BASALTO (2016-2018) - Elza Bontempi

BASALTO project:

NUOVI MATERIALI BASATI SU ALGINATI PER LA RIMOZIONE DEL PARTICOLATO AERODISPERSO

Working group: UdR INSTM Brescia, UdR INSTM Trieste, UdR INSTM Bologna, XearPro

This project was financed by INSTM and Regione Lombardia.
The aim is to propose a new material for air particulate matter entrapment.

This project proposes a new solution for air particulate matter entrapment, based on a new porous hybrid material derived from silica fume and alginate. In particular it was been shown that it is possible to use it to remouve PM. It can be also employed as a filter.

Kickoff meeting of the project was on 3 November 2016 (see the video of the Kickoff meeting).

See the basic idea of BASALTO project (also in English).

All the research activity was unpublished before the patent deposition request.

This activity allowed to deposit in January 2018 a PCT request.

The first two papers about results were recently approuved.

The first paper about the material "A new porous hybrid material derived from silica fume and alginate for sustainable pollutants reduction" has been approuved as "open access" article by Frontiers in Chemistry at the end of February 2018. The article achieved a milestone of more than 1700 total views one month after publication online of the full paper. The article was mentioned by several media:

Eurekalert
Phys
Dnaindia
Business-standard
Sciencedaily
Moneycontrol
The Indian Express
Millennium Post
Xinhuanet
Global Times
Brinkwire
Science Newsline
ChemInfo
Chemeurope
The Hindu
Frontiers Blog
3dprint
Tech explorist
Water and wastes digest
Earth
Belarus News
Building centre
TechSource
Wallstreet-online
Coherent Chronicle
Feedyeti
Chemical Processing
Environmental Monitor

Chemical Industry Digest

Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Results

Scientific European

National Agency for Science and Technology Information of Vietnam

The second paper about new porous material (A. Zanoletti, F. Bilo, L.E. Depero, D. Zappa, E. Bontempi, The first sustainable material designed for air particulate matter capture: An introduction to Azure Chemistry, Journal of Environmental Management) shows that it can remove till to 2407 (± 581) μg/cm² of air particulate matter particles, with dimensions lower than 1 μm (ultrafine particles). This value corresponds to about 24 (± 6) g/cm², i.e. about two orders of magnitude more than the amount of PM that can be trapped by leaves!

The project was also awarded by a special recognition at the presence of Italian President (ITALIADECIDE). The project researchers were invited (12th February 2018) to the Camera dei Deputati in Rome for the prize. See the news about the prize.

The project was awarded by another prize: the OSCAR MASI prize, from the Italian Association of Industrial Research (AIRI) on 24 May 2018. See the news about the prize and the Video Interview.