CO2 reduction for a low-carbon economy

Specific mission

Development of innovative and sustainable technologies and processes exploiting renewable resources for the reduction of CO2 emissions (by soil restoration) and CO2 valorisation through its conversion to high-added value products.

Main research topics

  • Photo- and electro-catalytic conversion of CO2 to chemicals or fuels (e.g. syngas, methane, methanol or DME)
  • Capture of CO2 with absorbents and micro- and mesoporous materials.
  • Conversion of CO2 into C-based nanomaterials (e.g. nanoCaCO3 powders used as cement reinforcer)
  • Integration of advanced oxidation processes (AOP) with CO2 reduction into multifunctional systems
  • Biological processes (anaerobic or electrochemical) for the production of bio-plastics or bio-methane from CO2, syngas and/or organic waste.
  • Thermochemical catalytic processes (e.g. power to fuel)
  • Desert soils quality improvement by using organic matter as fertilizer
  • Modelling and processes simulation of (bio)technological processes
  • Sustainability analysis of emergent (bio)technologies by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Main partnerships

  • DISAT - Politecnico di Torino -Prof. Marco ARMANDI, Prof. Barbara BONELLI, Prof. Giancarlo CICERO, Prof. Fabrizio PIRRI
  • DENERG - Politecnico di Torino - Prof. Massimo SANTARELLI
  • Prof. Gabriele CENTI - Università di Messina, Italia
  • IIT - Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia- Center for Sustainable Future Technologies (CSFT@Polito), Torino, Italia
  • Prof. James BARBER - Imperial College London, United Kingdom
  • Prof. Murid HUSSAIN, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Prof. Alessandra QUADRELLI, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
  • Prof. Carmen CLAVER, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain.
  • Dr. Sara Cavaliere, University of Montpellier, Charles Gerhardt Institute Montpellier (ICGM/AIME) France
  • Dr. Francesca Toma, Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
  • Prof. Giuliana MATTIAZZO, DIMEAS, Politecnico di Torino
  • Dr. Elisabeth SIMELTON, Climate Change Researcher at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Vietnam.
  • Dr. María Auxiliadora PRIETO, CSIC - Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas (CIB), Environmental Biology Department, Madrid, Spain
  • Dr. Massimo PUGLIESE, Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari (DISAFA), Università di Torino, socio fondatore di AgriNewTech s.r.l.
  • Dr. Simon RITTMANN, Universitat Wien, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Vienna, Austria
  • Dr. Antonella Rizzo, ENEA, Centro Ricerche Brindisi, Italy
  • Prof. Carminna Ottone, Universidad Pontificia Catolica de Valparaiso, Biochemical Engineering Department, Chile
  • Dr. Stefano Mocali, Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e analisi dell'economia agraria (CREA) - Centro di Ricerca per l'Agricoltura e l'Ambiente, Italy.

Projects and publications

  • Selected funded research projects
    • ELECTROLIFE: ENHANCE KNOWLEDGE ON COMPREHENSIVE ELECTROLYSERS TECHNOLOGIES DEGRADATION THROUGH MODELING, TESTING AND LIFETIME PREVISION, TOWARD INDUSTRIAL IMPLEMENTATION
      MONTEVERDE ALESSANDRO HUGO ANTONIO
      2024 - 2028 (Current)
    • INNOVATIVE SYSTEM INTEGRATION TO BOOST BIOMETHANE PRODUCTION WHILE MANAGING RENEWABLES INTERMITTENCY (METHAREN)
      BENSAID SAMIR
      2022 - 2027 (Current)
    • SURFACE POLARIZATION, EVOLUTION, AND RECONSTRUCTION FOR CO2 REDUCTION
      HERNANDEZ RIBULLEN SIMELYS PRIS
      2024 - 2026 (Current)
    • SYNTHESIS OF RENEWABLE METHANE FROM CO2 WITH ADVANCED AND ROBUST CATALYSTS
      BENSAID SAMIR
      2023 - 2025 (Current)
    • ATOMIC SCALE ENGINEERING OF METAL HALIDE PEROVSKITES SURFACE TOWARDS EXCEPTIONALLY STABLE AND HIGHLY SELECTIVE PHOTOELECTRODES FOR CO2 CONVERSION INTO FUELS
      HERNANDEZ RIBULLEN SIMELYS PRIS
      2023 - 2025 (Current)
    • AN INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABLE APPROACH FOR THE VALORIZATION OF WET AGROINDUSTRIAL WASTES TO BIOMETHANE
      MONTEVERDE ALESSANDRO HUGO ANTONIO
      2023 - 2025 (Current)
    • CIRCULAR AND SUSTAINABLE MADE-IN-ITALY (MADE IN ITALY CIRCOLARE E SOSTENIBILE - 3A-ITALY - SPOKE 4)
      DEORSOLA FABIO ALESSANDRO
      2022 - 2025 (Current)
    • CO2-BASED ELECTRO-SYNTHESIS OF HIGH ADDED-VALUE PRODUCTS BY SMART DESIGNED ELECTROCATALYSTS
      HERNANDEZ RIBULLEN SIMELYS PRIS
      2022 - 2024 (Current)
    • SUNCOCHEM - PHOTOELECTROCATALYTIC DEVICE FOR SUN-DRIVEN CO2 CONVERSION INTO GREEN CHEMICALS
      HERNANDEZ RIBULLEN SIMELYS PRIS
      2020 - 2024 (Completed)
    • RECYCLING CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE CEMENT INDUSTRY TO PRODUCE ADDED-VALUE ADDITIVES: A STEP TOWARDS A CO2 CIRCULAR ECONOMY
      BENSAID SAMIR, FERRO GIUSEPPE ANDREA
      2017 - 2021 (Completed)
    • OXACLIC ACID FROM CO2 USING ELCETROCHEMISTRY AT DEMONSTRATION SCALE
      HERNANDEZ RIBULLEN SIMELYS PRIS
      2017 - 2021 (Completed)
    • CO2 META
      FINO DEBORA, HERNANDEZ RIBULLEN SIMELYS PRIS, RUSSO NUNZIO
      2019 - 2019 (Completed)
    • TERRA-TANDEM ELECTROCATALYTIC REACTOR FOR ENERGY/RESOURCE EFFICIENCY AND PROCESS INTENSIFICATION
      RUSSO NUNZIO, SARACCO GUIDO
      2015 - 2019 (Completed)
    • WASTECOSMART - OPTIMISATION OF INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE MAXIMISATION OF RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
      FINO DEBORA
      2013 - 2016 (Completed)
  • Selected recent publications
    2019
    1. Photo/electrocatalytic hydrogen exploitation for CO2 reduction toward solar fuels production
      Book chapter

