CIRCOLARE – Nanostrutture Carboniose da Scarti Agricoli per l'Accumulo di Idrogeno allo Stato Solido

Funder: Project funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 2 – Component 2 – Investment 3.5 - Call for tender No. 4 of 23/03/2022 of Italian Ministry of Ecologic Transition by the European Union – NextGenerationEU

Award Number:Project code RSH2A_000015, Concession Decree No 438 of 23/03/2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition, CUP F57G25000160006

Start date: July 2023. 

End date: June 2026. 

Total NRRP funding for Unipr: € 870,000.00. 

Objectives 
The CIRCOLARE project aims to develop an innovative hydrogen storage system based on new carbonaceous materials derived from agricultural waste capable of absorbing solid-state hydrogen. The objective is to valorize biochar produced in a circular economy context by activating and decorating it with metallic nanoparticles. This process will enable the cleavage of the hydrogen molecule and the development of a fully reversible chemical bond (chemisorption) with the carbon matrix, overcoming the limitations of current high-cost storage materials. 

Activities
At the University of Parma, the activities focus on several critical objectives. First, the research team will identify and collect optimal agricultural waste to convert it into super-porous activated biochar through pyrolysis and chemical activation. Secondly, the activated biochar will undergo chemical decoration with alkali metals (such as Li and Na) to activate the hydrogen chemisorption process via the spillover effect. Finally, the university will conduct a comprehensive technical-economic and environmental sustainability analysis (LCA). This analysis will evaluate the entire production cycle, from raw material sourcing to the finished product, to ensure the proposed solutions are fully sustainable and ready for industrial application. 

• Department of Mathematical, Physical and Computer Sciences. 
• Department of Engineering and Architecture. 

Anticipated outcomes of the project encompass:

• Identification of the optimal agricultural waste and its conversion into a highly porous carbon matrix (activated biochar). 
• Effective chemical decoration of the biochar with metal nanoparticles. 
• Demonstration of solid-state hydrogen chemisorption within the carbon materials. 
• Development of a functional storage material capable of absorbing at least 5% (by weight) of hydrogen. 
• Design and simulation of a pilot-scale hydrogen storage demonstrator up to TRL 5. 
• Quantification of investment performance indices and environmental impact assessments for the new hydrogen storage solution projected in an industrial context.