Technological solutions for resources recovery from end-of-life products and materials in the Mediterranean landscape

Despite growing attention to circular economy principles, large quantities of waste continue to be disposed of rather than recovered, leading to the permanent loss of materials that still hold considerable value. In many cases, it is the lack of adequate technological solutions that prevents these resources from re-entering production cycles. This situation entails not only an economic problem but also a strategic weakness, as it increases reliance on primary raw materials imported. For this reason, advancing innovative processes – developed both by research centers and industrial actors – and promoting the exchange of successful practices among countries, especially within the Mediterranean region, becomes essential for supporting industrial development in a more sustainable direction.
During this seminar, several emerging technologies capable of improving resource recovery and enhancing environmental performance across various sectors will be presented and discussed.

Session Chairs

Fabrizio Passarini, Ecomondo STC, University of Bologna
Lucia Rigamonti, Politecnico di Milano
Paola Muraro and Paolo Massarini, ATIA – ISWA

Program 

9.30 Introduction by the Chairs

Invited lectures

9.45 Horizon Project RENOVATE: A circular and chemistry-neutral approach for recycling and recovery of battery waste feeds
Eliana Quartarone, University of Pavia

10.00 AI systems applied to the waste treatment 
Pietro Navarotto, Stadler Italia S.r.l.

Speeches selected from the Call for Papers

Topic: Biowaste treatment

10.30 Depackaging Done Right: Reducing Reject-to-Incineration while Feeding High-Quality Slurry to Anaerobic Digestion
Sander D., Rolf Harald C., Dennis G. (Norsk Biogass AS, Norway)

10.42 Cold preservation of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste as a strategic technology to prevent resource loss and enhance recovery. A scenario LCA in the Mediterranean region
M. Tarantino, E. Limiti, E. M. Mosconi (Università degli Studi della Tuscia), M. Fosco (Ecof Italia S.r.l.)

10.54 WoodTreat: Innovative technologies for resource recovery from end-of-life contaminated wood
Francesco Balducci (Manifaktura Srl, Pesaro, Italy)

11.06 Regenerative Biocomposites from Posidonia oceanica as a Systemic Approach to Coastal Resource Recovery and Ecological Restoration in the Mediterranean Landscape
Alejandra Ruiz (DIATI, Politecnico di Torino), Nicolò Bottero (Politecnico di Torino), Elena Comino (DIATI, Politecnico di Torino), Daniela Garibaldi (DIST, Politecnico di Torino), Margherita Palagi (Politecnico di Torino)

11.18 An integrated process for valorization of crustacean processing residues into high-value chitin and chitosan products for agriculture and animal feed applications
Khaled Wael, Innovation Lead (Chitosan Egypt LLC)

Topic: Resources from aquatic matrices

11.30 LIFE GreenLife4Seas: circular recovery and valorisation of dredged sediments and shell wastes
S. Doni1, E. Peruzzi1,2, C. Macci1,2, I. Rosellini1, M. Di Leo3, C. Vitone4, M. Mali4, R. Petti4, G. Masciandaro1,2 (1CNR-IRET, Pisa, Italy; 2National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy; 3CNR-IRSA, Taranto, Italy; 4Politecnico di Bari, Bari, Italy)

11.42 Green4Sludge: reducing and valorising tanning sludge through hydrothermal carbonisation on a pilot scale
Daniele Pirini, Alisar Kiwan (B-Plas Sbrl), Simone Gilioli

11.54 NEOFOS: Gruppo CAP's Contribution to Phosphorus Recovery from Wastewater Treatment
Tomaso Amati, Erika Pasciucco

12.06 Mobile pilot-scale recycling plant for sustainable management of beach litter
Brixhilda Lleshi 1, Valentina De Pinto 2, Milvia Elena di Clemente 1, Paolo Garofoli 2, Francesco Todaro 1, Michele Notarnicola 1 (1 Politecnico di Bari, 2 Regione Puglia)

Topic: Plastics, bioplastics & textiles

12.18 From Marine Litter to Certified Maritime Parts: Circular Micro-Factories for Coastal Resilience
Rafa Millan (GREEN3D), Ezio Scatigna (GREEN3D), Nicola Buquicchio (GREEN3D), Rocco Lagioia (TheGreenTech)

