The Eni Award ceremony was held today at the Palazzo del Quirinale, in the presence of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, the President of Eni Lucia Calvosa and the CEO of Eni Claudio Descalzi.
Now in its fourteenth edition this year, the prize, also known as the “Nobel of Energy”, is considered an international reference point for research in the fields of energy and the environment and testifies to the importance that scientific research and innovation have for Eni. Since its inception in 2008, there have been more than ten thousand applications. The Scientific Commission, which evaluated the research presented, is made up of scientists who belong to the most advanced research institutes in the world and over the years has seen the participation of 6 Nobel Laureates.
Also this year Eni, through Joule, its School for Business, has awarded the Special Mention Eni Joule for Entrepreneurship, intended for teams, university spin-offs, startups and aimed at encouraging the application, enhancement and transfer of technologies while promoting the creation of a sustainable innovation ecosystem.
In the 2022 edition of the Eni Award:
for the Energy Transition the prize was awarded to Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander of Rice University (Houston, Texas), for the Antenna-Reactor Plasmon Photocatalysis research for the sustainable generation and distribution of hydrogen. The two researchers have developed novel catalytic systems and devices capable of harnessing the energy of light to conduct important chemical processes, including the production of hydrogen. An increasingly widespread and sustainable production of hydrogen will help accelerate the achievement of net zero.
in the Energy Frontiers section, for research on renewable sources and energy storage, the prize was awarded to Jens Nørskov and Ib Chorkendorff of the Technical University of Denmark for their work on the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals – electrochemical synthesis at low pressure and temperature of ammonia. They developed a cyclic electrochemical process, activated by renewable energies and mediated by lithium, for the production of ammonia at ambient temperature and pressure. Ammonia is one of the main basic chemicals used in the production of fertilizers and many other derivative products, as well as one of the candidates as an energy carrier of renewable origin;
finally, in the field of Advanced Environmental Solutions, dedicated to research on the protection of air, water and land and on the remediation of industrial sites, the prize was awarded to Geoffrey Coates of Cornell University (Ithaca, New York) for his research on Development of new macromolecular architectures to solve the end-of-life problems of plastics. Prof. Coates has developed industrial-level methodologies for obtaining polymers with reduced environmental impact in four specific areas: chemically recyclable plastics; mechanical recycling of plastics; photodegradable plastics; biodegradable plastics from renewable raw materials. Research paves the way for the development of scientific and technological solutions to minimize the negative impact on the environment of polymeric materials and plastics.
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, this edition confers four prizes, assigned to Yousif ADAM, The American University in Cairo, Egypt, to Ibrahim Mohamed Ibrahim Moustafa IBRAHIM, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Egypt, Andsera Adugna MEKONEN, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and Andris Metumo SIMEON, University of Cape Town, South Africa. The winners will receive a scholarship that will allow them to attend PhD courses at the Polytechnic of Turin and the “Federico II” University of Naples to deepen and develop their innovative ideas. Adam’s proposal concerns the sustainable management of wastewater in Africa, based on the use of micro-algae, with a view to a Circular Economy. Ibrahim proposed a thesis developing an advanced predictive approach for estimating energy generation from solar installations. Mekonen carried out a study of the sustainable agroforestry ecosystem using Earth observation and environmental surveying in the central part of Ethiopia. Finally, Simeon developed a study on intelligent adaptive protection strategies for hybrid micro-grids.
For the Young Researcher of the Year category, which rewards two researchers who have obtained their PhDs from Italian universities, the awards were assigned to Isabella Fiorello and Giulia Fredi.
Fiorello, who conducted his doctorate at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, has developed mini-robots inspired by climbing plants that pave the way for new sustainable and intelligent strategies, applicable to precision agriculture, which will help to conserve resources. natural.
Fredi, from the University of Trento, conducted a study on polymeric composite materials that combine high mechanical properties with the ability to store and release heat, for applications in the field of thermal energy storage.
For the Eni Innovation Award section, which elects the most innovative projects developed by Eni researchers and technical experts, the following were awarded:
1. 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 process for producing them;
2. G. Gatti, C. Perretta (Eni-Versalis) for the innovative technological solution that implements a line of new products, containing recycled material deriving from end-of-life tires;
3. A. 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 from contaminated groundwater.
The special mention “Eni Joule for Entrepreneurship” was also assigned to three startups that have distinguished themselves for the innovativeness and sustainability of the proposed entrepreneurial projects:
AraBat:
Startup early stage (TRL 4) of Foggia which develops innovative processes for the recycling of exhausted lithium batteries and the reintegration of precious metals recovered through an innovative system that uses agri-food waste. The team is made up of 5 young Apulian professionals (engineers, chemists, economists) who developed the project at the University of Foggia and is represented by Raffaele Nacchiero (CEO and co-founder).
Sinergy Flow:
Early stage startup (TRL 4) in Milan which proposes an innovative battery for medium and large scale stationary energy storage. The flow cell coil uses sulfur-rich waste from the petrochemical industry, with low installation cost and high performance. The team consists of 3 young engineers who developed the project at the Politecnico di Milano and is represented by Alessandra Accogli (CEO and co-founder).
Ricehouse:
Startup with a very high level of maturity (TRL 9) in Milan that transforms waste deriving from rice processing into natural materials for green building and green architecture. Today it has become a benefit company and has about 15 employees (aged between 24 and 44) and is represented by Tiziana Monterisi (CEO and co-founder).