Analysis of process and environmental data. Solid waste treatment. Wastewaters treatment. Atmospheric dispersion and treatment of gaseous emissions. Remediation of polluted soils.

At present, the research group develops the following threads:

Degree coursesDegree courses

DICheP supports several PhD and Degree courses in Engineering Faculty, Mathematic, Physic and Chemical Science Faculty and Medicine and Surgery Faculty.

Chemical Engineering(Postgraduate degree)

Chemical Engineering(Postgraduate degree)

Chemical and Process Engineering often involves close collaboration of engineers and scientists from a variety of disciplines. The recent advances in process design and the increase in awareness of safety and environmental issues have reinforced the importance ofthis type of collaboration. The second level course in Chemical Engineering is specifically designed to address this issue and allows first level graduate graduates with advanced training for entering the chemical or biochemical process industries. Specifically, four different specialisation are offered: Safety and Environment, Biotechnology and Food, Electrochemistry and Energy, Design.

Chemical Engineering(Undergraduate degree)

Chemical Engineering(Undergraduate degree)

Chemical engineering is a branch of industrial engineering: it relates to the activity involved in the production of chemical products and in the preparation of material and substances to be used in the production of goods or in the transformation industry.Chemical engineers can utilize their knowledge and expertise not only in the classical chemical industry, such as that concerning oil and its derivates, but more in general in all the industrial processes of production and transformation of matters.Thanks to their wide basic cultural preparation, their are often employed not only by large, multinational, companies but also by medium size and small enterprises, where strong national and international competition has made now necessary the presence of highly qualified technician. It is also quite common, during the development of a chemical engineer working carrier, the involvement in project management, financial and sales aspects. Outside the process industry, chemical engineers find occupation in banking, insurance, finance and marketing sectors. Finally, a not negligible share of former University of Genova Chemical Engineering students are employed in the public sector, with preference in area involving environment protection problems, and those who have interest and capability, in UniversityInstitutions, both in Italy and abroad.