• Prof. Giancarlo Cravotto,
• Prof. Alessandro Barge,
• Prof. Katia Martina,
• Prof. Emanuela Calcio Gaudino
• Dott. Silvia Tagliapietra,
• Dott. Arianna Binello,
• Dott. Luisa Boffa
• Dott. Giorgio Grillo
• Dott. Stefano Mantegna
• Solarino Roberto

1. Green and Sustainable Extraction of Natural Products

Green extraction of natural products is one  based on design of extraction processes which will reduce or eliminate energy consumption and petroleum solvents, while ensuring a safe extract and quality. It is a concept to meet the challenges of the 21st century protecting both our environment and consumers, and in the meantime, enhance competition of academia and industries to be more ecologic, economic and innovative. The Organic Chemistry group   try to address the future challenges of green extraction of natural product in the agro-food sectors through the applications of the so called enabling technologies from lab to pilot scale:

• Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE)
• Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE
• Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) 

2. Optimization of Green Synthetic Protocols exploiting sustainable technologies, green solvents and reusable heterogeneous catalysts

Green chemistry is a rapidly developing field providing a proactive avenue for the sustainable development of future science and technology. Green chemistry can be applied to the design of highly efficient, environmentally benign synthetic protocols to deliver life-saving medicines, and to accelerate lead optimization processes in drug discovery, while minimizing environmental impact. It also offers enhanced chemical process economics, concomitant with a reduced environmental burden. The Organic Chemistry group try to describe environmentally benign protocols for the synthesis of fine chemicals highlighting the advantages of using green chemistry, for example, by proceeding under microwave irradiation or in aqueous reaction media as well as in solvent free conditions.

In this field of research the main applications are:

• Synthesis of cyclodextrin derivatives. Water soluble dimeric, trimeric, oligomeric ciclodextrin multicarrier as macromolecular platform for molecular imaging and drug delivery are studied by means of a ultrasound- and microwave-assisted reactions.
• Material grafting: Silica, carbon nanotubes and graphene functionalization mainly promoted by microwave irradiation.
• Solvent-free chemical reactions mainly promoted by mechanical milling (mechanochemistry).
• Synthesis of ligands and V(IV) metal complexes and synthesis and structural modification of porphyrin systems  for oncologic chemio-therapy and sonodynamic-therapy applications.
• Degradation of persistent organic pollutants and production wastes.
• Biomass valorization: biodiesel production, platform chemicals and biopolymers
• Green extraction procedures (plants and biomass)
• Sonochemical desulfurization

Thanks to the collaboration with a group of engineers, the group is strongly engaged in the design and construction of innovative chemical reactors (flow systems, hybrid reactors combining different energy sources).

1. Sustainable extraction of bioactive compounds under non-conventional technologies from lab to pilot-scale

2. Optimization of green synthetic protocols through sustainable technologies (microwave & ultrasound) and reusable heterogeneous catalysts

3. Biomass conversions into platform chemicals through sustainable enabling technologies (Microwave-Ultrasound and mechanochemical activation: ball mill & reactive extruder) and heterogeneous catalysts

4. Wastewater remediation under hybrid plasma/hydrodynamic cavitation technologies

Reactors:

• Microwave (MW) reactors: mono & multimode reactors working in batch or flow mode also under reactive atmosphere (until 190 bar)
• Ultrasound (US) reactors: US bath (29, 40, 80, 120, 500 KHz); US Ti horn (19.9 kHz); US cup-horn
• Hydrodynamic cavitators:rotor stator type reactors and Venturi type reactors also coupled with Plasma technology:
• Mechanochemical reactors: ball mill, reactive extruder
• Microwave and Ultrasound flow reactors

Analytical devices:

• HPLC, HPLC-MS, UHPLC-MS,
• GC-MS, GC-FID,
• IR, UV-vis
• TGA
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (Jeol, 600 MHz).

Projects with industry partners

• CONVEZIONE DSM (Basel CH)
• CONVENZIONE Bracco Imaging (Milano)
• CONVENZIONE Soremartec-Ferrero (Alba)
• CONVENZIONE KemOne (Samarate VA)
• CONVENZIONE INDENA Spa (Milano)

Organic synthesis, Green chemistry, Catalyst, Plants extraction, Natural compounds, Food processing, Nutraceutical, Functional foods, Non-conventional techniques (high-intensity ultrasounds and/or microwaves), Nanotubes, Ionic liquids, Cyclodextrin, Cyclodextrin based multicarrier, Ligands, Oncologic chemio-therapy, Sonodynamic-therapy applications, Pollutants

European Projects

● AGRITECH

Centro Nazionale per le Tecnologie dell’Agricoltura AGRITECH

Proponente: Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II
Soggetti partecipanti totali: 51
Numero Università partecipanti: 28
Numero Enti pubblici di ricerca: 3
Numero di Enti privati: 5
Numero Imprese partecipanti: 15
Finanziamento concesso: 320,070.095,50 euro di cui il 45% al Sud

