'Biocomposites combine technological performance and environmental responsibility'

It explored the application prospects of biocomposites in industry, highlighting the strategic role that research and innovation can play in their development. This was the goal of the final seminar of the MAGISTRA project (acronym for "MAteriali compositi di nuova Generazione Innovativi Sostenibili Tecnologici Riciclabili Avanzati”, in English “New generation composite materials: innovative, sustainable, technological, recyclable, advanced”), promoted by the Italian company ACS (Advanced Composites Solutions) and funded with the support of the Abruzzo Region under the Abruzzo ERDF Regional Program 2021–2027.

The initiative, held under the patronage of the trade association Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico, presented the results achieved by the project, which ACS carried out in collaboration with the University of Catania through a research pathway focused on biocomposites.

After the opening remarks by Paolo Battista, LEAN systems designer and Human Resources Director of ACS, contributions followed from Fabio Fazzini and Romualdo Paino of the ACS Technical Department, who illustrated the manufacturing process of biocomposites and its integration with the OOA (Out of Autoclave) techniques. This was followed by the intervention of Gianluca Cicala, Professor of Materials Science and Technology and Deputy Director of DICAR (Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture) at the University of Catania, recently elected President of the Italian Association of Materials Engineering (AIMAT). His contribution, delivered online, focused on the role of research in the development of biocomposites and on the added value that the MAGISTRA project represented for industry.

At the end of the presentations, a debate and discussion with the audience took place, followed by the concluding remarks.

“With the MAGISTRA project we confirmed our commitment to sustainable innovation,” said Roberto Catenaro, CEO of Advanced Composites Solutions. “Biocomposites represent a bridge between academic research and concrete industrial applications, capable of combining technological performance and environmental responsibility. We are proud to have contributed to building more competitive and sustainable value chains.”