Palestrante: Francesco Mauriello
Tema: Closing the Loop: Turning Waste into Catalysts and Chemicals
Resumo: “Closing the Loop: Turning Waste into Catalysts and Chemicals” presents the research activities carried out at the Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria in the fields of heterogeneous catalysis, green chemistry and circular economy. It focuses on the development of integrated strategies for converting different waste streams, including biomass residues, plastic waste, spent batteries and aluminium-containing by-products, into catalysts, fuels and value-added chemicals. Through examples from ongoing national and regional projects, the lecture highlights how waste-derived materials can be used both as feedstocks for chemical conversion and as precursors for advanced catalytic systems, contributing to more sustainable processes and to the transition from a linear to a circular use of resources.
Mini Curriculo
Francesco Mauriello is Associate Professor of Fundamental Chemistry for Technologies at the Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, where he works within the Department of Civil, Energy, Environmental and Materials Engineering (DICEAM). He is Coordinator of the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Mechanical Engineering and serves as Rector’s Delegate for Research and Scientific Laboratories at DICEAM. He received his MSc in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Bologna in 2004 and his PhD in Chemical Sciences in 2008. During his academic career, he carried out research activities at Queen’s University in Canada, Politecnico di Torino, Hokkaido University and RWTH Aachen University. He has also served as Visiting Assistant Professor at Hokkaido University. His research focuses on heterogeneous catalysis, green chemistry, circular economy and waste valorisation. His main interests include the conversion of biomass and agro-industrial residues, the catalytic upcycling of polyolefins, the recovery of materials from spent batteries and aluminium waste, and the development of catalysts for the production of fuels and value-added chemicals. He is involved in several national research projects, including Tech4You, focused on the integrated valorisation of olive-processing waste; CUPId, dedicated to the catalytic upcycling of polyolefins; and ALTEREGO, aimed at recycling aluminium waste for the preparation of catalytic materials. He also contributes to research activities on spent lithium-ion battery cathodes and on catalytic processes for CO₂ utilisation. He is the author of numerous scientific publications in international journals and has established collaborations with several Italian and international research groups. His scientific achievements include the IUPAC Young Scientists Award in 2011 and his appointment as Hokkaido University Ambassador.
