Camilla Nicol Bonacina
PhD thesis title: Hydrogen Production and Storage for Use in Heavy Industrial Applications: The Case of Steelmaking
Academic Tutor: Matteo Carmelo Romano
Academic Supervisor: Gianluca Valenti
PhD cycle: 36° (see all student profiles of the same cycle > LINK)
BSc: Energy Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
MSc: Energy Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
Researched activity at the University of Tokyo (RCAST Group), Tokyo, planned from October 2022 to March 2023
Winner of the “Roberto Rocca” Scholarship under the patronage of TenarisDalmine during the academic year 2018/19, in the contest of the Roberto Rocca Education Program / Winner of the “Dott. Gabriele Corbelli” Scholarship under the patronage of Rotary International during the academic year 2021/22
Thesis abstract
My PhD project aims at making more sustainable, more efficient and more economical the production of steel through the electric arc furnace route, whose products are fundamental to our lives. Furnace modifications, energy saving and heat recovery systems are designed to reduce the use of electricity and to recover energy from the exhaust gases of the furnace itself, which represents 30% of the total energy consumption. A specific exhaust gas treatment system is designed to reduce pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, dioxins and particulates. Also, hydrogen production and carbon capture are employed.
Personal interest in my research theme
Steel is one of the main products used in our life, and steelmaking is a fascinating industry due to its complexity and interdisciplinarity. Also, heat recovery is one of the main strategies to save energy in a more sustainable way, and the hydrogen economy development is becoming more and more crucial for the energy transition. These elements together with my passion for the steelmaking industry and hydrogen technologies are the reasons why I decided to develop this project, which I find very interesting for its cross-disciplinarity and potential effect on energy intensive industries.
