Chemical and

Process
Faculty of
Engineering Engineering
University of Department
Genoa
“G.B. Bonino”
Head of Dpt.
Prof. Eng. Mauro Rovatti
 The Department
The Department of Chemical and Process Engineering "G.B. Bonino"
develops its research activities both on traditional and newest topics of
Chemical Engineering, Biotechnologies and Environmental Engineering.
The research is funded by a number of national and international agencies,
including the MIUR (Ministry of Istruction, University and Research), the
European Commission, national and overseas governments, and industry.

The DICheP laboratory has met the ISO 9001:2000

quality standards and has received registration
by CSQ- QNET in 2007.

DICheP supports several PhD and Degree courses in Engineering Faculty,

Mathematic, Physic and Chemical Science Faculty and Medicine and
Surgery Faculty. Many of the staff represent Italy on national and
international specialist committees, such as European Federation of
Chemical Engineers working parties.

At present time DICheP staff includes 26 Professors (7 Full Prof., 10

Associate Prof., 9 Assistant Prof.), 10 post-doc researchers, 12 PhD
students and 15 people belonging to technical-administrative staff.
 Research areas
The Department maintains a strong research tradition that, at the
moment, is focused on following areas:

Analytical and Environmental Chemical Engineering    

(Coor.: Prof. Mauro Rovatti)
    Biotechnology and Food Technologies
    (Coor.: Prof. Attilio Converti – Prof. Patrizia Perego)
    Surface chemistry and Industrial Catalisys
    (Coor.: Prof. Guido Busca)
    Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Protection of Metals
    (Coor.: Prof. Giacomo Cerisola)
    Chemical Reactor Engineering
    (Coor.: Prof. Renzo Di Felice)
    Modeling and Plants for Industrial and Environmental Safety
    (Coor.: Prof. Emilio Palazzi)
    Sustainable processes development
    (Coor.: Prof. Marco Del Borghi)
 Research activities
The research is funded by a number of national and international
agencies, including the MIUR (Ministry of Istruction, University
and Research), the European Commission, national and overseas
governments, and industry.

The research feeds into the undergraduate and taught

postgraduate programmes, ensuring that our courses involve
leading edge fields and that students leave with a taste of
leading edge research.

Many of the academic staff represent Italy on national and

international specialist committees, such as the Working Parties
on Loss Prevention and Environmental Protection of EFCE
(European Federation of Chemical Engineering) and
Environmental Biotechnology of EFB (European Federation of
Biotechnology).
 Analytical and Environmental
Chemical Engineering
Coor. Prof. Mauro Rovatti
LAICA has these main aims:
 to provide students in Environmental Chemical Engineering and in
Environmental Sanitary Engineering with a useful experimental
support;                                                               
 to do research and to give consultancy to public authorities and private
organisations in the environmental field.

The LAICA team works on these research fields:

 Energetic valorization and disposal of solid wastes;

 Gasification and pyrolysis processes in fixed bed reactors at medium scale
for different materials;
 Characterisation and treatment of first flush waters coming from running
off processes in different urban and industrial areas;
 Integrated processes for extraction and biodegradation of volatile organic
compounds in wastewaters by membrane bioreactors;
 Wastewater treatment with particulate biofilm air-lift reactors;
 Air-lift photobioreactors for wastewaters treatment and for algae
production.
 LAICA
Lab-scale plants

Analytical and Environmental Chemical Engineering

 Biotechnology and Food
Technology
Prof. Attilio Converti – Prof. Patrizia Perego

The Section of Biotechnology and Food Technology was created

with the aim of setting up a network between national and
international Universities and Industries working on agro-food
research and environmental biotechnology.
It is made up of:
The Food Technology research-group
The Environmental Biotechnology research-group
About 10 researchers with different scientific backgrounds are
working in synergistic collaboration in the multidisciplinary
areas of food production and environmental biotechnology.
 Food technology and Environmental
biotechnology Biotechnology
RESEARCH ACTIVITY RESEARCH ACTIVITY
• Exploitation of agro-industrial
Exploitation of biotechnology to solve
residues (starch hydrolysate,
environmental problems.
cellulose and hemicellulose
hydrolysates, etc) for
biotechnological production of xylitol, Main research-fields:
high fructose corn syrups (HFCS), • Biofiltration of gaseous emission
food flavours and microalgal biomass • Decontamination of polluted soils
using living and lyophilised cells of • Reduction of carbon dioxide
yeasts and bacteria, both in emissions by microalgal cultivation
suspension and in biofilms, and
• Metal removal from wastewater by
immobilized enzymes as biocatalysts.
biosorption
• Nutraceutical and functional food
development (olive oil, soil-bean
germ, aromatic plants, wine
industry).
• Technology of food preservation.
• Industrial process optimisation.

