Dott. Emilia Paone, PhD – Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, dell’Energia, dell’Ambiente e dei Materiali
email: emilia.paone@unirc.it
Course dates:
March – April 2026
Online – Join the class (TBA)
The transition toward a more sustainable society requires rethinking how we use resources, design materials and manage waste. The growing accumulation of agro-industrial, plastic and electronic waste, together with the rising demand for critical raw materials (CRMs), calls for scalable circular solutions where waste becomes an opportunity aligned with environmental protection and human well-being. This talk presents heterogeneous catalysis as a platform to transform complex waste streams into value-added chemicals, fuels and recoverable resources. By combining advanced catalytic materials with circular thinking, we aim to extend material lifetimes, reduce dependence on CRMs, and redefine waste as a key feedstock for sustainable chemical manufacturing, supporting environmental resilience and public health. This is more than valorization, it is a shift in perspective, where catalysis drives circularity and waste becomes a source of value.