{"id":442284,"date":"2026-02-17T10:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T09:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/news\/dagli-scarti-del-pane-al-carburante-sostenibile-una-ricerca-unipi-apre-nuove-prospettive-per-la-produzione-di-biofuel\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T13:16:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:16:45","slug":"dagli-scarti-del-pane-al-carburante-sostenibile-una-ricerca-unipi-apre-nuove-prospettive-per-la-produzione-di-biofuel","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/en\/news\/dagli-scarti-del-pane-al-carburante-sostenibile-una-ricerca-unipi-apre-nuove-prospettive-per-la-produzione-di-biofuel\/","title":{"rendered":"From bread scraps to sustainable fuel. Unipi\u2019s research opens up new prospects for biofuel production"},"content":{"rendered":"

A study conducted at the University of Pisa has come up with an innovative circular economy approach that addresses two of today\u2019s most pressing global challenges: the urgent need for an energy transition to renewable sources<\/strong>, and the growing issue of food waste<\/strong>. The research, published in the \u201cJournal of Environmental Chemical Engineering\u201d, aims to transform one of the most abundant food wastes in the world \u2014 bread waste<\/strong>, at almost one million tonnes per year <\/strong>\u2014 into a sustainable biofuel<\/strong>. Funded as part of the PNRR NEST<\/strong> project, the study is the result of a collaboration between the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry <\/strong>(Professor Anna Maria Raspolli Galletti, Dr Sara Fulignati, and Dr Lorenzo Bonaldi) and the Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering <\/strong>(Professor Stefano Frigo, Dr Marco Francesconi, and Dr Luca Miglino).<\/p>\n

\"\"
The research team.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This study addresses the sustainable synthesis of ethyl levulinate from waste bread <\/strong>for the first time. Ethyl levulinate is a high-value compound of biological origin that is already known for its applications in the chemical industry and as an oxygenated additive for fuels. The researchers have developed a simple, economical, and easily transferable industrial-scale process<\/strong> using a low-cost catalyst and diluted sulphuric acid while adopting high initial concentrations of biomass. This approach enables more concentrated product streams, reducing separation costs and enhancing the process\u2019s overall efficiency. By optimising parameters such as temperature, reaction time and catalyst quantity, the team achieved a maximum yield of 57% ethyl levulinate<\/strong>, which is a particularly significant result given the waste origin of the raw material.<\/p>\n

Although ethyl levulinate has been extensively studied as an oxygenated additive for diesel, this research opens up completely new scenarios. For the first time, the compound has also been tested in petrol engines<\/strong>, mixed with commercial fuel at percentages as high as 40% by volume<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Experimental tests have shown that such mixtures do not significantly alter engine performance and do not require modifications to current internal combustion engines. \u00a0Conversely, using ethyl levulinate enables pollutant emissions to be reduced<\/strong> and the proportion of fossil fuels in commercial fuels to be decreased.<\/p>\n

These results significantly expand the market potential of ethyl levulinate<\/strong>, confirming its status as a versatile, renewable oxygenated additive<\/strong> usable in both diesel and petrol engines.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe conversion of bread waste into ethyl levulinate is a concrete example of how scientific research and technological innovation can contribute to the development of easily applicable solutions for the production of renewable energy,\u201d the researchers comment. \u201cReducing food waste and transforming it into alternative biofuels means taking an important step towards more sustainable mobility<\/strong> that can respond to current environmental needs while remaining compatible with existing technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The study was published in the \u201cJournal of Environmental Chemical Engineering\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":437718,"menu_order":6,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"tag-notizie-persone":[],"tags_news":[2823,1223,2305],"categorie":[159],"class_list":["post-442284","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tags_news-department-of-chemistry-and-industrial-chemistry","tags_news-department-of-energy-systems-territory-and-construction-engineering","tags_news-research-en","categorie-unipinews-en"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom bread scraps to sustainable fuel. 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