Valentina BEGHETTO

Valentina Beghetto is Associate Professor at the Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems of the Ca' Foscari University of Venice, currently teaching the courses of “Polymers and Industrial Applications”, “Chemistry of the Tanning Industry” and “Perfumes, Fragrances, Food and Chemistry” of the bachelor’s and master’s degree courses in Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies.

She is coordinator of the II level University Master's Degree in Circular Economy for tomorrow’s manufacturing.

Member of the Research Committee of the DSMN, she has been the Third Mission delegate since 2017 for her department, member of the Teaching Board of the PNRR Doctorate "Design for Made in Italy", University Representative for the Inter-university Consortium of Reactivity and Catalysis (CIRCC).

She holds the position of President of the technical-scientific committee of the innovative regional network Veneto Green Cluster and was part of the Board of Directors of the Ca' Foscari Foundation from 2018 to 2020 and in the same period of Univeneto Foundation.

Contract professor for advanced training activities for Confindustria SIAV on the topic of Circular Economy "Redure&Reuse" in the fashion supply chain.

President and founder of the Spin Off of Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Crossing Srl, currently an Innovative SMEs. Crossing holds patents for the synthesis and use of several new classes of chemical agents that can be used to produce non-toxic metal-free leathers, antifouling paints, active and antimicrobial packaging, antimicrobial treatments, permanent gas imperviousness for surfaces of different nature (steel, plastic, wood, etc.).

For further information: https://www.crossing-srl.com/it/

Crossing has filed over 20 national and international patents, collaborates with national and foreign companies, has numerous European and national funded projects and has received numerous recognition and prizes.

Valentina Beghetto currently coordinates a research group of 12 people including research fellows and doctoral students, and is the supervisor of numerous three-year, master's and doctoral theses. Since 2017, the research group has been financed by 18 projects through regional and EU competitive calls (13 POR-FESR Veneto Region, 4 LIFE, 1 Interreg).

The research group has been collaborating for years with important foreign and Italian Universities and research institutions including RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leibniz Institut fuer Katalyse, Rostock, Germany, Kyoto University Polymer Department, Faculty of Science and Engineering Product Technology Groningen , The Netherlands, Grenoble INP - Pagora, UGA Graduate School of Engineering in Paper, Print Media and Biomaterials, Saint-Martin d'Hères Cedex – France, Aimplas Technological Institute of Plastics, Valencia, Technological Center of Pordenone, Messina Foundation, University of Padua, University of Turin.

Member of the editorial board of Collagen and Leather (Springer), guest editor of Materials (MDPI) and reviewer of various high-impact journals for the catalysis, green chemistry, circular economy and environmental sustainability sectors.

The scientific activity is documented by over 150 publications in international journals, patents and conference communications.

The research activity mainly concerns the synthesis and recovery of industrial waste, to produce compounds with high added value to be used in the sector of polymers from fossil sources and biomass, composite materials, asphalt, leather, drugs, agrochemicals, fragrances, and over the years it has covered five main research topics:

1) Valorization of waste from the manufacturing and agri-food industries to produce composite materials and new materials to produce active packaging.

2) Study and development of new strategies for metal-free tanning, and for the recovery and redevelopment of waste products from the tanning industry.

3) Use of biomass polymers to produce sustainable catalysts for the fine chemical industry.

4) Catalysis reactions, including asymmetric ones, to produce fragrances and perfumes.

5) Synthesis of new complexes based on transition metals to obtain important intermediates for fine chemistry.