Collabora e Innova Call: The CO-Tool and SPIRIT Projects

CO-TOOL and SPIRIT are projects implemented with the contribution of resources from the European Union, the Italian State, and the Lombardy Region, pursuant to Regulation (EU) No. 2021/1060 and subsequent amendments, Articles 46, 47, 50, and Annex IX. The Collabora & Innovate measure is the Lombardy Region's call for proposals aimed at promoting complex industrial research and experimental development projects carried out in collaboration between SMEs, large companies, and research organizations, to encourage large-scale strategic investments in the development of product or process innovations.

CO₂: from a global problem to a Tool to implement circularity (CO-Tool)

The CO-Tool research and development project, funded by Regione Lombardia under the Programme FESR 2021–2027 with an investment of 4 million euros and a duration of 25 months until October 2027, aims to develop a sustainable industrial model that brings together research, circular economy principles, and CO₂ emission mitigation.

The project, led by the University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB) as coordinator and involving the Departments of Materials Science, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Biotechnology and Biosciences, Economics, Quantitative Methods and Business Strategy, and Medicine and Surgery, together with the University of Pavia (UNIPV), includes as industrial partners FLOW-NANO S.R.L., GRAFTONICA S.R.L., Azienda Agricola Allevi S.R.L., and Industria Termoplastica Pavese S.p.A. (ITP).

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a long-lived atmospheric gas and one of the main contributors to the greenhouse effect and the resulting global warming. In January 2026, the global average CO₂ concentration reached 428.62 ppm (Global Monitoring Lab, NOAA), moving even closer to the critical threshold of 450 ppm, which is recognized as the limit to keep the increase in global average temperature to around 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Alongside emission reduction, the emerging global trend is to remove already-emitted CO₂ from the atmosphere and use it as a valuable carbon source and raw material for producing high value-added products within a fully circular framework.

The ideal CO₂ recovery and valorization chain includes: capture, storage, and purification of CO₂; using nanoporous materials; its direct use as a raw material for the production of innovative polymers; valorization through mineralization, serving as a precursor for fertilizing biomasses and sustainable packaging; and its chemical conversion into MeOH and CH₄, thereby paving the way for innovative and sustainable solutions across various industrial sectors (construction, cosmetics, packaging, and agriculture).

SPIRIT Project: toward Decarbonization through turquoise hydrogen production

SPIRIT (Sustainable, Innovative and Revolutionary Production of Turquoise Hydrogen)  is an ambitious program for decarbonization and the circular economy, launched in February 2024 and running until 2027 thanks to the PR FESR fund. Funded with €4 million by the Lombardy Region, the project involves the collaboration of Pietro Fiorentini, X-Nano, Enipower, Edison, Ampere Transition, and the University of Milano-Bicocca.

The core of the project is the production of turquoise hydrogen, produced through methane pyrolysis, which breaks down natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon without generating CO₂. This technology reduces emissions and maintains lower costs than green hydrogen, offering an ideal solution for "hard-to-abate" industries.

In addition to the absence of direct emissions, pyrolysis consumes approximately one-eighth the energy of electrolysis and ensures constant production by exploiting the widespread natural gas network.

The solid carbon obtained, transformed into graphite for batteries or used in the steel industry, becomes a strategic resource for electric mobility and critical supply chains.

The initiative involves the development of a pilot plant to validate the technology, followed by the design of an industrial version for district heating and other end users. SPIRIT's value lies in the partners' combined expertise, from technological validation to the valorization of the materials produced.

X-Nano (a spin-off of the Italian Institute of Technology, IIT) has patented the oxygen-free pyrolysis technology. In this context, the Department of Materials Science at the University of Milano-Bicocca synthesizes and characterizes carbon for batteries, while Ampere Transition analyzes the economic benefits for sectors such as cement and steel mills. Finally, Enipower and Edison are defining real-world use cases for district heating in Lombardy, while project leader Pietro Fiorentini is leading the prototype's engineering and the future design of the integrated industrial plant.