Sapienza University of Rome

Antonio Zuorro (Ph.D.) is Professor of Chemical and BioChemical Engineering at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Environment of Sapienza University of Rome, heading GreenSapiens (www.bit.ly/GreenSapiens) as a Circular Economy expert in processes and materials, including green nanoparticles. In close collaboration with companies and institutions from different countries, he develops innovative and mild green technologies (based on engineered enzyme mixtures and/or mixed-polarity green solvents) for the recovery of value-added compounds from a variety of biological sources, especially agro-industrial wastes: the recovery of lycopene from tomato processing waste, antioxidant phenolics from spent coffee grounds, olive pomace, fruit peels, corn husks and brewers’ spent grain and, recently, lipids and other bioactives from microalgae. He is involved in the analysis and validation of sustainable processes for an integral valorization of materials with a cascade and circular-economy approach. He has been visiting professor, holding invited lectures, at important universities and international conferences worldwide and Coordinator/Scientific Responsible of many national and European projects managing public institutions, SMEs and large enterprises (i.e. “EXCornsEED”, granted in HORIZON 2020). His activity is attested by hundreds of publications, industrial patents and awards/prizes in competitions sponsored by scientific and industrial associations.

Roberto Lavecchia (PhD) is Professor of Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Environment of Sapienza University of Rome, from which he received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering. He is member and teacher of the PhD board in “Chemical Processes for the Industry and the Environment”.

His research activity has been developed in many fields, including homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, chemical thermodynamics, enzyme kinetics, protein stability and transport phenomena in membrane systems. 

Currently, his research interests are mainly focused on the recovery of value-added compounds from agro-industrial wastes. In this field, he has developed novel extraction technologies based on the use of enzymes as pretreatment agents and/or of mixed-polarity solvents. A special attention is given to the use of rigorous statistical methods for the design of experiments and the evaluation of optimal extraction conditions. A further research topic in this area is represented by the development of new functional foods or cosmetics containing the bioactive compounds recovered from the processed materials.

He has been the Scientific Responsible of several research projects funded by the Italian Ministry of Education and by private institutions, being responsible for the Italian unit of the European collaborative project “EXCornsEED”, granted within Horizon 2020 – BBI JU (call 2017).

He is the author of about 150 scientific publications and five industrial patents.

Vittoria Sapone (PhD) is a Chemical Engineer specialized in modeling and new routes for the valorization of agro-products. Joined the group in 2022.

Giuseppe Piras Architect and engineer, PhD in Redevelopment and settlement recovery.

Since 2001 he is Professor of Environmental Technical Physics of the Sapienza University of Rome; 2002-2008 he was Professor of Technical system at the Officers school of Military engineers of Rome; for over 15 years is Technical advisor to the Prosecutor’s office in Rome. Conducts research in the fields of civil and environmental control energetics, he is the author of several articles and publications.

Since 2016 he is Director of the master in Real estate and urban assets integrated management and valorisation Asset, Property, Facility & Energy Management at Sapienza University of Rome.

From 2001 to 2010 he was part of a research group at the Department of Technical Physics in Rome for the energy certification of buildings and for the study of air quality in confined spaces. Director of the SUMIT is also: Member of the Board of the PhD in “Energy and Environment”; National Council Member of the FIAS.

Coordinator for Energy saving and Environmental safeguard initiatives of the Sapienza University of Rome.

Over the past three years, he has collaborated on a international research project of great relevance “Source – Sustainable Urban Cells”, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-funded by the Ministry of Education, University and Research, in ‘field of scientific cooperation and bilateral Italian technology – Sweden, developed jointly between CITERA center of the University of Rome and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (School of Architecture and Built Environment, Dept of Urban Planning & Environment). In this context, it continued its verification of the application of technological systems with high environmental compatibility, correlating them to the territorial planning in urban areas, and ensuring coherence between territorial planning, energy and environment; these transactions were carried out by evaluating the effectiveness of Best Available Technologies industry. It has also deepened the study and analysis of new technologies for energy efficiency, taking into account environmental issues, the bioclimatic design, energy certification, the different construction and plant technologies, environmental well-being, and assessment of environmental impacts during the entire life cycle of manufactured building organisms.

Since 2015 is a member of the international research named PRACTICE on the impact of built environment on ageing society, promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-funded by the Ministry of Education, University and Research, in ‘field of scientific cooperation and bilateral Italian technology – Sweden, developed jointly between CITERA center of the University of Rome and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (School of Architecture and Built Environment, Dept of Urban Planning & Environment).