Leonardo Setti

Dr. Leonardo Setti, University of Bologna, Dept. of Industrial Chemistry, is a scientist with a leading scientific excellence in the topic at national and EU level.

Main field: supramolecular chemistry, immobilization of enzymes and microorganisms in food technology, environmental and industrial applications.

Specific experiences on the development of new biocatalytic applications for the developmento of new products capable to satisfy the sustainability of industrial processes as well as the integrated product policies required by the Green Public Procurement. The research was essentially focalized to valorize industrial processes in terms of chemistry and energy as well.

Since 2003, his researches are focused on the technologies for the energy production from renewable resources and in particular on direct solar technologies  such as the development of new plastic photovoltaic devices transforming the solar energy in electric energy and non-direct solar  technologies such as the development of new bioelectrodes for the realization of biofuel cell transforming agro-industrial wastes in electric energy.

Recently, he has developed new model of Integrated System for the Energy Management to be applied in the local energetic planning for the realization of an energetic net by a distributed power microgeneration.

In July 2012, he became Chairman of AGEN.TER. (Territorial Agency fo Sustainable Food, Agro-Environment and Energy), which combines the expertise of the association Environment Agricoltural Center (AAC), founded in Crevalcore by Giorgio Celli in 1988, and the association Disclosure Agricoltural Center (CDA), founded in 1976, which publishes the magazine "Il Divulgatore". The agency, whose founding members are the Province of Bologna, the cities of Terre d'Acqua, Confagricoltura Bologna, the Italian Confederation of Farmers of Bologna and the Consortium of Bonifica renana, will help to enhance the synergies between the public and private sectors in agriculture and the environment with the prospect of new fields of intervention such as that of food and renewable energies

He is a member of the Directive Counsil of the Ordine dei Chimici di Bologna e Ravenna.

He is a member of the working group on Solar Energy for the Energy Commission of the Accademia dei Lincei.

Relevant projects

RESCOP project (Research Group on COVID-19 and Particulate matter), an international Task Force of researchers who have accepted the proposal of SIMA (Italian Society of Environmental Medicine, with international offices in Brussels, Madrid and New York), offering its availability to verify the presence of coronavirus on the atmospheric particulate matter of the cities most affected. This task force was born from the first evidence of a correlation between SARS-CoV-2 and particulate matter presented internationally through a March 2020 position paper.

European project “ENERGY@SCHOOL” INTERREG CENTRAL EUROPE 2016 for low carbon cities and regions that aims to increase the capacity of the public sector for implementing energy smart schools. The project will achieve this by applying an integrated approach that educates and trains schools staff and pupils to become Senior and Junior Energy Guardians (EGs). The project will provide: - 1 transferrable and 8 customised strategies for smart schools; 1 joint and 7 customised energy smart-school management plans;3 smart phones APPs for EGs;8 tested pilot solutions of energy efficiency and RES application in schools under direct contribution of EGs, in the form of guidelines, toolbox, best practices as reference documents and experiences..

European project “Natural antioxidant from olive oil processing waste waters” FAIR CT97 3039 focused on the recovery of high value chemicals from olive milling waste waters. These studies were the start-up for several projects on the developments of biorefineries based on the recovery of chemical building blocks and energy oriented to a Bio-based Industrial Chemistry  to come from which the industrial research on the controlled bioliquefaction of the agro-industrial wastes takes its origin.

Project on new techniques for the photorealistic decoration of solid surface through inkjet technologies. New technologies for the decoration of solid surface such as food, wood, glass and leather were developed presenting important industrial results.

LITCAR (the Integrated Laboratory for Techologies and Environmental Control in the Life Cicle Wastes)  financed by the PRRIITTof the Emilia-Romagna Region. In this project Leonardo Setti is responsible of a line for the realization of an environmental friendly ink for inkjet technology in cooperation with ENEA (Bologna). Today, this ink is commercialized by Lesepidado srl and it is known as INKNOINK. This product was classified between the first 64 innovative project as reported in “Italian Applications” by IlSole24Ore (2006) (the major Italian financial newspaper).   In 2007, Lesepidado has obtained the National Award IMPRESA AMBIENTE for the realization of INKNOINK.

Project on biodesulphurization of middle distillates was supported by AGIP Petroli (Roma), Enitecnologie (Roma),  API Raffinerie (Ancona) e ECO-Petrol (Columbia) for the development of new bioreactors in non-conventional systems, in particular packed-bad and membrane bioreactors with immobilized cells were realized for the production of middle distillates at low Sox emissions.

Project for the realization of bioelectrodes. New non-conventional applications of the inkjet technologies for the development of oriented microdeposition in order to obtain micro- and nano-biomolecular circuits for the fabrication of biosensors to be applied in food and environmental monitorino. In 2004 he has presented the first biosensor completely inkjet printed at the “8th World Congress on Biosensors” (Granada, Spagna). The realization of biomelocular  microcircuits was named biopolytronics. This technique can be used for active pckaging and intelligent packaging as well as in the development of biofuel cells.   

development of bioelectrode on thin plastic films, were transferred in order to realized plastic photovoltaic devices.

Project for the development of Integrated System for the Energy Management.  An interdisciplinary group of research was  created and it is constituted by environmental engineers, architects, industrial chemists and experts in communications for the development of local integrated energetic planning with the goal to realized integrated systems of distributed power microgeneration. Our activity was engaged by the Assessorato  delle Attività Produttive of the Emilia-Romagna Region for the development of a new "Regional Energy Network" able to monitoring the Regional Energy Planning in progress.

