Membrane Technologies for Biorefining

Dr. Alberto Figoli obtained his PhD degree at Membrane Technology Group, Twente University (Enschede, The Netherlands) in 2001. He graduated in Food Science and Technology at the Agriculture University of Milan 1996. Since December 2001, he has a permanent position as Researcher at Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR) in Rende (CS), Italy.He also had international experience in industrial research labs: about 1 year (1996) at Quest International Nederland B.V. (ICI), Process Research Group, Naarden (The Netherlands) on “Setting of a pilot plant for aromatic compounds extraction using the pervaporation (PV) membrane technology”; Secondment in 2010 and 2011 at GVS, SpA, Bologna, within the EU project “Implementation of Membrane Technology to Industry” (IMETI) on “Preparation and Characterisation of hybrid membranes for VOCs removal”.He was granted for the “Short Term Mobility Programme” by CNR, in 2004 and 2005, at the “Environmental Protection Agency of United States (USEPA)”, Sustainable Technology Division, Cincinnati (USA) on “Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and aroma removal using a novel asymmetric membrane by pervaporation” nell’ambito dello “Short Term Mobility Programme” funded CNR.He is responsible and involved in various National and International projects. He is also responsible, within the CNR organisation, for two research lines on membrane preparation and characterisation and on pervaporation (PV) applications.He is author of more than 60 research papers in peer reviewed journals, several book chapters, a book, two patents and many oral presentations (also as invited lecture) in National and International Conferences and Workshops. Alfredo Cassano, a Biologist, is senior Researcher at ITM-CNR since 2000. He has a long experience in the field of membrane science and technology with research expertise including pressure-driven membrane processes, membrane contactors and integrated membrane operations mainly applied to wastewater treatments and agro-food productions.Cassano also prepared 4 special issues on membrane science and technology for 3 international journals (Membranes, Foods and Journal of Membrane Science and Research). He is involved as scientific responsible or main investigator in different national projects with both Italian Ministry of Education, University & Research and private companies and international projects funded by EU. He has been tutoring of 28 Thesis for master and Ph.D. students at ITM-CNR. Angelo Basile, a Chemical Engineer with a Ph.D. in Technical Physics, was a senior Researcher at the ITM-CNR as a responsible for the research related to both ultra-pure hydrogen production and CO2 capture using Pd-based Membrane Reactors. He is a reviewer for 165 int. journals, an editor/author of more than 50 scientific books and 140 chapters on international books on membrane science and technology; with various patens (7 Italian, 2 European, and 1 worldwide). He is a referee of 1more than 150 international scientific journals and a Member of the Editorial Board of more than 20 of them. Basile is also an associate editor of the: Int. J. Hydrogen Energy; Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Eng.; journal Frontiers in Membrane Science and Technology; and co-Editor-in-chief of the Int. J. Membrane Science & Technol.

• PART 1: Membrane Processes and Membrane Preparation1. Polymeric membrane preparation and characterisation for biorefining2. Inorganic membrane preparation and characterisation for biorefining3. Mixed matrix membrane preparation and characterisation for biorefining4. Organic-inorganic composite membrane preparation and characterization for biorefiningPART 2: Integrated Membrane Operations for the Recovery of Chemical Feedstocks5. Membranes for lignin and hemicellulose recovery in pulp mills6. Membranes for the recovery of organic acids from fermentation broths7. Recovery of polyphenols from olive mill wastewaters by membrane operations8. Recovery of high-added value compounds from food waste by membrane technologyPART 3: Integrated Membrane Operations for Biofuel Production9. Membranes for the removal of fermentation inhibitors in biomass pre-treatment 10. Membranes for ethanol dehydration11. Bio-Oil Production and Upgrading: New Challenges for Membranes Applications12. Biodiesel separation and purification using membrane technology13. Harvesting algal biomass for biofuels using membranesPART 4: Membrane Reactors14. Membrane bioreactors for bioenergy production: an introduction15. Membrane reactors for biomass hydrolysis16. Pervaporation membrane reactors: biomass conversion into alcohols 17. Membrane reactors for methanol synthesis from forest-derived feedstocks 18. Hydrogen production from pyrolysis-derived bio-oil using membrane reactors19. Membrane reactors for hydrogen production from biomass-derived oxygenates (methanol, ethanol, etc.)20. Biomethane production by biogas with polymeric membrane module