The results of the CO-SMART – Flagship Line A project, as part of the activities of Spoke 11 of the MOST Extended Partnership – National Center for Sustainable Mobility, were presented in the Senate at the Fallen Hall of Nassirya. The meeting, sponsored by Senator Luca De Carlo, chairman of the Senate’s 9th Standing Committee (Industry and Agriculture), was attended by faculty and researchers from four Italian universities involved in the project. In opening the proceedings, Senator De Carlo wanted to emphasize the strategic value of the initiative, “When public funds are used for serious, concrete and high-impact projects like this, politicians have a duty not only to support them, but to enhance them, because they represent a real tool for sustainable development for our country.”
CO-SMART is one of the strategic Flagship Line A projects, funded by the PNRR under Mission 4 “Education and Research.” The MOST program involves 24 Italian universities, the CNR, 24 large national companies, more than 700 structured researchers and 574 new hires, for a total investment of about 380 million euros. Organized into 14 thematic spokes, MOST addresses several directions of sustainable mobility, including light and active mobility, rail, maritime and air transport, development of new fuels and intelligent mobility systems.
The CO-SMART project, coordinated by the University of Pisa in collaboration with the University of Bologna, the Polytechnic University of Marche and the Polytechnic University of Bari, focuses on communication and the development of research lines on innovative materials for structural lightening and sustainability in the automotive sector. L’iniziativa mira a promuovere una maggiore consapevolezza sull’importanza della ricerca in questo ambito strategico per il Paese. I risultati presentati in Senato hanno messo in evidenza un significativo avanzamento delle attività scientifiche, con ricadute concrete in termini industriali e ambientali.
Prominent among the activities illustrated is the development, under the SUSTAINED project, of a new material made by recycling discarded fishing nets and used carbon fibers. Questo materiale innovativo non solo contribuisce a ridurre in modo significativo l’impatto ambientale, ma rappresenta anche una valida alternativa ai materiali tradizionali impiegati nel settore dell’auto. Secondo i dati illustrati, ogni tonnellata di questo composito permette di evitare l’immissione nell’atmosfera di quasi sei tonnellate di CO₂, un contributo importante nella lotta al cambiamento climatico. Per testarne l’efficacia, è stato prodotto un prototipo reale di un componente per la cintura di sicurezza, interamente realizzato con questi materiali riciclati. Le prove di resistenza hanno confermato che questo nuovo materiale non solo regge il confronto con quelli convenzionali, ma in alcuni casi garantisce addirittura prestazioni migliori, superando i test previsti da grandi case automobilistiche come Stellantis.
Another very interesting area of research, illustrated during the meeting, concerns the BOOSTER, ECOFRIEND and REOBTAIN projects, which aimed to give new life to used cooking oil, that used for frying, for example. Attraverso specifici processi di trasformazione, questo olio è stato convertito in una sostanza chiamata poliolo, utile per produrre schiume flessibili da utilizzare nell’industria automobilistica. Si tratta di materiali composti per l’80% da elementi di origine vegetale o riciclata, capaci di resistere bene alla pressione e di tornare facilmente alla forma iniziale. Per queste caratteristiche sono perfetti, ad esempio, per realizzare imbottiture dei sedili, cruscotti o pannelli porta delle auto.
Ma l’innovazione non si ferma qui: all’interno di queste schiume sono state inserite minuscole capsule intelligenti che riescono ad assorbire e rilasciare calore in modo controllato, migliorando così il comfort termico dell’abitacolo durante la guida. Biolubricants, i.e., special oils for use in engines and machinery, have also been obtained from the same processing of used oil, and have proven to be very stable, heat-resistant and high-performance, suitable even for complex and precision mechanical operations.
The third strand of research presented concerns the AMATEVI project, which focused on the development of antimicrobial materials for car interiors designed to improve hygiene and safety on board. Researchers have created new technical textiles from the recycling of discarded fishing nets, transformed into nylon fibers through an advanced technique. Antibacterial agents, which can limit the growth of microorganisms, were then applied to these materials.
In parallel, next-generation plastic surfaces made from recycled materials and enriched with active micro-particles capable of protecting against pathogens have also been developed. Tutti questi materiali sono stati sottoposti a numerosi test, per verificarne la resistenza al calore, la durata nel tempo e l’efficacia contro batteri e germi. I risultati hanno dato esito positivo: i prototipi dimostrativi hanno superato brillantemente le prove di laboratorio, confermando la loro reale capacità di prevenire la proliferazione di microrganismi potenzialmente pericolosi per la salute.
Concluding the meeting was Luca De Gaetano, founder and president of Plastic Free Onlus, who stressed the importance of building bridges between the world of research, industry, and civil society. “When research and industry collaborate with vision, associations can also help accelerate the cultural change needed for truly sustainable mobility,” he said.
The event confirmed the effectiveness of the partnership between universities, institutions and businesses in generating concrete solutions for cleaner, more efficient and environmentally friendly mobility, while enhancing the strategic role of public research as an engine of development for the country.
