The Eni Award 2022 prizes will be awarded next autumn in Rome, during the official ceremony to be held at the Quirinale Palace, in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella
Eni announces the names of the researchers and scientists who have won the fourteenth edition of the Eni Award, the award established in 2007 and which over the years has become an international reference point for research in the fields of energy and the environment. Eni Award aims to promote better use of energy sources and stimulate new generations of researchers in their work, testifying to the importance that Eni attributes to scientific research and innovation.
The award Energy transition, one of the three main awards, which enhances the best innovations for the decarbonisation of the energy system, was awarded to Naomi Halas, Peter Nordlander, Rice University (Houston, USA).
The two researchers developed a type of catalysts made up of light-sensitive metal nanoparticles on which a second catalytically active component is deposited or dispersed. The nanoparticles, which act as optical antennas, absorb energy from the light and selectively transfer it to the catalytically active component and to the reactant molecules adsorbed on their surface, activating them towards the reaction. In this way, “antenna-reactor” systems are generated capable of promoting reactions with high efficiency, mainly exploiting the energy of light and reducing the thermal energy. For example, it is possible to produce hydrogen by reforming methane at temperatures 500 ° C lower than conventional processes
The award Frontiers of Energy, for research on renewable sources and energy storage, was assigned to Jens Norskov, Ib Chorkendorff, Technical University of Denmark, for their work on the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia at low pressure and temperature from nitrogen and hydrogen. They have developed a cyclic electrochemical process, activated by energy from renewable sources and mediated by lithium in solvents with particular solubilizing properties, with the aim of increasing the high selectivity of the reaction, combined with an increased efficiency with which the electric charge is transferred to the system which facilitates the electrochemical reaction.
They then showed that by adding oxygen to nitrogen, process stability and efficiency can be further increased up to 80%. The importance of their work lies in the fact that ammonia is one of the main basic chemicals used in the production of fertilizers and many other derivative products. Ammonia is also one of the candidates as an energy carrier of renewable origin.
The Advanced Environmental Solutions award, dedicated to research on the protection of air, water and land and on the remediation of industrial sites, was awarded to Geoffrey Coates, Cornell University. The recent work of Prof. Coates has made a fundamental contribution in paving the way for the development of scientific and technological solutions to minimize the negative impact on the environment of polymeric materials and plastics. The solutions are based on the development of new methodologies for the chemical recycling of polymers and on the redesign of polymers, defining easy end-of-life management procedures from the very beginning of the industrial process. The development of sustainable paths to obtain polymers with reduced environmental impact has been achieved in four specific research areas: chemically recyclable plastics; mechanical recycling of plastics; photodegradable plastics; biodegradable plastics from renewable raw materials. All four of the categories described above are industrially developed activities.
The Young Talents from Africa section, established in 2017 on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Eni Award and dedicated to young talents from the African continent, awards four prizes in this edition, assigned to Yousif ADAM, The American University in Cairo, Egypt, a Ibrahim Mohamed Ibrahim Moustafa IBRAHIM, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Egypt, a Andsera Adugna MEKONEN, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia ea Andris Metumo SIMEON, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Adam's proposal concerns the sustainable management of wastewater in Africa from the point of view of the Circular Economy.
Ibrahim proposed a thesis whose argument is improving the accuracy of solar energy prediction with new approaches.
Mekonen proposed a study of the sustainable agroforestry ecosystem using Earth observation and environmental surveying in the central part of Ethiopia.
Finally, Simeon proposes a study on intelligent adaptive protection strategies for carbon neutral hybrid microgrids connected to the grid with energy storage.
For the prize Young Researcher of the Year, which rewards two researchers who have obtained their PhDs from Italian universities, the awards were given to Isabella Fiorello e Julia Fredi.
Fiorello, who conducted his doctorate at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), developed mini-robots inspired by climbing plants, studying their morphological and biomechanical characteristics. The purpose of the study is the development of precision agricultural and forestry devices, which can provide capillary information on the needs of the ecosystem and implement specific and timely actions, for example by supplying pesticides or nutrients directly into the vascular tissue of the leaves.
Fredi, from the University of Trento, conducted a study on polymer composite materials that combine a polymer matrix and a reinforcing agent, to achieve a good balance between mechanical and thermal storage properties. The work resulted in a multifunctional polymer-matrix composite that combines high mechanical properties and the ability to store and release heat at a well-defined temperature.
For the section Eni Innovation Award, which elects the most revolutionary projects developed by Eni researchers and technical experts, were awarded:
- P. Biagini, R. Po '(Eni), F. Bisconti, A. Giuri, A. Rizzo and S. Colella (CNR-Nanotec, Lecce), for having patented semi-transparent photovoltaic cells based on peroskite and the process to produce them,
- G. Gatti, C. Perretta (Eni-Versalis) for the innovative technological solution of a new grade of eSBR elastomer containing used, recycled and micronized tires (ELT, End ‐ of ‐ Life ‐ Tires) to be used in the production cycle of new tires.
- Chiodini, S. Loda, F. Rubertelli (Eni) for the e-lorec® technological solution, which consists of an automatic device for the recovery of dense liquids in the non-aqueous phase (DNAPL) from contaminated soils.
The awards ceremony will take place at the Palazzo del Quirinale next autumn in the presence of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella.