Cristiano Varrone
Aalborg University, Denmark
Title
The UPLIFT Plastic Biorefinery
Bio
Prof. Varrone has 20 years of experience in Fermentation technologies and Eco-Engineering of microbial consortia for the conversion of waste streams into biofuels, green chemicals and biopolymers, following a Biorefinery concept. His overall research interest is within the development of Defined Mixed Consortia and Process Optimization, with a strong focus on the biodegradation of recalcitrant compounds such as pesticides and plastics. More specific research interest lies in the development of robust bioprocesses and Defined Mixed Cultures for environmental/industrial applications. Cristiano holds a Master in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Environmental Engineering & Sciences from Harbin Institute of Technology, China. Next he completed 2 Postdocs in Fermentation and Bioprocess Technology at Aalborg University and DTU, Denmark. He was appointed Associate Professor at Aalborg University in 2017 and has been EU Project Coordinator for the H2020 UPLIFT project since 2021. The UPLIFT Project deals with sustainable plastics for the food and drink packaging industry. It involves 15 partners and focuses on plastic waste bio-upcycling, following a Biorefinery approach, followed by eco-design to obtain easier recyclable eco-polymers.