      Guzmán, Hilmar; Amin Farkhondehfal, M.; Tolod, Kristine; Hernández, Simelys; Russo, Nunzio
      SOLAR HYDROGEN PRODUCTION Processes, Systems and Technologies
      Elsevier (ITALIA)
      pp.54 (pp.365-418) ISBN:9780128148532 DOI:10.1016/B978-0-12-814853-2.00011-4

    2. Visible Light-Driven Catalysts for Water Oxidation: Towards Solar Fuel Biorefineries
      Book chapter

      Tolod, Kristine; Hernandez, S.; Quadrelli, E. A.; Russo, N.
      STUDIES IN SURFACE SCIENCE AND CATALYSIS
      Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis
      Elsevier Inc. (ITALIA)
      Vol.178 pp.20 (pp.65-84) ISSN:0167-2991 ISBN:9780444641274 DOI:10.1016/B978-0-444-64127-4.00004-5

    2017
    1. Syngas Production from Electrochemical Reduction of CO2: Current Status and Prospective Implementation
      Article

      HERNANDEZ RIBULLEN, SIMELYS PRIS; Farkhondehfal, Mohammadamin; Sastre, Francesc; Makkee, Michiel; Saracco, Guido; Russo, Nunzio
      GREEN CHEMISTRY
      The Royal Society of Chemistry
      Vol.19 pp.21 (pp.2326-2346) ISSN:1463-9262 DOI:10.1039/C7GC00398F

    2016
    1. Synthesis, Characterization, and Activity Pattern of Ni-Al Hydrotalcite Catalysts in CO2 Methanation
      Article

      Abate, Salvatore; Barbera, Katia; Giglio, Emanuele; Deorsola, FABIO ALESSANDRO; Bensaid, Samir; Perathoner, Siglinda; Pirone, Raffaele; Centi, Gabriele
      INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
      American Chemical Society
      Vol.55 pp.10 (pp.8299-8308) ISSN:0888-5885 DOI:10.1021/acs.iecr.6b01581

    2. Environmental issues regarding CO2 and recent strategies for alternative fuels through photocatalytic reduction with titania-based materials
      Article

      Akhter, Parveen; Farkhondehfal, Mohammadamin; HERNANDEZ RIBULLEN, SIMELYS PRIS; Hussain, Murid; Fina, Alberto; Saracco, Guido; Khan, Asad U.; Russo, Nunzio
      JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
      Elsevier
      Vol.4 pp.20 (pp.3934-3953) ISSN:2213-3437 DOI:10.1016/j.jece.2016.09.004

    3. Green-synthesized W- and Mo-doped BiVO4 oriented along the 040 facet with enhanced activity for the sun-driven water oxidation
      Article

      Thalluri, SITARAMANJANEYA MOULI; HERNANDEZ RIBULLEN, SIMELYS PRIS; Bensaid, Samir; Saracco, Guido; Russo, Nunzio
      APPLIED CATALYSIS. B, ENVIRONMENTAL
      ELSEVIER
      Vol.180 pp.7 (pp.630-636) ISSN:0926-3373 DOI:10.1016/j.apcatb.2015.07.029

    2015
    1. BioH2 & BioCH4 Through Anaerobic Digestion From Research to Full-scale Applications
      Book

      Ruggeri, Bernardo; Tommasi, Tonia; Sanfilippo, Sara
      GREEN ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY
      Springer-Verlag London (REGNO UNITO DI GRAN BRETAGNA)
      pp.218 (pp.1-218) ISSN:1865-3529 ISBN:9781447164302

    2012
    1. Towards Artificial Leaves for Solar Hydrogen and Fuels from Carbon Dioxide
      Article

      Bensaid, Samir; Centi, G.; Garrone, Edoardo; Perathoner, S.; Saracco, Guido
      CHEMSUSCHEM
      JOHN WILEY & SONS
      Vol.5 pp.22 (pp.500-521) ISSN:1864-5631 DOI:10.1002/cssc.201100661

Reference laboratories