Staff

Research Contractor
Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT)

edoardo.tito@polito.it

Profile

Keywords

Biofuels

Biorefinery

Hydrothermal liquefaction

Organic/plastic waste valorization

Process modelling

Biography

Edoardo Tito is a chemical engineer, currently Research Fellow at DISAT within the CREST group (Catalytic Reaction Engineering for Sustainable Technologies). His research activity focuses on (bio)refinery processes aimed at producing materials and energy from organic (biomass) and plastic waste. His main research areas include Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL), Aqueous Phase Reforming (APR), and Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG). Hydrothermal liquefaction enables the efficient conversion of organic waste—particularly wet waste—into advanced biofuels through non-catalytic transformations in a hydrothermal environment at moderate temperatures and high pressures (300–450 °C, 120–250 bar). Under similar conditions, the process is also studied for converting plastic and textile waste into monomers for the petrochemical industry and/or into energy products with properties similar to fossil fuels. The valorization of aqueous streams represents a key element for the overall sustainability of these processes. For this reason, pollutant load reduction and the production of hydrogen and/or methane are investigated under sub- and supercritical hydrothermal conditions through the catalytic processes of APR and SCWG. Across all these research areas, the focus is on understanding the chemical mechanisms underlying the processes, identifying strategies for operational optimization, and integrating them into waste treatment chains, with the goal of generating synergies and improving overall resource recovery efficiency. These aspects are further explored through techno-economic assessments and environmental sustainability analyses, in order to contribute in a technical and objective way to the debate on the sustainability of waste valorization systems.

Scientific branch

ICHI-02/B - Chemical Technologies
(Area 0009 - Industrial and information engineering)

Research topics

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of organic waste for the production of advanced liquid biofuels.
Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of plastic and textile waste for the production of monomers for the petrochemical industry (chemical recycling) and/or liquid energy carriers usable as fuels (energy recovery).
Techno-economic (TEA) and environmental sustainability (LCA) assessments of integrated systems for fuel production from waste.
Valorization of aqueous waste streams through Aqueous Phase Reforming (APR) and Supercritical Water Gasification (SCWG) for the reduction of pollutant load and the production of gas streams rich in hydrogen and methane.

Skills

ERC sectors

PE8_2 - Chemical engineering, technical chemistry

PE8_11 - Environmental engineering, e.g. sustainable design, waste and water treatment, recycling, regeneration or recovery of compounds, carbon capture & storage

PE8_9 - Production technology, process engineering

SDG

Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy

Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

Goal 13: Climate action

Teaching

Collegi of the degree programmes

Collegio di Ingegneria Chimica e dei Materiali. Componente invitato

Teachings

Master of Science

Green plants design. A.A. 2025/26, INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY FOR CIRCULAR AND BIO ECONOMY. Collaboratore del corso
Green plants design. A.A. 2024/25, INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY FOR CIRCULAR AND BIO ECONOMY. Collaboratore del corso
Green plants design. A.A. 2023/24, INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY FOR CIRCULAR AND BIO ECONOMY. Collaboratore del corso

MostraNascondi A.A. passati

Bachelor of Science

Impianti per l'industria chimica e alimentare. A.A. 2025/26, INGEGNERIA CHIMICA E ALIMENTARE. Collaboratore del corso
Chimica industriale. A.A. 2024/25, INGEGNERIA CHIMICA E ALIMENTARE. Collaboratore del corso