12.30 Circular Bioplastics from Mediterranean Waste: High-Performance Polymers via Cascaded Biorefinery and Enzymatic Polycondensation
L. Fonseca1, R. Varotto2, A. Jester2 (1 IST-ID / IBB, Lisbon, Portugal 2 NSBproject S.r.l., Italy)

12.42 Towards tradable recycled fibres: defining quality criteria and carding process windows in mechanical textile recycling
Bettina Cherdron (ITA Augsburg gGmbH/TH Augsburg)

Lunch Break

Topic: Circular economy solutions at a territorial level

14.00 An Integrated Port-Based System for the Management, Material Recovery, and Energy Valorization of Accidentally Collected Waste, Voluntarily Recovered Waste, and End-of-Life Fishing Nets - Law 60/2022
Gianluca Barducci, Gianni Franci (Studio Barducci), Federico Filesi, Ingrid Roncarolo (Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mar Ligure Orientale), Simona Giovagnoni (ANSEP - UNITAM)

14.12 From Innovation to Implementation: The Role of Public Administration in Enabling Circular Economy Solutions
Oreste Patrone (Regione autonoma Friuli-Venezia Giulia)

Topic: Metals, inert & inorganic materials

14.24 Gold-REC2-Based Hydrometallurgical Recovery of Platinum Group Metals from Spent Automotive Catalysts: a sustainable process
Nicolò Maria Ippolito1, Svetlana Zueva1, Francesca Ramunno1, Ionela Birloaga1, Francesco Ferella1, Enrico Cappellini2, Giovanni Faoro2, Walter Murru3, Hossein Shalchian4, Alfredo Mancini4, Francesco Vegliò5  (1 DIIIE, University of L’Aquila, Italy 2 IKOI SPA, Tezze sul Brenta (VI), Italy, 3 BFC Sistemi S.r.l. Busnago (MB), Italy, 4 ORIM S.r.l., Macerata, Italy, 5 Smart Waste Engineering S.r.l. L’Aquila, Italy)

14.36 Sustainable Leaching of Critical Metals from Lithium-Ion Battery Waste using Organic Acids and Pressurized Carbon Dioxide
Luca Pierotti (University of Bologna, Chalmers University of Technology), Philipp Mikšovsky (Chalmers University of Technology), Fabrizio Passarini (University of Bologna), Ioanna Teknetzi (Chalmers University of Technology), Burçak Ebin (Chalmers University of Technology)

14.48 Selective Recovery of Critical Raw Materials from Lithium-Ion Batteries through Electrodialysis within the BRAVE Project
Benedetta Boriani (UNIVPM / Iuss Pavia)

15.00 Microwave-assisted thermochemical conversion of spent lithium iron phosphate battery black mass for selective recovery of lithium and phosphate
Francesca Bianchi, Alberto Mannu, Elza Bontempi (INSTM and Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Italy)

15.12 Selective Palladium recovery by EPS-based biosorbents and valorisation into ORR electrocatalysts
M. Bonechi (1), W Giurlani (1), C. Giovani (1), I. Maggini (1), M. Bellini (2), B. Pagliaccia (4), T. Lotti (4), M. Severi (1), C. Lubello (4), M. Innocenti (1,3), E. Carretti (1) (1 Department of Chemistry Ugo Schiff, University of Florence, Italy, 2 CNR-ICCOM, Florence, Italy, 3 INSTM, Florence, Italy, 4 DICEA, University of Florence, Italy)

15.24 From Waste to Feedstock: Upcycling of End-of-Life Photovoltaic Aluminium Frames into Additive Manufacturing Powder via Ultrasonic Atomisation
Camilla Zanoni, Matteo Vanazzi, Filippo Galli (f3nice), Mariangela Quarto, Sergio Lorenzi (Università di Bergamo), Gianmarco Malagoli (Garc spa), Veronica Sarbach, Alessandro Fumagalli (Materially), Federico Molteni (Kilometro Rosso)

15.36 Resource Recovery from Mixed Industrial Residues through Mineral Carbonation: Enhancing CO₂ Sequestration and Environmental Stabilization
Erica Pietrobelli1, Matteo Giosuè Vezzuto1, Alessandra Zanoletti1, Alessandro Sorze2, Giulia Fredi2, and Elza Bontempi1 (1 INSTM and Chemistry for Technologies Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Italy, 2 Department of Industrial Engineering and INSTM research unit, University of Trento, Italy)

15.48 Green solutions for porcelain stoneware: using exhausted FAV as resource
Arletti Rossella (UNIMORE)

16.00 Innovative Marine Magnesium Minerals for Safe, Sustainable, and Circular Chemical Production: The MareMag LIFE Project
Fabrizio Vassallo (1), Fabrizio Vicari (1,2), Antonella Filingeri (1), Giulio D'arpa (2) (1-ResourSEAs S.R.L., 2-MareMag S.R.L.)