Biotechnology and Food Technology

Surface chemistry and
Industrial Catalisys
Prof. Guido Busca

The main research fields are

1. Production of hydrogen via
steam reforming of methanol,
(bio)ethanol and propane.
2. Waste gas purification by
catalytic methods: DeNOx,
dioxin abatement
3. Purification of biogases via
adsorption or catalytic
abatement
4. Production of fuels: Fischer
Tropsch reaction.
 INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS:
1. ENItecnologie: Study of deactivation of Fischer Tropsch catalysts
2. ECODECO: purification of biogases
3. Ansaldo Fuel Cells: purification of biogases
4. Pirelli: mixing of elastomers with silicates for tyres
5. CESI-ENEL: dioxin abatement

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Catalysts preparation: full inorganic preparation lab.

Catalysts characterization: XRD, BET, FT-IR, Raman, UV-vis,
SEM, TEM
Catalyst and adsorbent testing: full flow lines with fixed and /
or fluid bed reactors, analysis by GC, GCMS, IR on line.
Studies on reaction mechanisms: spectroscopic and transient
methods

Surface chemistry and Industrial Catalisys

 Laboratory of Electrochemistry
Corrosion and Protection of Metals
Coor. Prof. Giacomo Cerisola

RESEARCH ACTIVITY (1 of 2)
1. CORROSION 2. ENVIRONMENTAL
Study of the corrosion of passivable ELECTROCHEMISTRY
metals and protection by organic
coatings Study of the electro-catalytic materials
for the complete oxidation of organic
pollutants in wastewaters:
Pollutant – ze-  CO2 + H2O

1
0.8

i (mA cm-2)
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0.8 1.3 1.8
E (V vs. SHE)
 RESEARCH ACTIVITY (2 of 2)
3. FUEL CELL
Study of the materials and
electrocatalytic proces of high
temperature fuel cells

Anode supported fuel cells

(LSM-YSZ/YSZ/NI-YSZ)

Laboratory for
MCFC study and
characterisation

Laboratory for
SOFC study and
SOFC rig
characterisation

Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Protection of Metals

 Chemical Reactor Engineering
Prof. Renzo Di Felice – Prof. Paola Costamagna
+ some 10 people (research assistant and PhD student)

Activities related to Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems

Modeling and Simulation of SOFCs Fuel Processing for SOFCs

AIR_BURNER
0.000 G-MOL/SEC
1.15 0.000 G/SEC
380.000 C
9.000 BAR

1.10 100 %H2 points exp data Vapor

M4
OUT_PRREF

1.05 lines simulation NG

0.542 G-MOL/SEC TO_DES INL_DES
BYPASS
0.731 G-MOL/SEC
983.39 liter/min
9.057 G/SEC
950
TO_BYPASS 13.593 G/SEC
150.000 C 0.640 G-MOL/SEC 0.640 G-MOL/SEC
0.563 G-MOL/SEC Vapor
9.000 BAR 10.921 G/SEC 10.921 G/SEC
1.00 9.607 G/SEC 506.296 C
900 Vapor 158.930 C 365.455 C M3
365.455 C 9.000 BAR
9.000 BAR 9.000 BAR
Vapor Vapor 9.000 BAR
SP2 OUT_CPO
0.95 850 Vapor
0.308 G-MOL/SEC
5.851 G/SEC

0.90 800 M1
E1
Desulfurizer FUEL_CPO
835.963 C
9.000 BAR
INL_PRREF
0.773 G-MOL/SEC
PRREF
mean voltage (V)

