Cycle / Years
40th cycle [2024-2027]
Contacts
Supervisor(s)
Prof.ssa Erika Ribechini, Dr. Marco Mattonai
Title of the PhD project
Study of the degradation of compostable bioplastics using advanced analytical techniques
Abstract of the PhD project
Environmental issues arising from the extensive exploitation and disposal of products made from fossil fuels have led to the search for new green solutions. Among these, the development and use of products made from biodegradable and compostable plastics are gaining attention. The marketing of these products has introduced a wide variety of materials, differing in their chemical composition, production processes, degradation rates, and mechanisms. In this context, it is crucial to characterize the different types of compostable bioplastics, their degradation processes, and their interactions with the environment. This will help establish the properties of each material and understand their real environmental impact. The aim of this project is to develop new analytical methods based on analytical pyrolysis, chromatography, and mass spectrometry to study compostable bioplastics, from the production stage through to the degradation process under natural, controlled, and composting conditions. The management, treatment, and disposal of waste in composting plants or plastic fractionation plants involve the formation of complex matrices. Therefore, the development and optimization of new analytical methods aim to enable both qualitative and quantitative determination of compostable or non-compostable bioplastics in samples with such feature. Moreover, it is important to verify if the polyethylene content is below the minimum threshold composition value established by policies to classify a product as compostable. The application of these analytical methods also seeks to quantify the polyethylene content in compostable blends to ensure compliance with compostability regulations. Finally, the purpose of applying the developed methods is to achieve clear, reliable, effective, and fast identification of the material under investigation.
Academic Fields and Disciplines (SSD), main and secondary
CHIM01
Educational and third mission activities
• Storie di Chimica: esperienze, percorsi e opportunità: orientation event for high school students, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy. Oral presentation on the PhD experience
International
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Publications
• M. Mattonai, F. Nardella, M. Filomena, S. Gesti, G. Medaglia, E. Ribechini, Quantification of polyethylene in biodegradable plastics by analytical pyrolysis-based methods with GC split modulation, Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, Volume 191, 2025, 107172, ISSN 0165-2370, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2025.107172
Ferretti A, Degano I, Filomena M, La Nasa J, Campanella B, Legnaioli S, Penoni S, Pintus R, Todaro C, Modugno F., Wall Drawing #736: Revealing Sol LeWitt’s Ink Mural Technique Using a Multi-Analytical Approach. Heritage. 2024;7(8):4265-4281. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7080201
Oral communications at conferences
• Workshop Plastiche & Ambiente, 4-6 June 2025, Aula Magna di Ingegneria e Architettura, Università di Bologna (sede di Ravenna), Ravenna, Italy. Oral communication: “Valutazione del contenuto di polietilene in miscele di bioplastiche mediante idrolisi assistita dalle microonde e pirolisi analitica”; M. Filomena, S. Mazzoncini, M. Mattonai, E. Ribechini
• Chemistry for the Future (CFF) 2025, 7-9 July 2025, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy. Flash presentation: “Bi(or not too bi)o plastics: environmental issues and analytical challenges”; M. Filomena, S. Mazzoncini, M. Mattonai, E. Ribechini
Poster communications at conferences
• Chemistry for the Future (CFF) 2025, 7-9 July 2025, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy. Poster contribution: “Bi(or not too bi)o plastics: environmental issues and analytical challenges”; M. Filomena, S. Mazzoncini, M. Mattonai, E. Ribechini
• WASTE-ENERGY-WATER NEXUS: MATERIALS & PROCESSES (WEW-ICS25), 16-17 July 2025, Campus di Rimini, Rimini, and Tecnopolo di Ravenna-Centro di Ricerca Ambiente Energia e Mare (CRAEM), Marina di Ravenna, Ravenna, Italy. Poster contribution: “Eutectic solvents and microwave heating for a sustainable lignin extraction and fractionation from biomass”; M. Filomena, M. Mattonai, F. Nardella, E. Ribechini
• XXXI Congresso della Divisione di Chimica Analitica della Società Chimica Italiana (SCI), 7-11 September 2025, Polo della Memoria 1938, University of Pisa, Italy. Poster contribution: “Evaluation of polyethylene content in bioplastics blends using MW-assisted hydrolysis and Py-GC/MS”; M. Filomena, S. Mazzoncini, M. Mattonai, E. Ribechini
Other achievements
• Best Poster Award: WASTE-ENERGY-WATER NEXUS: MATERIALS & PROCESSES (WEW-ICS25), 16-17 July 2025, Campus di Rimini, Rimini, and Tecnopolo di Ravenna-Centro di Ricerca Ambiente Energia e Mare (CRAEM), Marina di Ravenna, Ravenna, Italy. Poster contribution: “Eutectic solvents and microwave heating for a sustainable lignin extraction and fractionation from biomass”; M. Filomena, M. Mattonai, F. Nardella, E. Ribechini
Funding
PNRR, DM 630/2024
