ICCME 2025 Invited Speakers

Invited Speaker #1
Prof. Giorgio Vilardi, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Introduction	Giorgio Vilardi (https://sites.google.com/uniroma1.it/giorgiovilardi-eng/home?authuser=0) is tenure-track Professor (Associate) of Chemical Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome, qualified as Full Professor at the end of 2023. He is ranked among the World's Top 2% Scientists (Elsevier-World Ranking of Top 2% Scientists) from 2019, he published 60 articles on nanoparticles synthesis and use for organic waste oxidation, acid gases capture and conversion, steelmaking and cement innovative and low-environmental impact cycle development, solid and liquid waste thermochemical conversion (CFD), with about 3000 citations and 39 H-index. He is part of the editorial board of 5 scientific journals, such as JTICE (Elsevier). Chair of ICRTEG 2020 and member of Program Committee of NESP 2022, member of Scientific Committee and invited lecturer at the 3rd GREENERING in 2025. Winner of Minerza Award for Scientific Research in 2021, of the Early Career Award-GRICU in 2022 and of the Bettersize – Particuology Excellent Article Award for his research output on iron extraction and metallic iron production. He is President of the Steelmaking National Working Group of AIDIC (Italian National Chemical Engineering Association). He got Research Grants (as PI or Co-PI) from both Public and Private sectors (in total more than 2 Meuros in the period 2022-2024). Author, moreover, of 6 industrial patents on process intensification and hybrid equipment, green syntheses and process cycles, all extended in the EU. Director and founder of the research group DRACONS (DecaRbonisAtion and CO2 NanoSequestration). Before embarking on an academic career, he worked for small engineering companies in hard-to-abate industrial plants.
Topic	Nanofluids and Synthetic Enzymes for the intensification of carbon capture for the decarbonisation of hard to abate sectors
Abstract	Reactive absorption still represents the TRL9 technology adopted in post-combustion carbon (PCC) capture processes for the decarbonization of hard to abate industrial sectors. This technology is mainly based on the use of aqueous solutions of amines that are well-known from 1930 for their capacity to react with carbon dioxide and other acid gases (i.e. H2S) in a reversible way. Two main drawbacks are related to this technology: environmental impact (amine aerosols, toxic leakages, carbon footprint related to their synthesis, hazardous handling) and high regeneration costs (>60% of total costs). The use of greener solvents, such as K2CO3, surely can lead to reduced environmental impact but to lower efficiency and generally to higher costs (in particular CapEx). To overcome these limits, the addition of metal oxide nanoparticles-NPs as well synthetic enzymes-SE (that mimic the carbonic anhydrase behavior) has been tested and demonstrated to be effective in CO2 capture and sequestration. The coupling of this process with the mineralization of carbonates, by means of steelmaking solid waste and other possible alkaline waste is a very promising process, allowing to perform simultaneous storage and absorbent regeneration at mild operative conditions, with a notable savings on OpEx.