The seminar, entitled From agri-food waste to energy and materials: challenges and opportunities of thermal conversion, will take place on Tuesday, March 24 at 10:00, in Room Grandori, and will be delivered by Izabella Maj, Assistant Professor at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Poland.

Speaker’s bio
Izabella Maj, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Poland, within the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering. Her research focuses on the thermal conversion of biomass and waste, high-temperature corrosion, ash characterization and utilization, and emission control in energy systems. A key theme of her current work is the sustainable and safe utilization of animal-origin waste—such as poultry litter and cattle manure—within waste-to-energy and circular economy frameworks. She is currently the Principal Investigator of a project funded by the National Science Centre (Poland), investigating the influence of aluminosilicate additives on ash properties and high-temperature corrosion during biomass combustion.

Abstract
The thermal conversion of agri-food waste, particularly animal-origin waste, represents a promising pathway for sustainable waste management and energy recovery within the circular economy framework. Materials such as poultry litter and cattle manure are produced in large quantities worldwide and pose significant environmental challenges when managed through conventional land application, including greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient runoff, and the spread of pathogens and antibiotic residues. Thermal treatment offers an effective alternative, enabling energy recovery while reducing environmental and sanitary risks.

The presentation addresses the combustion and gasification of animal-origin waste, with particular attention to ash behavior, high-temperature corrosion, and valorization pathways for process by-products. Special focus is given to chlorine-induced corrosion mechanisms in power boilers, which represent one of the main operational barriers in waste-to-energy systems. Experimental corrosion studies conducted on boiler steels under controlled temperatures are presented, supported by detailed microstructural and kinetic analyses.

The role of aluminosilicate additives—such as halloysite, kaolin, and bentonite—in modifying ash chemistry is also discussed. Results show that targeted ash modification can significantly influence ash melting behavior, suppress low-temperature melt formation, and reduce corrosion rates by improving oxide scale integrity. Beyond corrosion mitigation, potential utilization routes for biomass ashes are explored, including applications in additive manufacturing (3D printing).