
- Questo evento è passato.
PhDTalks | FROM SH*T TO GOLD: exploring novel opportunities for agricultural waste bioconversion into valuable products
Giugno 10 @ 17:00 - 18:30

Il prossimo appuntamento con la serie di incontri PhDTalks si terrà Martedì 10 Giugno nell’aula Fassò (Edificio 4A), dalle 17:15 alle 18:30 CET.
PhDTalks è una serie di seminari e discussioni tra dottorandi. Gli eventi hanno lo scopo di fornire un luogo dove creare un network tra dottorandi ed entrare in contatto con i molti progetti sviluppati nel nostro dipartimento.
Lo speaker Francesca Di Benedetto condurrà un seminario dal titolo “FROM SH*T TO GOLD: exploring novel opportunities for agricultural waste bioconversion into valuable products”.
Al termine dell’evento sarà disponibile un piccolo rinfresco finanziato dal dipartimento.
Sarà possibile seguire la conferenza anche online al seguente link.
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) converts livestock manure and waste crops into biogas, a renewable energy source. It also produces two major by-products: digestate and carbon dioxide. Digestate retains most nutrients from the original feedstocks and has long been used as fertilizer, but its massive spread has led to environmental issues, prompting EU regulation. As energy demand increases, so does the number of AD plants, and creating additional value from digestate and CO2 has become a priority. Meanwhile, rising population and changing diets are increasing protein demand, straining land and feed resources. A promising strategy to address these challenges is the bioconversion of AD by-products into Single-Cell Proteins for animal feed, exploiting liquid digestate as a nutrient-rich substrate, CO₂ as a carbon source, and green H₂ as energy input. Gasifying solid digestate can further enhance resource efficiency and process autonomy, replacing external H₂ and lowering costs. This integrated approach upcycles nutrients and reduces reliance on conventional feed crops, aligning with circular economy principles.
Speaker’s bio
Francesca holds an MSc in Environmental Sciences from Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, awarded in 2022. She is currently a PhD candidate in Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering (38th cycle) at Politecnico di Milano. Her research focuses on the valorization of agricultural by-products to enhance the sustainability of waste-to-resource processes. Specifically, she is investigating bacteria-based biorefineries for the bioconversion of anaerobic digestion by-products into proteins for animal feed applications, with an emphasis on circular economy principles.
In her spare time, Francesca enjoys singing and playing the piano, hiking in the mountains, and perfecting the art of turning food into happiness.