Topic: Other recovery processes

16.12 NAKI: From Industrial Food Waste to Sustainable Aviation Fuel – A Circular Economy Approach for Resource Recovery
Barak Manbar, CEO & Co-Founder, NAKI

16.24 Creating endless possibilities: turning different waste streams into circular value
Anna Marchisio, Orhun Dedeci (Hensel Recycling)

16.36 From Research to Market: Transforming the Textile Industry through Circular Carbon Innovation
Gracia Chandra Anweta (PNO Innovation Digital)

16.48 Mechanochemical Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste Using an ATTRITOR MILL: Dewatering, Sanitisation, Accelerated Stabilisation, and Production of Low-Contaminant Solid Recovered Fuel
Paolo Plescia (CNR-GEO, Rome), Marcello Reale, Mario Reale (REALSPA Srl, Catania)

17.15 Discussion and closure by the Chairs

E-POSTER SELEZIONATI

1 – Surface engineering strategies for high-performance ballistic protection materials: a review / Georgiana Ghisman Alexe 1, Gabriel-Bogdan Carp 1, Tudor-Viorel Țigănescu 2, Daniela- Laura Buruiană 1 (1 Interdisciplinary Research Centre in the Field of Eco-Nano Technology and Advance Materials CC-ITI, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Romania; 2 Military Technical Academy "Ferdinand I", Bucharest, Romania)

2 – Technological Pathways for Recovering Materials from End-of-Life Wrecks: A RoSIBEFD-Based Approach for Waterway and Coastal Resource Management / Viorica Ghisman, Gabriel Bogdan Carp and Daniela Laura Buruiana (Interdisciplinary Research Centre in the Field of Eco-Nano Technology and Advance Materials CC-ITI, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Romania)

3 – Integrating Life Cycle Assessment and the Critical Raw Materials Index for Recovery in Eco-Designed Electric Vehicle Batteries / Amrutha Rajamani1, Francesco Romagnoli1, Nidhiben Patel1, Michele Perani2 (1Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Riga Technical University, Latvia; 2Hyba srl, 24044 Dalmine, Bergamo, Italy)

4 – Circular Resource Recovery from Sugarcane Residues via Bio-Assisted Pyrolysis: Biochar and Bio-Oil Production for Environmental Applications / Rinny Ermiyanti Yasin, Muhammadiyan University of Jakarta

5 – Comparison of Erosive Wear on Composite and Metallic Propellers in Slurry / Marc Tusenko, Sebastian Winkler, Matthias Martin, Hannah Linde, Detlef Klatt, Kay Rostalski (PTM GmbH)

6 – Bio-Based Insulation Materials from Olive Pomace for Energy-Efficient Buildings in Mediterranean Climates / Saad Dahleb (Blida 01 University)

7 – The Impact of EU Waste Export Restrictions and Recycled Material Import Constraints on the European Recycling Market: Opportunities and Risks for Stakeholders / Daniele Pacifici, Benedetta Russetti (WSP Italia)

8 – From End-of-Life Washing Machines to Certified Reuse: Industrial Recovery and Consumer Demand Activation in LIFE Phoenix WEEE / Fatimah Anwar Ali, Gabriele Prati, Luca Pietrantoni, Federico Fraboni (Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna)

9 – From Waste Management to Resource Management: An Integrated Methodology for Industrial Resource Efficiency / Maor Diminsky, Tal Golan (Sutok Environmental Engineering)

10 – TunChar: A Territorial Biochar-Based Framework for Organic Waste Valorisation, Water Resilience and Climate Adaptation in Tunisia
Abdelhalim Latrach (Independent Researcher and Project Developer, TunChar – Biochar for Water & Soil Resilience Initiative, Tunisia)

