New strategies for safe and sustainable chemicals and nanomaterials

 How can we ensure the safe and sustainable use of chemicals and nanomaterials in both research and industrial production? This question is the starting point of CheMatSustain a new Horizon Europe project in which the University of Bologna is also participating with the Department of Business Sciences and the Department of Chemical, Civil, Environmental and Materials Engineering.

The project is part of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, the European Union's chemicals strategy for a toxic-free environment. The challenge is to produce and use the chemicals that are needed to meet the needs of society while at the same time protecting the health of people and ecosystems.

The project, coordinated by the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg), involves ten scientific partners from seven EU countries, plus an associated partner from the UK. The University of Bologna is taking part in the project with a research group from the Department of Management consisting of Angelo Paletta, Eleonora Foschi, Mario Miozza and Genc Alimehmeti, together with Alessandra Bonoli and Alessandra Fiorucci from the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering.

The project partners will focus on the quantum effects of nanomaterials, the development of new in silico models for predicting toxicity risks, and new methodologies for risk assessment and social, environmental and economic impacts.

In this context, the University of Bologna research group will work on a knowledge transfer and industrial development facility, and on a series of case studies to test new management control systems and validate innovative risk and impact measurement methodologies.