Title: professor
Association/Company: Università degli Studi di Palermo
Biography:
Francesca Scargiali has been an Associate Professor of Unit Operations and Chemical & Biochemical Plant at the University of Palermo since November 2019 and the Director of the B.S. and MSc. Degrees in Chemical Engineering at the University of Palermo since November 2022. The research activity has led to over 100 scientific publications and mainly regarded the experimental investigation, the modelling and development of multiphase bioreactors and of photobioreactors for microalgae growth.
Speech session
Bioraffineria di microalghe: economia circolare, scala e prospettive
Speech
Microalgae exploitation under an approach of circular economy
Abstract
Microalgae may be employed in several fields according to the characteristics of the produced biomass. Microalgae accumulate high-value compounds, such as carotenoids, pigments. The remaining fractions are composed of lipids, carbohydrates and proteins and may be exploited in several applications. Microalgae can use CO2 and grow in wastewater using inorganic compounds such as nitrates and phosphates as nutrients. However, the processes of cultivation, harvesting and downstream treatment require a significant energetic expense. It is, therefore, necessary to exploit every fraction of the obtained biomass to make the entire operation economically feasible and fulfil a circular process.