11 – Industrial Circularity in Nitrogen Oxide Reduction: The Regeneration Process of Bio Protect Group SCR Ceramic Catalysts / Mario Martinez

12 – Portable Instruments for the Analysis of the Dynamic Respiration Index (IRD) / Paolo Plescia (CNR IGAG), Marcello Reale (REALSPA Srl)

13 – The Circular Lean Model: A Kaizen-Based Framework for Transforming Waste Streams into Circular Value Streams through Resource Recovery and Valorization in Industrial, Agricultural & Service Operations / Andrea Brasco Pampanelli (The Green Factory)

14 – From Asbestos Transformation to Mineral Resource Recovery: FOR-LI Technology for Circular Economy Applications and Secondary Raw Material Valorization / Paolo & Andrea Tuccitto

15 – Closing the Loop on Agricultural Waste: Life Cycle Insights into Bagasse Gasification and Energy Recovery Pathways / LAETA-INEGI, Associated Laboratory for Energy, Transports and Aerospace - Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

16 – Plant Engineering Solutions for Water Sustainability: The Role of Circularity / Fabrizio Ferrari (Wilo Italia)

17 – Enhancing Phosphorus Bioavailability from Sewage Sludge Ash through Microwave-Assisted Thermochemical Treatment and Cr(VI) Formation Control / Sonia Calce 1, Mattia Massa 1, Vlad Sebastian Popescu 2, Andrea Mastinu 2, Elza Bontempi 1 (1 INSTM and Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Italy. 2 Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Italy).

18 – A Flexible Digital Twin Architecture for Data-Driven Modelling and Optimisation of Waste Recovery Processes / Jesus Marcelo Martin-Gomez, Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Fortun, Javier Orus, Bruno Berenguel-Baeta (Aragon Institute of Technology), José Antonio Albajez (Zaragoza University)

19 – Closing the Loop in Wind Energy: Recycling and Reusing Carbon Fibers from End-of-Life Turbine Blades / Sabrina Portofino, Sergio Galvagno, Carmela Borriello, Loredana Tammaro, Pierpaolo Iovane, Giuseppe Pandolfi

20 – Resource recovery of granite-processing sludge for extrusion-based 3D printing of ceramic products / Ioannis Kakogiannos, Georgios Chalkias, Marija Veskova, Laura De Breuck (KYKLOS), Claude Schneider (3D Minerals), Luc Segonne (Association Granit et Pierres du Sidobre)

21 – Landfill biogas: a technological and visionary solution for resource recovery and environmental remediation within the circular economy in the Mediterranean context / Alessia Bertolotto

22 – Composite Materials from End‑of‑Life Tire Crumb Rubber with Photoluminescent and Retroreflective Features for Road‑Safety Devices / Luigi Madeo, Anastasia Macario (Dipartimento di Ingegneria per l'Ambiente, Università della Calabria, CS, Italy), Pierantonio De Luca (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Energetica e Gestionale, Università della Calabria, CS, Italy).

23 – Fluorine in Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Oil: A Novel Analytical Approach via Combustion – Molecular Absorption Spectrometry / Giorgio Constante (FKV SRL, Bergamo, Italy), Olga Weisheit, Holger Sievers, Stefan Jezierski-Räcke (Analytik Jena GmbH & Co KG, Jena, Germany)

24 – A Proposed Standard Aimed at Improving Quality in the Waste Management Sector: UNI 1612790 / Pietro Cerami, Massimo Furanti, Leonardo Benuzzi (ACISM, federata ANIMA Confindustria)

25 – Recovering Resources from Shrimp Shell Waste: A Life Cycle Assessment of Chitosan Production / Matteo Ciapetti (1), Antonio Javier Caro Reina (1), Araceli García Núñez (2), Jacopo Bacenetti (1) (1 Department of Environmental and Policy Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy, 2 Department of Organic Chemistry, Universidad de Cordoba, Spain)

26 – Technical-economic considerations on phosphorous recovery strategies for in situ and decentralized hubs / M. Pecchi, S. Cavana, L. Zanetti, M. Tenardi, D. Basso (HBI s.r.l.)

