SATURNO & PRIME: new R&D projects

Recently, SATURNO and PRIME research projects have been kicked-off. They are funded by the Piedmont Region under the Bioeconomy Technology Platform.

HYSYTECH is a partner in both projects and will develop technological solutions related to circular economy and green chemistry.

SATURNO

Last July 10th the kick-off meeting of SATURNO took place at the Environment Park in Turin (Italy).

SATURNO is a 30-months research project that aims to develop an integrated approach to the complete waste value chain (including carbon dioxide), associated to both the treatment of organic waste and by-products from industrial processes, through the creation of new processes and products.

The project is divided into three research areas:

1) creation of high added value compounds from the organic fraction of sorted waste, under the scope of a sustainable biorefinery;

2) capture and exploitation of CO2 produced by co-generators, vehicles and cement plants;

3) separation of waste plastics for the production of new added-value components for automotive sector.

HYSYTECH is involved in the project in the production of bio-fertilizers and bio-stimulants and in the capture and conversion of CO2.

In the first case it will deal with:

- production and validation of ammonium carbonate from the liquid fraction of digestate (development of a prototype plant for the production of ammonium carbonate);

- production and validation of the use of humic and fulvic acids (extraction plant production).

In the second case, it will develop an electrochemical cell for converting CO2 to Methanol.

SATURNO projcet partners: Asja Ambiente Italia; Environment Park; Centro Ricerche Fiat; Novamont; Iren; Acea Ambiente; Buzzi Unicem; Cornaglia; Università di Torino (Dip. Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi - Dip. Chimica - Dip. Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari); Politecnico di Torino; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale; Gaia; Merlino; NCT; HYSYTECH; Modelway; RAMSE; STEP; LCE; Giotto Biotech; Entsorga, Uptofarm, GRINP.

PRIME

Last July 15th the kick-off meeting of PRIME took place at Novamont headquarters in Novara, Italy.

PRIME aims to study, develop and demonstrate advanced green chemistry processes capable of transforming renewable raw materials, by-products and wastes in bioproducts and biomaterials.

Specifically, starting from agro-industrial by-product in the Piedmont area (residues from oils and sugars) and dedicated crops grown in marginalized and/or polluted and/or uncompetitive areas, biobased building blocks (diacids, diols, fatty acids, esters) will be obtained through highly innovative and low-impact chemical and fermentation methods for the production of biodegradable and compostable bio-polyesters.

The new generation of biopolymers will be validated through different transformation processes for applications of industrial interest.

HYSYTECH is involved in purification of feeding gases for the methanation of CO2 (pre-conditioning of waste CO2 from fermentation processes for subsequent chemical conversions) and the production of syngas as a biofuel for energy production (thanks to a fluid bed gasification pilot plant installed at HYSYTECH's headquarters).

PRIME project partners: Novamont; Centro Ricerche Fiat; Sinterama; Sedamyl; Environment Park; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Politecnico di Torino - DISAT; Università di Torino - Dip. Chimica; Agrinnova; Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale; Università di Scienze Gastronomiche; Fondazione Benvenuti in Italia; Università degli Studi di Trieste - DSCF; Proplast; De Martini Bayart & Textifibra; Grinp; Biosphere; HYSYTECH; Costantino & C.; Roelmi Hpc; Farmaceutici Procemsa; Circ; Reynaldi; Gallicchio Stampi; Verplast.