Carlo Pirola (CP) graduated in University of Milan in Industrial Chemistry in 2000 with a thesis concerning the purification of water by the combined action of ultrasound and photocatalysis. In 2001 he began to work as technician at the Department of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry. From 2005 to 2008 goes on leave to achieve a PhD in Industrial Chemistry with a thesis concerning the synthesis of Fischer-Tropsch, developing a series of new supported catalysts with high iron loading . In 2011 he became researcher (scientific field ING-IND/25, chemical plants). As technician he worked using various analytical instruments (gas chromatography, HPLC, gasmass, UV spectrophotometers, etc..) and performing different characterization of solids (BET, TPR, TGA, chemisorption). Moreover he made different experiments in laboratory (water purification and air, biodiesel production, synthesis of Fischer-Tropsch, plants for the study of equilibrium vapor and liquid separation, etc..). The scientific production of Carlo Pirola in this period testifies the parallel study of data processing and elaboration. With regard to educational activities during this period, we report the preparation and implementation assistance in the lab course “Processes and Industrial Chemistry I / Lab” for the degree course in Industrial Chemistry from the academic 1999/2000 to date a total of 14 courses followed in the next several academic years. Since 2011 this same laboratory has been assigned to CP as a teacher in charge, being passed from technician to researcher. The PhD of CP, conducted from 2005 to 2008, involved the preparation, characterization and experimental verification of new iron catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis. The pilot plant used in this study has been completely revised by CP. The new catalysts have enabled the achievement of excellent results both in terms of catalytic performance and of mechanical strength of the same. The most important aspects of this study were presented at various conferences and in three publications in international journals (communication Catalysis 10 (2009) 823-827, Catalysis Letters 131 (1-2) (2009) 294-304, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 17 ( 2010)610-616).
CP always collaborated with various Companies for consultancy and research contracts of various kinds (air purification through catalytic combustion of VOC, the separation of acetic acid-water mixture by azeotropic distillation, deacidification of oils acids to be destined to biodiesel production, development of building tiles with photocatalytic properties, etc.).
His current main research interests concerns: heterogeneous catalysis applied to the production of biofuels (synthetic Fischer-Tropsch and biodiesel), photocatalysis, processeses of purification of air and water through photocatalysis and sonochemistry, separation processes (distillation/rectification, absorption processes membrane liquid-liquid extraction). Since 2001, CP was tutor or co-tutor of about 60 thesis or internship for Degrees in Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry and Applied Chemistry.
The teaching of CP include courses “Laboratory of Chemical Processes and Plants” and “Process Plant and scaling-up” for course of Bachelor in Industrial Chemistry. Moreover, in 2013 CP has taught the course for the PhD School “Catalytic Processes in Biorefinery.” CP is involved in numerous national and international collaborations on all research topics.
Carlo Pirola is the author of about 50 papers in international journals, about 90 conferences and interventions in international congress and meeting, 1 patent and 6 contributions by volume. It also provides activities for the following refereed journals: Environ. Sci and Technol., Ultrasonics Sonochem., J. Hazardous Mat., Energy and Fuel, J. Braz. Chem. Soc, J. Molech. Catal. A, J. Taiwan Int Chem. Eng, Acta Chemica Slovenica, J. Chem. Mat. Science, Ind. Eng Chem. res., J. Ind. Eng Chem., J. Zhejang Univ Sci, Chem. Eng. J.