The specific objective of the second-cycle degree programme is to train technologists expert in chemical, environmentally sustainable and low carbon technologies for work in public and private bodies and firms dedicated to the green and sustainable economy. The graduate must have the knowledge and theoretical and practical competencies needed to work in multi-disciplinary, international environments dedicated to:
- research,
- development,
- production,
- assessment and monitoring of environmental impact,
- application and commercialisation of materials or products for high sustainability industrial systems, agriculture, services and consumption.
The graduate is able to tackle problems relating to the definition, design, development and implementation of:
- industrial processes for energy production and chemical and biochemical transformation, with particular attention to the problems of compatibility with the environment, safety and low raw materials and energy consumption,
- processes for the production of sustainable materials and chemical technologies,
- materials for energy production and chemical transformation,
- industrial processes for the reduction of CO2 emissions via efficiency improvements and the accumulation and utilisation of CO2,
- protocols for the investigation and assessment of sustainability and environmental impact.
The graduate is also able to understand and tackle problems relating to use of the most advanced spectroscopic methodologies for the analysis and design of innovative materials, and the development and implementation of industrial processes.
The specialist curriculum followed by the student guarantees in-depth knowledge of a homogeneous selection of topics relevant to the objectives of the degree programme.
In particular, the theoretical and experimental course units cover:
- the chemical and biochemical reactions on the principal classes of products, including biologically-active products, or materials, including innovative functional materials and nano-materials; as well as techniques for their design, preparation and characterisation;
- the reactions of the principal inorganic and mineral species within the bio-geo-chemical cycles and industrial and agricultural production processes;
- criteria for the selection and use of materials or products for low environmental impact industrial systems, agriculture, services and consumption;
- aspects relating to the transfer of chemical and biochemical processes and chemical technologies from the laboratory experiment phase to commercialisation, including the scale-up methodologies, the reconfiguration of industrial processes, safety problems, environmental impact assessment, production quality control, economic aspects and the assessment of process profitability;
- the principles that govern the structure-activity or structure-property relations of products and materials for the production of chemical and energy and the interactions with electrons and photons; their chemical, physical and spectroscopic characterisation;
- methodologies for the design and creation of new, low environmental impact and high sustainability products or materials, taking account of any critical materials and including the waste reduction, reuse and recycling processes;
- methodologies for environmental monitoring and assessment in work areas and the various environmental sectors, and pollutant dispersion and diffusion processes;
- methodologies for the preparation of products derived from low carbon biomass and with high environmental sustainability, giving particular attention to the impact on bio-geo-chemical cycles and the closure of industrial cycles;
- aspects relating to the development of chemical materials and technologies applicable in the field of renewable energies;
- spectroscopic methodologies for the analysis of molecular species in a gaseous state, including in relation to atmospheric and environmental matters;
- development of techniques for the characterisation of environmental matrices and the analysis of surfaces and materials;
- methodologies for assessing the environment effects and impact on ecosystems of emissions from chemical processes and for energy, and for assessing the impact of product life cycles and the effects on health.
In order to achieve the objectives listed, it is considered fundamental to undergo prolonged, continuous training with a high experimental or practical-experimental content into the laboratories of the department or of bodies or industries that have agreements with the University.
