Alberto Bertucco is the Director of the Interdepartmental Research Centre “Levi Cases” of the University of Padova, which groups 11 departments and connects researchers involved in studies about Energy Economics and Technology.
He is full professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Padova, Italy, Department of Industrial Engineering.
He has been the Director of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Coordinator of the Chemical engineering PhD curriculum within the Industrial Engineering doctoral school at the University of Padova.
Lecture: Biofuel and biomass production
The lecture will address the problem of extensive, i.e. industrial, fuel and biofuel production which takes advantage of chemical as well as biological reduction of CO2.
Issues related to fuels obtained from the chemical hydrogenation of CO2 and to biofuels such as first and second generation bioethanol and biodiesel will be shortly reviewed. Then, focus will be given to the cultivation of microalgae as the most effective process to capture light energy and CO2 into biomass that can be transformed into bio-oil.
Problems related to environmental sustainability of the entire process will be addressed, referring also to the Energy Return on Energy invested (EROEI) index and to a technical-economical analysis and a Cost Benefit analysis.