Debora Fino

Debora Fino is Full Professor of Chemical Plants and Head of Department of Applied Science and Technology at Politecnico di Torino.
As President of the Re Soil Foundation, she promotes the regeneration of soils and natural systems as a key pillar of sustainable development and circular economy.

Her research activity bridges engineering and biotechnology, focusing on biorefinery processes and the mitigation and valorization of carbon dioxide as a raw material for high–value products.
Through this dual approach — combining rigorous process engineering with the principles of absolute sustainability and circular design — she promotes a vision of the industrial ecosystem as a living metabolism, where waste becomes a resource and innovation is driven by regeneration rather than extraction.

Over the years, she has led and participated in numerous national and European projects aimed at decarbonizing industry, enabling CO₂-based products, and developing biotechnological pathways for renewable materials and energy.

Her work reflects a clear conviction: the future of industry lies not in producing more, but in producing differently — by closing the loops of matter, energy, and knowledge.

The title of her keynote presentation will be: From lab innovation to circular industry: engineering the path to absolute sustainability