Eni announces the names of the winning researchers and scientists of the fifteenth edition of the Eni Award, the prize established in 2007 and which over the years has become an international point of reference for research in the fields of energy and the environment. The Eni Award aims to promote cutting-edge innovations in the fields of energy efficiency, renewables, decarbonisation and environmental protection by stimulating the new generations of researchers in their work, reflecting the importance that Eni attaches to talent, scientific research and innovation. 'innovation.
The Energy Transition Award, one of the three main awards, which values the best innovations for the decarbonization of the energy system, was awarded ex aequo to Yu Huang, of the University of California (Los Angeles, USA) and Jeffrey R. Long, of the University of California (Berkeley, USA).
Professor Yu Huang has developed high performance electrode materials for Hydrogen Fuel Cells (HFC). She achieved this result by designing and preparing catalysts in which the platinum and cobalt nanoparticles are protected with graphene layers, a sort of "nano pocket", which guarantees both high efficiency and stability under operating conditions. She has also developed special platinum nanowires with a high surface area suitable for use in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) for new generation zero-emission automobiles.
Professor Jeffrey R. Long introduced the innovative concept of cooperative absorption in Metal Organic Framework (MOF) materials by suitably functionalizing them and allowing the selective and efficient separation of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and ammonia from diluted gaseous mixtures. He has also experimentally demonstrated the high performance in terms of adsorption capacity, regeneration and stability of these materials in the capture of carbon dioxide from the air (DAC, Direct Air Capture).
The Energy Frontiers prize, for research on renewable sources and energy storage, was awarded to Professor Matthew Rosseinsky, of the University of Liverpool (UK), for his innovative approach of applying machine learning techniques to the identification automation of new materials with advanced properties. The integration of new digital tools with the exploration of previously unreported chemical structures opens up new perspectives in materials science for energy applications. He has thus designed oxides with low thermal conductivity for thermoelectric uses and thermal coatings for turbines, lead-free perovskites for photovoltaics, as well as materials with high transport properties for solid-state lithium batteries and nickel-based superconductors.
The Advanced Environmental Solutions award, dedicated to research for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, was assigned to Thalappil Pradeep, of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (India). Professor Pradeep has discovered advanced, sustainable and cost-effective nanomaterials for the removal of toxic contaminants (such as arsenic, fluorides, uranium, heavy metals, dissolved solids and microorganisms) from water. These technologies are sustainable and economical; they have already been developed and applied to make water safe for 1.3 million people every day in India.
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, in this edition, four awards, assigned to Gloria Amo-Duodu of Durban University of Technology (South Africa ), Elshaday Mulu Fetene of Moi University (Kenya), Tsion Ayalew Kebede of Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia) and Natnael Tilahun Sinshaw of Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia). Winners receive a scholarship to support a three-year doctoral program at an Italian university to further their research.
Amo-Duodu proposed an activity on the exploitation of biogas produced from food waste as an innovative source of energy in Ghana, the winner's country of origin. Fetene will be involved in the production of bio-hydrogen from waste from the fruit and vegetable market, which is particularly abundant in Ethiopia, using low-cost natural and synthetic materials as catalysts.
Kebede will follow the construction of a predictive model for the effects of climate change on local water availability, analyzing the historical data available between 1992 and 2022.
Finally, Sinshaw will develop a predictive model, using deep learning systems, to recognize the diseases affecting crops in real time.
For the Young Researcher of the Year award, which rewards two researchers who have obtained their PhDs from Italian universities, the awards went to Michele Ghini and Hilmar del Carmen Guzmán Medina.
Ghini, who conducted his PhD at the University of Genoa, studied and tested the ability of metal oxide nanocrystals to convert, store and release on-demand solar energy in the form of electric charges. The geometry of the developed hybrid micro-supercapacitor proved to be one of the most promising designs for solar energy storage devices, of particular interest to the microelectronics industry and self-powered devices. These results make a significant contribution in terms of energy efficiency in the field of optoelectronics.
Guzmán Medina, from the Turin Polytechnic, discussed a thesis on the electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to products of high industrial interest, such as methanol and ethanol. Starting from the catalyst typically used in thermo-catalytic processes, he modified its composition and morphology by developing a specific one for the electrochemical reduction of CO2, obtaining conversion values and efficiency superior to conventional systems.
For the Eni Innovation Award section, which elects the most innovative projects developed by Eni researchers and technical experts, the following were awarded:
- Aldo Bosetti, Carmen Samà (Eni), Luca Madia, Massimo Zampato (Eniprogetti) for having patented a shell & tube reactor for redox processes at high temperatures, to be combined, for example, with concentrating solar plants;
- Amico, G. Assanelli, M. Notari, R. Po' (Eni) for the innovative technological solution of a coating with graphite particles with multiple properties (antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral, anticorrosive and anti-fouling);
- F.Argento,A.Vignali(Eni),M.Favaretto(Eniprogetti)for the technological solution of an ATEX certified drone, i.e. enabled to operate in environments at risk of explosion, for monitoring methane emissions in oil & gas plants.