Preliminary Program

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Topics

TOPIC 1
Chemical Engineering for Waste Upcycling and Circular Resource Use
(Referente Scientifico: prof. Cristiano Nicolella, Università di Pisa)

The course is aimed at providing PhD students in chemical engineering with an overview of advanced approaches for waste valorisation, resource recovery, and circular process design. The course will address the role of chemical engineering in the transition toward sustainable and circular industrial systems, combining fundamental concepts with industrially relevant applications.
The first part of the course will introduce the principles of circular economy and resource circularity, including current challenges in waste management, European regulatory frameworks, and the main technological approaches for recycling and recovery processes. Particular attention will be devoted to advanced recycling technologies for polymeric materials, including chemical recycling and thermochemical conversion processes such as pyrolysis and gasification.
A dedicated module will focus on sustainability assessment methodologies, with emphasis on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) as tools for evaluating the environmental and economic performance of recycling processes.
The course will conclude with industrial case studies, including lithium recovery from LFP battery waste and carbon tetrachloride recycling for chloroform production. These case studies will provide students with examples of process integration and industrial implementation of circular chemistry strategies.

TOPIC 2
Bioprocess Engineering Principles and Applications
(Referente Scientifico: prof.ssa Eleonora Sforza, Università di Padova)

The course provides PhD students with a comprehensive introduction to the main concepts and modern applications of bioprocess engineering for the development of the bio-based industry. Emphasis will be placed on the engineering principles governing biological processes and on the integration of biotechnological approaches into sustainable production and treatment technologies.
The course will cover fundamental aspects of bioprocess engineering, including microbial metabolism and kinetics, transport phenomena, bioreactor configurations, and operational parameters affecting process performance. Different biological systems based on bacteria, yeasts, and photosynthetic microorganisms will be discussed, with particular focus on fermentation processes and photobioreactor cultivation strategies for the production of bio-based compounds and valuable biomolecules. Specific attention will also be devoted to biofilm systems and their technological applications, highlighting the role of microbial consortia in attached-growth processes and engineered biological reactors. Applications in wastewater treatment, nutrient recovery, and environmental biotechnologies will be presented together with the main design and operational challenges.
The course will include examples from both industrial practice and current research activities, such as algal cultivation platforms, aerobic and anaerobic fermentation systems, and biofilm reactors for water remediation. These case studies will allow students to explore process integration strategies and recent developments in modern bioprocess engineering.

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

September 7, 2026
(Pisa, Polo Le Benedettine)

10:30-11:00 Registration of participants
11:00-13:00 From Waste Management to Resource Circularity: The Evolving Role of Chemical Engineering, Cristiano Nicolella (University of Pisa)
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-16:00 Thermochemical Conversion of Plastic Waste for Resource Recovery, Mariangela Guastaferro (University of Pisa)
16:00-16:30 Break
16:30-17:30 Chemistry-Driven Circularity: Solvolysis, Depolymerisation and Recovery of Thermosets, Vito Gigante (University of Pisa)
17:30-18:30 From Waste to Performance: Recycling Architectures for Next-Generation Thermoplastics, Laura Aliotta (University of Pisa)

September 8, 2026
(Cecina and Rosignano)

08:15-09:30 Transfer from Pisa to Cecina
09:30-09:45 Arrival at Sala Consiliare & Welcome from Local Autorities
09:45-11:00 Life Cycle Assessment of Circular Resource Recovery Systems, Monica Puccini (University of Pisa)
11:00-11:30 Break
11:30-14:30 Visit to Consorzio Polo Tecnologico Magona and lunch, Cristiano Nicolella (University of Pisa), Matteo Bientinesi (Consorzio Polo Tecnologico Magona)
14:30-15:00 Transfer to Rosignano
15:00-17:30 Visit to INEOS Inovyn, Marco Lancioni (INEOS Inovyn)
17:30-18:30 Transfer to Pisa

     

September 9, 2026
(Pisa, Polo Le Benedettine)

09:00-10:45 Bioprocess Engineering: principles, applications. Kinetic modeling in bio-based processes: enzymes, microorganisms. Examples of typical applications, Eleonora Sforza (University of Padova)
10:45-11:15  Break
11:15-13:00 Bioprocess Engineering: principles, applications. Biobased solutions for environmental applications. Bioreactors for pollutant remediation, Eleonora Sforza (University of Padova)
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:45 Microbial-based biotechnological processes for resource recovery: biopolymers production and microbial electrochemical technologies – I, Marianna Villano (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)
15:45-16:15 Break
16:15-18:00 Microbial-based biotechnological processes for resource recovery: biopolymers production and microbial electrochemical technologies – II, Marianna Villano (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)
18:00-19:00 Poster session
19:00-21:00 Light Dinner Buffet

September 10, 2026
(Pisa, Polo Le Benedettine)

09:00-10:45 Exploitation of photosynthetic organisms. Principles, advantages and challenges, applications, Eleonora Sforza (University of Padova)
10:45-11:15 Break
11:15-13:00 Exploitation of photosynthetic organisms: applications, Eleonora Sforza (University of Padova)
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:30 Immobilized biomass, Filipa Lopes (Centrale Supelec Paris)
15:30-16:00 Break 
16:00-17:30 Application of biofilms for photosynthetic organisms. Application of biofilms in environmental applications, Filipa Lopes (Centrale Supelec Paris)
17:30-18:30 Planning industrial districts development through the industrial symbiosis-based waste-wastewater-energy nexus, Giuseppe Mancini (University of Catania)

It will soon be possible to submit an abstract online, on a voluntary basis, for presentation as a poster on the topic of your PhD research.