Chemical and Process Engineering Department

1
Chemical and Process Engineering Department
G.B. BoninoHead of Dpt.Prof. Eng. Mauro
Rovatti

Faculty of Engineering University of Genoa
2
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 90012000 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.
3
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)
4
Research activities
5
Analytical and Environmental Chemical Engineering
Coor. Prof. Mauro Rovatti

• 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.

The LAICA team works on these research fields

• 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.

6
LAICA Lab-scale plants
Analytical and Environmental Chemical Engineering
7
Biotechnology and Food Technology
Prof. Attilio Converti Prof. Patrizia Perego

• 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.

8
Food technology and biotechnologyRESEARCH
ACTIVITY
Environmental Biotechnology RESEARCH ACTIVITY

• 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.

• 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

Biotechnology and Food Technology
9
Surface chemistry and Industrial Catalisys
Prof. Guido Busca

• The main research fields are
• Production of hydrogen via steam reforming of
  methanol, (bio)ethanol and propane.
• Waste gas purification by catalytic methods
  DeNOx, dioxin abatement
• Purification of biogases via adsorption or
  catalytic abatement
• Production of fuels Fischer Tropsch reaction.

10
INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS

• ENItecnologie Study of deactivation of Fischer
  Tropsch catalysts
• ECODECO purification of biogases
• Ansaldo Fuel Cells purification of biogases
• Pirelli mixing of elastomers with silicates for
  tyres
• CESI-ENEL dioxin abatement

MAIN ACTIVITIES
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
Surface chemistry and Industrial Catalisys
11
Laboratory of Electrochemistry Corrosion and
Protection of Metals
Coor. Prof. Giacomo Cerisola
RESEARCH ACTIVITY (1 of 2)
1. CORROSION
2. ENVIRONMENTAL ELECTROCHEMISTRY
Study of the corrosion of passivable metals and
protection by organic coatings
Study of the electro-catalytic materials for the
complete oxidation of organic pollutants in
wastewaters Pollutant ze- ? CO2 H2O
12
RESEARCH ACTIVITY (2 of 2)
3. FUEL CELL
Study of the materials and electrocatalytic
proces of high temperature fuel cells
Anode supported fuel cells (LSM-YSZ/YSZ/NI-YSZ)
Laboratory for MCFC study and characterisation
Laboratory for SOFC study and characterisation
SOFC rig
Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Protection of
Metals
13
Chemical Reactor Engineering
Prof. Renzo Di Felice Prof. Paola Costamagna
some 10 people (research assistant and PhD
student)
Activities related to Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell
Systems
Modeling and Simulation of SOFCs
Fuel Processing for SOFCs
14
BASIC RESEARCH
Fluid Dynamic Studies of Multiphase Systems
Transport Phenomena in Porous Media

• Fluidization
• Sedimentation
• Air-lift reactor

• Food packaging
• Catalytic membrane reactors

Chemical Reactor Engineering
15
Modeling and Plants for Industrial and
Environmental Safety
Prof. Emilio Palazzi Prof. Renato
Pastorino Prof. Bruno Fabiano Eng. Fabio Currò
RESEARCH 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.

16
Sustainable Processes Development
Coor. 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.
At present, the research group develops the
following threads

• 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.

17
Degree 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 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 of this 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.
18
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 University Institutions, both
in Italy and abroad.