27 – Thermal Plasma Processing of Metal Powders for Additive Manufacturing Applications / P. Iovane, C. Borriello, S. Portofino, A. Di Girolamo Del Mauro, S. Galvagno1 (SSPT-TIMAS-CMS CR. ENEA "Portici")

28 – The "HEMP REVIVE" project in the Taranto area: the hemp supply chain as a model for ecological transition in the Mediterranean basin to produce secondary raw materials / Melissa Sardano1,2, Ilaria Savino1, Aurora Rutigliano1,2, Anna Barra Caracciolo3, Paola Grenni3, Ludovica Rolando3, Pietro Cotugno4, Roberto Carlucci5, Vito Felice Uricchio1, Verdiana Toma6, Valeria Ancona1 (1Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto per le Tecnologie della Costruzione, Bari, 2Dipartimento di Scienza del suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti, Università di Bari A. Moro, 3Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque, Roma, 4Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Bari A. Moro, 5Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Biotecnologie e Ambiente, Università di Bari A. Moro, 6You're up Benefit- Sava, TA)

29 – Valorization of saline sludge through vermicomposting: challenges and opportunities for circular bioeconomy systems / Cristina Macci1, Alberto Pardossi2, Serena Doni1, Eleonora Peruzzi1, Grazia Masciandaro1, Irene Rosellini1, Marco Carlo Mascherpa1, Davide Manzi1, Giulia Carpi3, Marco Calcaprina3, Francesca Vannucchi1 (1Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Pisa, Italy, 2Department of Agriculture Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Italy, 3Centro Lombricoltura, Toscano srl agr, Vecchiano - PI, Italy)

30 – LCA of the INNOVATILE Semi-Wet Granulation Technology for Porcelain Tile Production / Alessandra Cesaro, Massimiliano Fabbricino, Giovanni Panico, Grazia Policastro (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Edile ed Ambientale)

31 – Ri-uso: Eco-Design Methods and Tools for the Management and Utilization of the Digital Product Passport to Support the Certifiable Circularity of Fashion SMEs, Including Through Service Centers / Centro Qualità Tessile

32 – BioPackMan: Advancing Circular Biodegradable Packaging through Material Innovation, Sustainable End-of-Life Management and Bio-Based Resource Valorisation / Tatjana Kosanovic Milickovic, Eleni Gkartzou, Melpo Karamitrou, Athanasios D Porfyris, Christina Podara, Costas Charitidis (Research Lab of Advanced, Composite, Nano Materials & Nanotechnology (R-NanoLab), School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Greece)

33 – Life Cycle Assessment and performance evaluation of a graphene-enhanced polymeric compound asphalt mixture: a case study in Rome / 1) Carlo Carpani (Iterchimica S.p.A.), Alessandro Marradi, (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Università degli Studi Firenze), Chiara Mignini, (Marradi Consulting Partners S.r.l.), Loretta Venturini (Iterchimica S.p.A.)

34 – Regenerated End-of-Life Hemodialysis Membranes for Advanced Wastewater Treatment: Full-Scale Demonstration to Combine Circular Economy and Water Purification / C. Ceci, A. Paoletti, M. Spizzirri (Acea Ato2), S. Leoni, C.A. Checa Fernandez, G. Cecchini (Acea Infrastructure), S. Murtas (Istituto Superiore di Sanità), M. Negrin (NUF Italia S.r.l.)

35 – Digital Product Passport workflows for semiconductor critical raw materials recycling: the Calabria pilot across CLOSER, EVEN CLOSER and Attesta / Caterina Loddo (Regione Calabria), Andrea D'Intino (FORKBOMB BV), Carlo Polidori (VELTHA ivzw)

36 – Eco-Friendly High-Density Boards from Mulberry: How Starch Type Dictates Physio-Mechanical Properties / B.E. Ferrández Garcia, M. Ferrández-Villena, T. García Ortuño, M.T. Ferrández Garcia

37 – A Multidimensional Parametric Model for the Strategic Ranking of Rare Earth Elements / Rosalia Ferri (Napoletana Plastica)

38 – When Is Resource Recovery Worthwhile? A Dynamic Resource Assessment for Industrial Symbiosis / Rosalia Ferri (Napoletana Plastica)

39 – The Time of Technology and the Time of Law: Regulatory Misalignment as a Barrier to Resource Recovery / Oreste Patrone – Friuli Venezia Giulia Region