Federico Bella wins ChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship Award

Federico Bella, full professor at the Department of Applied Science and Technology-DISAT, received the “ChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship Award” for scientific achievements on the specific topics of sustainability, green chemistry and energy transition.

The award, granted since 2013 by the Royal Society of Chemistry – a scientific society and professional association in the UK working for the advancement of the chemical sciences – is aimed at professors at universities worldwide. The aim of the initiative is to bring out scientists in the early stages of their careers and to enhance the visibility of the chemical sciences in the scientific community and among the general public.

Specifically, the prize is linked to the journal “Chemical Communications”, a journal of high international reputation, in which short articles with a high scientific impact are published.

What motivated the jury's choice were the results achieved by the research conducted by Federico Bella: in particular, the extension of green chemistry concepts to emerging fields of the energy sector, such as post-lithium batteries and new solar fuels, such as ammonia. In fact, Professor Bella's research group recently succeeded in developing potassium ion batteries using lignin, a by-product of the paper industry, as the sole source of materials, while at the same time producing ammonia from wastewater contaminated with nitrate ions.

The award ceremony will be held in 2025 at an international event organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Professor Bella will be present to receive the prize, the first professor from an Italian university to receive this prestigious award in the field of chemical sciences.