Vapor 13.593 G/SEC

0.077 G-MOL/SEC
1.315 G/SEC 340.089 C
S4
0.85 365.455 C
9.000 BAR
9.000 BAR
Vapor
Vapor

0.80 M2
STOICAIR_CPO
0.75 0.157 G-MOL/SEC
4.536 G/SEC INL_CPO SP1
380.000 C
0.234 G-MOL/SEC
0.70 9.000 BAR
Vapor
5.851 G/SEC CPO
MV1
373.415 C
9.000 BAR REC

0.65 Vapor 0.098 G-MOL/SEC

1.864 G/SEC
S2 228.930 C
9.000 BAR
0.60 CA1 SP3
S1 Vapor

S3
0.55
0.50 GM Normal Load Fuel Pre-processing Cycle
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600
2
current density (mA/cm )
 BASIC RESEARCH
Transport Phenomena in Fluid Dynamic Studies of
Porous Media Multiphase Systems

• Fluidization
• Sedimentation
• Air-lift reactor

• Food packaging
• Catalytic membrane
reactors

Chemical Reactor Engineering

Modeling and Plants for Industrial
and Environmental Safety
Prof. Emilio Palazzi – Prof. Renato Pastorino
Prof. Bruno Fabiano – Eng. Fabio Currò

RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The main research topics are

 Accidental and environmental risk analysis,

 Road and Railway Tunnel fires: forced
ventilation and mitigation systems,
 Releases of dangerous substances, modeling
and mitigation systems: water barriers,
chemical curtains,
 Risk assessment in dangerous good
transportation by road, railway and water,
 Occupational accidents.
 Sustainable Processes Development
Coor. Prof. Marco Del Borghi
The research group “Sustainable Processes Development” provides research,
teaching and support for enterprises and companies activities in the fields
related to Sustainable Development of processes and products.
The research group focuses its activity on the environmental impacts
assessment with an approach considering the whole life cycle.

At present, the research group develops the following threads:

 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

 Eco-design.
 Implementation of studies for the achievement of Environmental System
(ISO 14001; EMAS) and Product (EPD) Certifications.
 Environmental Impact Studies.
 IPPC and BAT.
 Calculation and Compensation of GHG emissions.
 Emission Trading (EU-ETS; CDM; JI).
 Statistical Analysis of process and environmental data.
 Solid waste treatment.
 Wastewaters treatment.
 Atmospheric dispersion and treatment of gaseous emissions.
 Remediation of polluted soils.
 Degree courses
DICheP supports several PhD and Degree courses in Engineering Faculty,
Mathematic, Physic and Chemical Science Faculty and Medicine and Surgery
Faculty.

Chemical Engineering
(Postgraduate degree)
Chemical and Process Engineering often involves close collaboration of engineers and
scientists from a variety of disciplines. The recent advances in process design and the
increase in awareness of safety and environmental issues have reinforced the importance of
this type of collaboration. The second level course in Chemical Engineering is specifically
designed to address this issue and allows first level graduate graduates with advanced
training for entering the chemical or biochemical process industries. Specifically, four
different specialisation are offered: Safety and Environment, Biotechnology and Food,
Electrochemistry and Energy, Design.
 Chemical Engineering
(Undergraduate degree)

Chemical engineering is a branch of industrial engineering: it relates to the activity involved

in the production of chemical products and in the preparation of material and substances to
be used in the production of goods or in the transformation industry.
Chemical engineers can utilize their knowledge and expertise not only in the classical
chemical industry, such as that concerning oil and its derivates, but more in general in all the
industrial processes of production and transformation of matters.
Thanks to their wide basic cultural preparation, their are often employed not only by large,
multinational, companies but also by medium size and small enterprises, where strong
national and international competition has made now necessary the presence of highly
qualified technician. It is also quite common, during the development of a chemical engineer
working carrier, the involvement in project management, financial and sales aspects. Outside
the process industry, chemical engineers find occupation in banking, insurance, finance and
marketing sectors. Finally, a not negligible share of former University of Genova Chemical
Engineering students are employed in the public sector, with preference in area involving
environment protection problems, and those who have interest and capability, in University
Institutions, both in Italy and abroad.