Paola Lettieri facts for kids

Paola Lettieri is a brilliant British-Italian chemical engineer. She is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at University College London (UCL). She also helps lead a big new project called UCL East. Her work focuses on how materials behave when they act like liquids (called fluidisation). She also studies how products affect the environment throughout their lives (life-cycle assessment). She has even created new ways to process materials that are good for the planet.

Early Life and Learning

Paola Lettieri grew up in Italy. She went to the Sapienza University of Rome and earned her first degree in 1994. After that, she moved to the United Kingdom. She continued her studies at University College London. There, she researched how temperature affects how solid materials flow in a special kind of bed called a gas fluidised bed. After finishing her studies, Paola worked for a company called BP Chemicals.

Amazing Research and Career

In 2001, Paola Lettieri joined the chemical engineering team at University College London. When she started her teaching and research career, she received a special award. This award was a research fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering. She was the very first woman engineer to ever receive this honor! In 2007, she was also chosen as a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Understanding Fluidisation and Life-Cycle Assessment

Professor Lettieri's research looks at two main areas. One is fluidisation. This is a process where solid particles act like a fluid (a liquid or gas) when a gas or liquid is passed through them. Think of sand bubbling like water when air is blown through it! The other area is life-cycle assessment. This means studying all the environmental impacts of a product. It looks at everything from making it, using it, and even getting rid of it.

Turning Waste into Energy

Paola was very interested in turning waste into useful gas. She worked with a company called Advanced Plasma Power. They combined two cool technologies: gasification and plasma conversion. This process can turn everyday waste into a special gas that can be used for energy.

Here's how it works:

• First, waste is collected.
• Then, things like metals, plastic, and glass are separated.
• The remaining waste is turned into something called "refuse-derived fuels."
• These fuels are put into a special machine called a gasifier. This creates a gas made of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and steam.
• This gas then goes through a plasma converter. Plasma is like a super-hot, electrically charged gas.
• The final gas produced can be used to create heat or electricity! It's a way to get energy from things we usually throw away.

Leading Projects at UCL

At University College London, Paola Lettieri also served as a vice dean. She helped lead important projects. One of her biggest roles was overseeing the creation of UCL East. This is a new campus for UCL located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. In 2021, Paola Lettieri was recognized again for her amazing work. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.