Gli obiettivi del Centro
Il Centro svolge ricerca e promuove lo sviluppo di tecnologie innovative nel settore agricolo per migliorare quantità e qualità delle produzioni, garantendo l’adattamento sostenibile ai cambiamenti climatici anche attraverso la prevenzione, la resistenza e la resilienza rispetto ai rischi (siccità, emergenze sanitarie, impoverimento dei suoli).
L’adozione dei principi agroecologici e dell’agricoltura conservativa, combinata con la selezione di nuove varietà produttive e la riscoperta di antiche colture, permetterà di diversificare le produzioni e supporterà le filiere locali riducendo sprechi, eccedenze e impatti ambientali.

Il Centro sfrutta le tecnologie abilitanti come l’intelligenza artificiale e le produzioni avanzate per promuovere l’agricoltura di precisione volta a contenere l’agrochimica e le emissioni di gas serra, preservando così la tutela delle risorse naturali, e riducendo perdite produttive e sprechi. Attraverso gli approcci biotecnologici e di economia circolare sarà inoltre possibile valorizzare biomasse di scarto favorendo lo sviluppo di filiere alternative in grado di rendere sostenibili le attività anche per i piccoli e medi agricoltori. Un ulteriore tema del Centro riguarda l’applicazione di sistemi di intelligenza artificiale in agricoltura e nell’indotto per implementare la sicurezza, la tracciabilità e la tipicità della filiera e dei prodotti agricoli.

Le azioni di ricerca e innovazione del Centro Agritech sono fondamentali anche per individuare soluzioni efficaci per aree agricole marginali e a rischio di erosione generando innovazione e aggregazione di portatori di interesse per promuovere la resilienza e la sostenibilità delle imprese agricole, agro-alimentari e di produzioni non-food

● BIOENPRO4TO

BIOENPRO4TO Project (333-201) aim to the valorisation of Bioenergy and Bioproducts, starting from integrated conversion processes of residual organic fractions. In detail, attention is paid to solid urban wastes (FORSU), to primary and/or residual biomasses (i.e. pruning clippings, waste waters, etc…) and other residual matrices, daily generated from regional areas of “Torino Ovest” and nearby.

Call:

POR FESR 2014/2020, Piano Operativo Regionale del Fondo Europeo di Sviluppo Regionale

● PHENOILS_EIT FOOD 

“New technologies implementation in RIS regions’ olive oil mills for healthier olive oil extraction“

https://www.eitfood.eu/projects/PHENOILS

2020 – 2023

About the Project: This R&D project has been funded by the EIT Food, a pan-European consortium that focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation in the food sector, as an EIT Regional Innovation Scheme Challenge. The Phenoils project consortium is made up of five partners: Acesur (leader), Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Fraunhofer Technology Centre, University of Turin and Energy Pulses Systems (EPS) company.

One of the main goals of this project is to increase the content of tocopherols, polyphenols and other bioactive compounds in EVOO thanks to new extraction technologies in mill such as: ultrasound (US), hydrodynamic cavitation (HC), and pulsed electric fields technology (PEF). Synergistic effects of these technologies are expected. This will increase the nutritional properties of EVOO with positive effects in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome.

PARTNERS:

 Related Pubblications (First name):

Grillo, L. Boffa, E. Calcio Gaudino, A. Binello, D. Rego, M. Pereira, M. Martínez, G. Cravotto, Combined Ultrasound and Pulsed Electric Fields in Continuous-Flow Industrial Olive-Oil Production, Foods, 2022, 11(21), 3419. doi: 10.3390/foods11213419.

GreenPharma _Huvepharma

● MANUNET

• 7^th FP - Microwave, Acoustic and Plasma assisted SYNtheses (MAPSYN) 
  7^th FP - Translational Kinase Tumor Inhibitor Discovery Consortium (TAKTIC) 
• Alcotra - Éco-extraction transfrontalière (EET) 
• Horizon 2020 - Combined Ultrasonic and Enzyme treatment of Lignocellulosic Feedstock as Substrate for Sugar Based Biotechnological Applications (US4GREENCHEM)

National or regional projects

• Characterization, mechanism of action and structure-property relationship studies of new V(IV)complexes as potential anticancer agents. [VIVA]  
  Innovative nanosized theranostic agents: design, preparation and preclinical in vivo validation (INTA) 
• MYCOPLANT 
• CORYLOX

Projects with industry partners

• CONVEZIONE DSM (Basel CH)
• CONVENZIONE Bracco Imaging (Milano)
• CONVENZIONE Soremartec-Ferrero (Alba)
• CONVENZIONE KemOne (Samarate VA)
• CONVENZIONE INDENA Spa (Milano)