Industrial developments

He was responsible for the realization of some industrial plants such as:

Ø      2000 – a plant for the production of food ink at low environmental impact for ikjet technology (Olivetti I-Jet, Ivrea) in which, today, about 2500 printers for food use and 30000 cartridges with food ink per years are produced.

Ø      2001 – a pilot plant for the recovery of natural antioxidants from olive milling waste waters through adsorption/desorption technology by synthetic resins was realized at Tuyap Technologies (Istanbul, Turkey)

Ø      2007 – a plant for the controlled bioliquefaction of agro-food byproducts for the production of functional ingredients to be applied in cosmetic with a maximum capacity of 15 ton per year.

Technological transfer projects

Since 1999, he has coordinated projects for the technological transfer financed by SPINNER consortium (Servizi per la Promozione dell'INNovazione E della Ricerca, Organismo Intermediario per la gestione della Sovvenzione Globale avente ad oggetto l'attuazione della Misura D.3 “Sviluppo e consolidamento dell'imprenditorialità con priorità ai nuovi bacini di impiego” del Programma Operativo della Regione Emilia-Romagna ob. 3 Fondo Sociale Europeo 2000 – 2006).

ECOINK (2002) – project of technological transfer for the realization of inks with low environemntal impact

TILJET  (2002) – project of technological transfer for the realization of inkjet printers able to decorate wood and glass.

SOLAR FILM (2003) – project for the creation of new high-tech enterprise on the development of flexible plastic photovoltaic modules at a low cost using nanostructured matrixes. SOLAR FILM resulted first classified at the AWARD START CUP 2006 of the “provincia di Bologna”. The project was selectioned for a Joint Research Lab of the University of Bologna with the aim to create a chain of industrial investors.

PHENBIOX (2005) – project for the creation of new high-tech enterprise operating in the integrated valorization of agro-food wastes using patented technology for the liquefaction and molecular disruption of the plant cell walls in which are employed three researchers in Industrial Chemistry. PHENBIOX resulted third classified at the AWARD START CUP 2006 of the “provincia di Bologna”.

 ENERGY 24 (2008) – project for the creation of new high-tech enterprise operating in the development new biofuel cells for the direct production of electric energy using agro-industrial wastes as renewable resources.

Spin-off enterprises

Lesepidado srl (2000, Bologna) – a spin-off enterprise operating in the non-conventional ink-jet technology for environmental friendly applications (food, wood, tile, leather, glass, tattoo,…) in which 8 researchers in Industrial Chemistry, Biology and Chemical Engineering are employed. This company has a turnover of 1,6 million Euro with an annual growth trend around 30%.

PHENBIOX (2006, Bologna) -  a spin-off enterprise operating in the integrated valorization of agro-food wastes using patented technology for the liquefaction and molecular disruption of the plant cell walls in which are employed three researchers in Industrial Chemistry. This company previews a turnover of 600000 € in three year. In 2007, PHENBIOX was included in the best European cases RUISNET Guide of Good Practices of University-Industry Cooperation with Regional Impact selectioned by the Regional University-Industry Strategies Network (RUISNET), a project part-financed by the initiative INTERREG IIIC South. In 2008 PHENBIOX resulted winner of the national award as “Young Innovative Enterprise-2007” of Unioncamere

 LUCE&VITAenergia , (2006, Bologna) - a no-profit association with the aim to diffuse the education on the renewable energy through the realization of photovoltaic plants.

FRESCOSMESI (2011, Bologna) - It was born from the idea of two industrial chemists who decided to industrialize their experience gained during the degree thesis and the PhD with the aim of producing territorial biocosmetics using natural active ingredients.

CENTER for LOCAL SOLAR COMMUNITIES (2015, Bologna) - a non-profit association that studies and develops new tools to accompany citizens in the energy transition. This transition will end in 2050 when 80% of all energy consumed will be produced from renewable sources. Since renewable energy is essentially solar energy and 70% of energy is consumed by households, then we are moving towards the transformation of our cities into solar cities and consequently of citizens into solar citizens. The association intends to promote the training of solar citizens by using an innovative tool-kit for solar citizen. Over than 1200 families are already involved in the solar services of the association. The Center tested and developed the first Italian energy exchange platform developed in four Municipalities of the Province of Bologna (Medicina, Casalecchio di Reno, Zola Predosa and Sasso Marconi) called the Solar Community whose model has now become national law (Law 8/2021) known as Renewable Energy Communities. In January 2019, the first Solar Info Store was opened, an innovative store dedicated to the energy transition.On January 2019 the first Solar Info Store was opened, an innovative shop dedicated to the energy transition.

Solar Info Community srl (Benefit Company, 2021, Milan) - Born from the project of the Center for Solar Communities. It is an innovative technological company that has developed the first technological platform for the exchange of energy between citizens, businesses and the municipal administration. SIC is responsible for developing energy communities between companies whose management activates a social, corporate and environmental welfare program to support the technological platform for the exchange of energy between households. SIC's mission is to accelerate the energy transition by transforming industrial areas into large green power plants in the area.

Bibliography

He is the author of three monographs

Leonardo Setti (2017) - Pomario - Ilmiolibro Editore

Leonardo Setti, Maurizio Marano, Ugo Mencherini (2021) - La Transizione Energetica - Dupress Editore

Leonardo Setti (2022) - La Fabbrica delle Comunità Solari - Abra Books Editore, Vicenza.