Ricomincia l’appuntamento con il secondo ciclo di PhDTalks, il primo seminario si terrà Martedì 3 ottobre in aula Fassò (Edificio 4A), dalle 16:30 alle 17:45 CET.

PhDTalks è una serie di seminari e discussioni tra dottorandi. Gli eventi hanno lo scopo di fornire un luogo dove creare un network tra dottorandi ed entrare in contatto con i molti progetti sviluppati nel nostro dipartimento.

La speaker Anna Santus condurrà un seminario dal titolo “Bio e-methane from CO2 and green H2”. 

Al termine dell’evento sarà disponibile un piccolo rinfresco finanziato dal dipartimento.

Sarà possibile seguire la conferenza anche online al seguente link.

Abstract

Climate change will have negative effects on human health, economics, the environment, flora and fauna presence on the planet. For these reasons, the necessity to find and use renewable energy sources, such as bio e-methane, is compelling. Bio e-methane can be generated by reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂), a well-known greenhouse gas, and green hydrogen (H₂), through a biological process mediated by hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Archaea). The bio e-methane generated can be directly injected in the national natural gas grid and/or it can be used as a fuel in the transportation sector. During the PhD project, both experimental and modelling activities of this biological process have been conducted. Experimental analysis, carried out in batch and continuous operation, have allowed to identify the microorganisms maximum velocity, the optimal reactor configuration and also inhibition factors/nutrients deficiency. Modelling activities have validated experimental data collected and, helped understanding physical aspect of gas-liquid mass of H₂. Some noteworthy results achieved include: i) cultivation of hydrogenotrophic methanogens; ii) the development of a method for measuring the specific velocity of microorganisms (SHMA); iii) implementation of a model for the biological process. Looking ahead, further insights into H₂ gas-liquid mass transfer are needed to optimize the process, as it remains a key aspect of this biological process.

Speaker’s bio

Anna is a PhD student in Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering (36^th cycle) at Politecnico di Milano. She has a Master of Science in Environmental and Land Planning Engineering obtained in 2019 at Politecnico di Milano. Her research activities are focused on anaerobic digestion processes and biological biogas upgrading. In her free time, Anna loves playing soccer and hiking.