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  • Energy Efficiency and Hydrogen Demand of Atmospheric Fast Catalytic Hydropyrolysis of Residual Lignocellulosic Biomass
    The accelerating penetration of intermittent renewables underscores the need for versatile energy carriers capable of buffering the mismatch between variable generation and end-use demand. Integrating residual lignocellulosic biomass with surplus renewable power offers a sustainable, cost-effective route to create carbon-based energy carriers, crucial for the decarbonization of hard-to-abate energy sectors such as heavy transport and aviation. Within this framework, fast catalytic hydro-pyrolysis (CFHP) emerges as a key technology: it co-converts biomass-derived carbon and green hydrogen into stabilized and partly de-oxygenated liquid biofuels. In this study, we investigate the energy performance of the atmospheric CFHP of lignocellulosic biomass, with special focus on the evaluation of the hydrogen requirement of the process. A novel home-built fluidized-bed reactor system for the semi-continuous processing of biomass has been designed and realized. A commercial MoO3 catalyst for hydrodeoxygenation and was employed as a catalyst bed. The results showed that at 450 ° C of the pyrolysis temperature, 40% of the overall heat demand of pyrolysis can be supplied by the catalytic conversion of hydrogen. At the explored process conditions, hydrogen consumption was evaluated as 4.4 g H2/kgbiomass. Moreover, hydrogen has a significant impact on the quality of the pyrolysis products, such as the organic fraction of bio-oil (rich in aromatic hydrocarbons) and non-condensable gas. Furthermore, the hydrogen integration leads to superior energy efficiencies of the process, up to 68 %. This study contributes to the development of hybrid decentralized biorefineries, unlocking synergies between renewable electricity and biomass valorization.

  • Preface
    This Conference Proceedings volume contains the written versions of the contributions presented during the 80th Conference of the “Associazione Termotecnica Italiana“ (ATI). The conference took place on September 10-12, 2025, at the University of Sannio in Benevento. ATI represents the oldest association in Italy that brings together universities, industries, and technical experts in the field of thermal engineering and energy conversion systems. The 2025 edition of the ATI Conference focused on innovation and sustainable development for industry, communities problems and provided a platform for discussing recent developments in a wide range of themes. Technical sessions were organized on the following topics: – clean, sustainable and renewable energy production and storage systems – climate change mitigation in the built environment – district heating and cooling – efficient energy use and conversion in systems and processes – energy efficiency in buildings – energy storage systems – hydraulics, pneumatics and drive systems – hydrogen production, transport, storage and utilization – innovation in heat transfer – internal combustion engines and sustainable mobility – measurement and monitoring in energy systems – policies to aid the energy transition – positive energy districts – refrigeration and heat pumps – renewable energy communities and smart energy systems – thermal control in electric and hybrid vehicles – turbomachines. List of Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee are available in this PDF.

  • Peer Review Statement
    All papers published in this volume have been reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing. • Type of peer review: Double Anonymous • Conference submission management system: Morressier • Number of submissions received: 144 • Number of submissions sent for review: 138 • Number of submissions accepted: 131 • Acceptance Rate (Submissions Accepted / Submissions Received × 100): 91 • Average number of reviews per paper: 0 • Total number of reviewers involved: 55 • Contact person for queries: Name: Simone Email: techsupport@verticale.net Affiliation: Eiom - IT Development

  • Valorisation of digestate through nitrogen and phosphorus recovery via chemical-physical precipitation and microbubble insufflation to reduce COD in the liquid
    The combination of anaerobic digestion of waste biomass (e.g. livestock manure, energy crops and organic waste) and digestate treatment makes it possible to obtain green energy (from biogas/biomethane) and return nutrients to the soil, satisfying the principles of the circular economy. Digestate has valuable potential as an organic fertiliser and soil conditioner, as it can be an important source of nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus (N and P), which are essential for crop growth. However, digestate production sometimes exceeds the capacity of farmland to utilise the nutrients. Therefore, the recovery of nutrients from digestate and organic matter becomes important for the sustainability of livestock farms and environmental protection. In this study, a method combining struvite precipitation and ammonia stripping was tested in the laboratory, allowing the recovery of N and P, while the presence of oxygen aeration allows for the reduction of the organic load (COD). The results obtained indicate that over 60% of the total P was removed in the form of struvite, which can be used as a fertiliser to replace fossil mineral fertilisers. The recovery of N and P from digestate through struvite crystallisation allows the removal of excess nutrients and COD, reducing the environmental impact of the use of slurry/digestate in agriculture. Finally, the recovery of struvite allows the production of a fertiliser that can be easily exported by farms, promoting the circular economy.

  • Techno-economic analysis of renewable e-fuels powered by undispatchable RES
    Renewable power-to-X solutions may play a crucial role in the energy transition towards a carbon neutral scenario. In particular, renewable power-to-gas and power-to-methanol are interesting pathways for carbon recycling as they allow for CO2 valorization. Moreover, renewable power to ammonia is another interesting pathway which deserves to be investigated, due to ammonia characteristics and uses, which make it one of the most versatile chemicals. Nonetheless, the economic viability of such green e-fuels is still challenging, particularly when they are produced by relying on not dispatchable Renewable Energy Sources (RES), like solar and wind. Indeed, while Polymeric Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers (PEMEL) can work at partial load with fast dynamics response, e-fuels synthesis reactors (e.g. methanator) should operate at fixed working point, as their dynamics is slower. To overcome this issue and decouple these two sub-systems, there are at least two configurations which exhibit different pros and cons both in terms of economics and space occupation. In this study, a buffer hydrogen storage is interposed between a PEMEL and the general e-fuel synthesis reactor, whose pressure level is set according to each e-fuel. To this goal, a time-variant techno-economic analysis has been conducted for each pathway in this plant configuration, in order to assess green e-fuels production costs. A 10 MW PEMEL is chosen which is powered by a solar PV field and a wind farm, with 17.25 MW power each. The obtained economic results in terms of green e-fuel production costs show higher values compared to fossil fuel based processes.