Encapsulate PRIN project

02/10/2025

Final Event of the PRIN2022 ENCAPSULATE Project

On September 26th, 2025, the final event of the PRIN2022 ENCAPSULATE project took place at the Department of Industrial Chemistry “Toso Montanari” of the University of Bologna.
During the meeting, both the Bologna research unit, led by Prof. Tabanelli, and the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice research unit, led by Prof. Sgarzi, presented the excellent results achieved over the two years of the project. The event highlighted the solid foundations laid for future collaborations in the fields of biorefinery and the development of catalytic processes for lignin valorization.
A heartfelt thank you to all the researchers who contributed to the project...and see you soon for the next steps ahead!

DSMN Ca Foscari
Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna Department of Industrial Chemistry "Toso Montanari" - University of Bologna

27/05/2025

Last week, Giorgia Peroni, Tommaso Tabanelli and Massimo Sgarzi attended the International Symposium on Green Chemistry (ISGC) to disseminate the latest results about lignocellulosic biomass valorisation obtained in the ENCAPSULATE PRIN project.
It was a valuable opportunity to share ideas and research results on sustainable chemistry and get inspired by passionate scientists.

A particular acknowledgement to the organizers, who made this amazing event possible.

DSMN Ca Foscari
Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna Department of Industrial Chemistry "Toso Montanari" - University of Bologna

27/05/2025

Last week, Giorgia Peroni, Tommaso Tabanelli and Massimo Sgarzi attended the International Symposium on Green Chemistry (ISGC) to disseminate the latest results about lignocellulosic biomass valorisation obtained in the ENCAPSULATE PRIN project.
It was a valuable opportunity to share ideas and research results on sustainable chemistry and get inspired by passionate scientists.

A particular acknowledgement to the organizers, who made this amazing event possible.

DSMN Ca Foscari
Department of Industrial Chemistry "Toso Montanari" - University of Bologna

10/01/2025

Paper alert!

The reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) of second generation lignocellulosic biomass is an elegant one-pot process to obtain a highly delignified cellulose pulp, sugar-derived polyols, and depolymerized and stabilized lignin oils.
However, the need of noble metal catalysts to prompt the reactions may impact the economic sustainability of the overall “lignin-first” biorefinery if the catalyst recovery and recyclability are not guaranteed.
Herein, the use of a novel catalyst based on supported ruthenium over maghemite for the RCF of poplar sawdust is reported for the first time.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c05299

The reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) of second generation lignocellulosic biomass is an elegant one-pot process to obtain a highly delignified cellulose pulp, sugar-derived polyols, and depolymerized and stabilized lignin oils. However, the need of noble metal catalysts to prompt the reaction...

25/10/2024

On Friday 18th October, the first year ENCAPSULATE meeting took place at the Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice (DSMN Ca Foscari).
The whole team met to discuss the project results obtained at UNIVE (Università Ca' Foscari Venezia) and at UNIBO (Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna) on the efficient catalytic processes for the fractionation and in-situ upgrading of second generation lignocellulosic biomass, together with the holistic valorization of its components. i.e. cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.
It was as well a great occasion to plan the future steps for the successful achievement of the ENCAPSULATE goals.