The background of the main components of the research team matured through an intensive working experience in research centres of big industrial companies and European universities, rely on the following main topics:

Supercritical Fluids:

The expertise includes many subjects as listed in the following:

• Waste treatment in Supercritical Water,
• Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) and Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG),
• Supercritical Water Oxidation in Hydrothermal Flame (SCWO-HF),
• Extraction in Subcritical and Supercritical Fluids as CO₂, Water, Organic Solvents,
• Nanomaterial production in Supercritical Fluids through advanced processes such as RESS (Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solutions), PGSS (Particles from Gas Saturated Solutions), GAS (Gas Antisolvent crystallisation), SAS (Supercritical Anti Solvent).

In these areas studies related to technological monitoring, technical, economical and environmental analysis as well basic research including design, construction and operation of laboratory and small bench plant units in order to ascertain technical feasibility and get the basic know how can be carried out.

Oil & Gas

Main expertise in this sector embraces topics concerning:

• Characterization of the effect of Surface Active Agents on the formation and inhibition of Gas Hydrates,
• Measurements of CMC e Kraft Point of Ionics Surface Active Agents under high pressure, low temperature and in the presence different gaseous atmosphere for Gas Hydrates formation (patent       WO2007122647),
• Colorimetric Characterization Gas Hydrates,
• Development of Model for prediction of gas hydrates formation in pipe lines and wells,
• Characterization and QSAR Modelling on the effect of Inhibitors and Promoters on gas hydrates Formation,
• Advanced Formation Processes Binary Gas Hydrates and gaseous Hydrogen Hydrates (patent EP07010346),
• Advanced technologies on application of Gas Hydrates Gas Mixture Purification (patent WO2010018609),
• Characterization and Modelling on the effect surface active agents in Enhanced Gas Recovery, and in Flow Assurance particularly on the effect of surface active agents for foam formation and measurements of surface active rheological properties under temperature, pressure, salinity, water/gas/hydrocarbon ratio actual well condition,
• Systems capable to simulate well and pipelines in order to measure chemical properties of Gaseous Mixtures under actual temperature and pressure conditions.

Waste Treatment and Management and Product Recovery

The knowledge in this area can be divided in the three following main branches:

• Applications of processes based on Green Chemistry and Clean Technologies approaches for waste and wastewater treatment, reuse, recycling and energy recovery,
• Purification, Decontamination, Regeneration and product recovery from waste and wastewater by Supercritical Fluids Extraction,
• Analysis of the existing waste and wastewater facilities and related management procedures and identification of new procedure capable to improve the current performance both in terms of specification of treated streams and utilities consumptions.  

Renewable energy

Available capabilities allows to address R&D subjects concerning Energy and Bio fuel from Biomass, Mini Solar Thermodynamic, Miniheolic, as well as studies related to Economical, Environmental and Social Sustainability on the subjects above, particularly by using LCA models.

Advanced Process Control Systems

Expertise is also available for design construction and assistance to operation of cable and wireless SCADA, DCS, RTU systems, custom based sensor on open source hardware and software packages.