Meet the People Behind RUNFASTER4EU: Tommaso Prando

Turning innovative bio-based concepts into industrial reality requires both technological development and strong collaboration between research and industry.

At RUNFASTER4EU, Tommaso Prando from Novamont works on demonstrating the production of bio-based intermediates at industrial scale through the Porto Torres and Crescentino biorefineries.

“Our main focus is the demonstration of the production of intermediates at industrial scale,” Tommaso explains. “We take advantage of the raw materials resulting from the development of new crop supply chains, as well as the plant upgrades developed at industrial scale.”

The activities connect upstream agricultural developments with downstream product innovation, supporting the transition towards scalable and market-oriented bio-based value chains.

So far, experimental work has focused on assessing new recipes to improve plant performance and define new products. At the same time, pilot units are being prepared within research centres to support the first scaling-up activities.

According to Tommaso, one of the key challenges lies in bridging the gap between research environments and industrial operations.

“One of the most exciting challenges is creating fruitful collaboration between researchers and plant management,” he says. “This is crucial when moving from flexible pilot units used for optimisation to industrial plants focused on safety, reliability, and quality standards.”

Among the applications under development, Tommaso highlights biosurfactants for cosmetics and cleansing products derived from vegetable raw materials.

“This application opens new product fields while addressing limitations of conventional products currently available on the market. It also represents an interesting example of sustainability, since it takes advantage of the whole crop, from the oil to the lignocellulosic biomass.”