Application prospects of biocomposites in industry

Exploring the application prospects of biocomposites in industry, highlighting the strategic role that research and innovation can play in their development. This is 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 ACS (Advanced Composites Solutions) and funded with the support of the Abruzzo Region under the Abruzzo ERDF Regional Program 2021–2027.

The final seminar of the MAGISTRA project will be held at the new ACS plant on Thursday, October 2, 2025.

The initiative, under the patronage of Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico, aims to present the results achieved by the project, which ACS carried out in collaboration with the University of Catania through a research pathway focused on biocomposites. These are composite materials in which at least one of the two main components – matrix or reinforcement – comes from renewable, natural, or recycled sources.

After the opening remarks by Paolo Battista, LEAN systems designer and Human Resources Director of ACS, contributions will follow from Fabio Fazzini and Romualdo Paino of the ACS Technical Department, who will illustrate the manufacturing process of biocomposites and its integration with so-called OOA (Out of Autoclave) techniques. Next will be 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, will focus on the role of research in the development of biocomposites and on the added value that the MAGISTRA project represents for industry.

At the end of the presentations, a debate and discussion with the audience is planned, followed by conclusions.

“With the MAGISTRA project we confirm 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 contribute to building more competitive and sustainable value chains, strengthening Abruzzo’s role as an innovation hub in advanced materials.”