Unit BIOMASS VALORISATION
- Course
- Chemical sciences
- Study-unit Code
- A004654
- Curriculum
- Energy and sustainability
- Teacher
- Assunta Marrocchi
- Teachers
-
- Assunta Marrocchi
- Hours
- 66 ore - Assunta Marrocchi
- CFU
- 8
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2026
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Caratterizzante
- Area
- Organico-biotecnologico
- Sector
- CHEM-05/A
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- English
- Contents
- The course introduces the valorisation of biomass and waste biomass as renewable resources for the production of energy, chemicals and sustainable materials. The main pretreatment and conversion technologies will be discussed, with a focus on the principles of sustainable chemistry, biorefinery strategies, and the transformation of key platform molecules into value-added bioproducts. The course will also cover energy recovery processes and present R&D case studies and industrial applications, highlighting the role of biomass in the transition towards more circular and lower-impact production models.
- Reference texts
- -PPT slides, a reading list, and scientific articles will be provided.
SUGGESTED TEXTBOOKS (available upon login with university credentials at: https://www.proquest.com/):
- Sze Ki Lin C., Kaur G., Li C. and Yang X. (Eds.), “ Waste valorisation: Waste streams in a circular economy” (2020), John Wiley & Sons, - Kuila A., Mukhopadhyay M. (Eds.), “Biorefinery production technologies for chemicals and energy” (2020), John Wiley & Sons
- Brown R. C. (Ed.), “Thermochemical processing of biomass: Conversion into fuels, chemicals and power” (2019), John Wiley & Sons - Educational objectives
- The main objective of the course is to provide students with fundamental knowledge of the valorisation strategies of biomass and waste biomass for the production of bioenergy, bio-chemicals, bioplastics and other bioproducts. The course also aims to provide the tools to understand and apply the principles of sustainable chemistry and biorefinery in the selection and analysis of biomass pretreatment and conversion processes.
The main knowledge acquired will include:
the concept of biomass and the main types of biomass relevant to valorisation processes;
the concept of biorefinery and its role in circular production models;
the main biomass pretreatment technologies in relation to the subsequent conversion processes;
the concept of platform molecules and their use in the production of bio-chemicals and bioproducts;
the main catalytic processes for the transformation of the platform molecules discussed during the course;
the main biomass conversion processes for bioenergy production.
The main skills developed will include:
recognizing different types of biomass and assessing their potential use for the production of bioenergy, bio-chemicals, bioplastics and other bioproducts;
understanding and applying the concept of biorefinery;
relating biomass characteristics and pretreatment technologies to subsequent conversion processes;
identifying similarities and differences among different biomass transformation processes;
developing selection criteria based on the principles of sustainable chemistry for the analysis of catalytic and biomass conversion processes. - Prerequisites
- -
- Teaching methods
- The course includes face-to-face lectures on all the topics of the course and practical laboratory experiences to facilitate student learning
- Other information
- -
- Learning verification modality
- The exam includes: 1) the evaluation of written reports on laboratory activities and 2) an oral exam.
Time of duration of the oral exam: about 30 min. The oral exam will consist of open questions aiming at assessing the level of knowledge/expertise achieved by the student on the course topics.
Through the exam will be evaluated the student's communication skills and ability of logically organize the discussion. Both the knowledge and skills acquired and the ability to process the content discussed in class are considered essential for the professional development of students.
Students with disabilities and/or specific learning disabilities (SLD) are invited to visit the dedicated page outlining the tools and measures provided and to coordinate any necessary accommodations in advance with the instructor (https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa) - Extended program
- Composition of biomass and role of waste biomass as a renewable resource for the production of energy, chemicals and materials. Chemical, physical and biotechnological pretreatment technologies for biomass and biomass residues, as preliminary steps for subsequent valorisation processes. Principles of sustainable chemistry applied to biomass conversion. Strategies for the valorisation of biomass and waste biomass into biofuels, chemicals and materials, with reference to the biorefinery concept. Identification of the main platform molecules and study of key catalytic reactions for their conversion, including deoxygenation, hydrogen transfer, C–C bond formation, selective oxidation and cascade processes. Examples of conversion of platform molecules into value-added bioproducts. Processes for energy conversion, storage and recovery. Comparison of different valorisation strategies in terms of energy consumption, waste generation, costs and overall sustainability. Synergies between valorisation processes and case studies from research, development and industrial applications.
- Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
- 7, 9, 12