Current Trends and Future Developments on (Bio-) Membranes: Membrane Technologies in Environmental Protection and Public Health: Challenges and Opportunities

Angelo Basile is a Full Professor and a leading authority in membrane science and technology. Since 2014, he has served as Full Professor in Systems, Methods and Technologies of Chemical Engineering Processes at CNR-ITM in Rende, Italy. His work covers hydrogen purification and production using membrane reactors, CO₂ capture, process intensification, and the treatment of industrial effluents with advanced membrane operations. Basile has edited many scientific books and authored numerous book chapters, bridging complex research with clear knowledge for engineers and scientists. Motivated by the role of AI/ML in accelerating membrane process design and automation, he supports integrating data-driven methods for smart plants and reaction–separation optimisation.

Mario Gensini graduated in Chemical Engineer at the University of Calabria in 1997 and, after a brief experience as Technical Officer in Italian Army, he has begun to collaborate with the CNR. After some post graduate study grants, he acts as Technologists in the Institute for Membrane Technology of the National Research Council (ITM-CNR), Italy. From 2012 to September 2019, he worked at Institute for Atmospheric Pollution of the National Research Council (IIA-CNR), Italy. He has participated in numerous campaigns of atmospheric monitoring in National and International Projects. His activity is attested by scientific papers, technical papers, books and participations in Congress. His current field of technical interest is on environmental legislation, the possibility of developing new methodologies for low-cost environmental monitoring.

Ivo Allegrini graduated in Chemistry at the University of Rome. He gained a wealth of experience in air pollution in indoor, urban, industrial and remote areas through a series of studies and researches carried out on behalf of universities, research centers, major industries and public administrations in Italy and abroad. Since 1971 he was engaged in scientific research in the Institute for Atmospheric Pollution of the Italian National Research Council where he was appointed as Director for 22 years. He had the opportunity to develop important projects in several aspects of air pollution such as those in polar areas (Arctic and Antarctica), those on environmental sensing with airborne and satellite platforms and on chemical and physical processes related to emissions, transformations and depositions of air pollutants. His activity is attested by about 300 scientific papers, technical papers, books and participations in Congress, as well as from the participation as a lecturer in many courses of higher education. Currently he is a consultant for the Italian Ministry of the Environment for which coordinates a working group for the reduction of pollution in critical areas of Italy. He was active since 2001 in the Sino-Italian cooperation program for Environmental Protection where he developed important projects for 2008 Beijing Olympiads and EXPO 2010 in Shanghai as well as in many other Chinese cities such as Urumqi, Lanzhou and Suzhou. Recently he is supporting environmental R/D in the field of relevant industries such as refineries, cement plants and iron and steel plants. Now he is engaged in assistance programs with the Beijing Municipality Environmental Protection Board in the implementation of the “PM2,5 monitoring project” and he is also General Manager of ENVINT srl dedicated to diffusion sampling for the evaluation of air pollution in indoor and outdoor environments. In addition, he is still very active in high level formation at University of Rome teaching in Chemistry Courses. His current field of technical interest is on environmental legislation, the chemical and physical processes of formation and monitoring of suspended particulate matter and the development of new instrumentation for the monitoring of gaseous species and particulate matter. Prof. Ivo ALLEGRINI is recognized as one of the world's leading experts in air pollution and its environmental impact.

Dr. Alberto Figoli obtained his PhD degree at Membrane Technology Group, Twente University (Enschede, The Netherlands) in 2001. He graduated in Food Science and Technology at the Agriculture University of Milan 1996. Since December 2001, he has a permanent position as Researcher at Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR) in Rende (CS), Italy.

He also had international experience in industrial research labs: about 1 year (1996) at Quest International Nederland B.V. (ICI), Process Research Group, Naarden (The Netherlands) on “Setting of a pilot plant for aromatic compounds extraction using the pervaporation (PV) membrane technology”; Secondment in 2010 and 2011 at GVS, SpA, Bologna, within the EU project “Implementation of Membrane Technology to Industry” (IMETI) on “Preparation and Characterisation of hybrid membranes for VOCs removal”.

He was granted for the “Short Term Mobility Programme” by CNR, in 2004 and 2005, at the “Environmental Protection Agency of United States (USEPA)”, Sustainable Technology Division, Cincinnati (USA) on “Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and aroma removal using a novel asymmetric membrane by pervaporation” nell’ambito dello “Short Term Mobility Programme” funded CNR.

He is responsible and involved in various National and International projects. He is also responsible, within the CNR organisation, for two research lines on membrane preparation and characterisation and on pervaporation (PV) applications.

He is author of more than 60 research papers in peer reviewed journals, several book chapters, a book, two patents and many oral presentations (also as invited lecture) in National and International Conferences and Workshops.