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Global South Chair: driving international research, collaboration and impact

Each year, we appoint a Global South Chair to raise RENEW's international profile. Prof Murilo Innocentini discusses the exciting opportunities of the role.

Professor Murilo Innocentini stood to camera in a lab
The Global South Chair allows Murilo to research air pollution, climate change, and sustainable materials, all issues related to the UN's 17 SDGs.
‘As Global South Chair, I can lead pioneering research on sustainable development. I'm able to address complex environmental issues that low- and middle-income countries face. In particular, in resource management, climate adaptation, and green technology.’
Professor Murilo Daniel de Mello Innocentini Global South Chair (2023)

I started working with Bath during the COVID pandemic in 2019. I was working on advanced materials for environmental applications with Dr Juliana Calabria-Holley. Our research continued with developing novel construction and building materials with lower-carbon footprint, focusing on the UN 2030 agenda.

Pressing global issues

In 2023, the opportunity to become the first Global South Chair at Bath came my way. It's a one-of-a-kind academic opportunity for interdisciplinary research on pressing global challenges. One of the Chair's primary research areas is developing new sustainable materials. This is essential for minimising the environmental impact of construction, manufacturing, and transportation. Air pollution is a major issue affecting health and ecosystems in many Global South countries. My research develops novel solutions to air pollution, and includes:

  • developing cleaner energy alternatives
  • carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) strategies
  • improving urban air quality
  • policy-driven interventions

The Chair is a great platform for international collaboration. It brings together Brazil's University of Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP) with Bath for joint research projects, and student exchanges. This paves the way for diverse perspectives and approaches to environmental issues. It allows us to share expertise on critical topics like environmental degradation, sustainable agriculture, and pollution-related public health concerns.

The role is also critical for mentoring students and young researchers. And especially in underrepresented areas like sustainable technology and environmental policy. Bringing research into teaching helps students develop skills and knowledge to face future global challenges. In this way, we can influence the next generation of scholars and policymakers.

Between Bath and Brazil

Drone image of City of Ribeirão Preto showing buildings, traffic in the late afternoon sun
Murilo's research incorporates UK and Brazilian perspectives for more innovative and globally relevant solutions.

Ribeirão Preto, in Brazil's agricultural heartland, provides a rich context for studying the intersection of environmental and human systems. Especially in relation to air quality and sustainable land use practices. It's an invaluable opportunity to create and apply tangible solutions locally and globally for real impact.

Through Bath and Ribeirão Preto's partnership, we can work on region-specific issues like deforestation, indoor air quality, and water management. It also promotes more sustainable agricultural research, including Ribeirão Preto's sugarcane and biofuel industries, which are crucial for local and global energy transitions.

A major focus of my research is carbon capture and storage (CCS). We need innovative carbon capture technologies, both natural and engineered, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Affordable and scalable carbon capture strategies are critical for developing countries. I've worked on finding cost-effective solutions in consortium projects with PETROBRAS, Brazil's largest petroleum company, and a pool of important Brazilian universities. All these were in partnership with Bath's Centre for Regenerative Design & Engineering for a Net-Positive World (RENEW).

So far as Chair, I've published five new papers in high-impact journals. And I've submitted five new projects to calls from scientific agencies in Brazil and the UK. The projects involve decarbonisation strategies for Brazil's cement and construction industries.

Contributing to global sustainability efforts

As Chair, I'm directing research on innovative materials like biodegradable plastics, low-carbon concrete, and sustainable agricultural products. These activities combine practical experimentation with high-level academic inquiry and address sustainability challenges in construction, waste management, and environmental monitoring. These include:

  • transforming solid waste from local industries (sugarcane bagasse, rice husks, construction debris) into eco-friendly construction materials
  • testing waste to assess its suitability for use in construction materials
  • developing fiberboard roof tiles, plasterboards, and other composite materials from locally sourced waste
  • developing new devices to measure permeation in porous cement-based materials
  • deploying permeation devices in local construction projects to monitor cement-based structures in different environmental conditions common to Brazil
  • comparing how traditional and modified cement materials perform to inform preventing degradation
  • testing and developing Sol-Gel materials for construction applications to improve their performance while reducing maintenance costs

I'm also working with RENEW to improve the performance of plasterboards, widely used in interior construction. We're exploring how to enhance their thermal, acoustic, and structural properties by incorporating sustainable additives or advanced production techniques.

Mitigating pollution's impact

Being the Global South Chair and a member of RENEW is a great responsibility. The Centre focuses on developing methods and technologies that go beyond sustainability to regenerate ecosystems. They're developing designs that restore biodiversity, improve ecosystem services, and boost soil health. In the built environment regenerative design can include green infrastructure, biophilic design, and nature-based solutions to urban challenges. I have covered all these topics in my previous academic career in Brazil!

My background is in chemical engineering. I studied my undergraduate, MSc and PhD at Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar) with my MSc and doctorate focusing on air pollution control. For 25 years now, I've worked on the characterisation and optimisation of materials, processes, and equipment to prevent or mitigate the impact of pollution on the environment. Within this, I've focused on:

  • fluid dynamic evaluation of porous materials
  • optimising industrial processes
  • materials with lower carbon footprints

Looking forward, I want to strengthen the partnership with Bath. At UNAERP, I am Coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Environmental Technology. My goal is to use my position to bring Bath students to Brazil to see the opportunities for research and net-positive actions.

This opportunity has raised the visibility of my work significantly. And I hope that it increases RENEW's visibility in Brazil too!

‘It brings me great joy taking my research further with RENEW. Working with diverse teams from both institutions provides me with valuable cross-cultural experiences. I develop solutions that benefit Brazilian, British, and international communities.’
Professor Murilo Daniel de Mello Innocentini Global South Chair (2023)

About the Global South chair role

Our Centre for Regenerative Design & Engineering for a Net Positive World researches across disciplines and continents to find self-sustaining, humanitarian and ecology-conscious solutions. To successfully deliver research, activities and impact internationally, we need engagement with the Global South. So we have created two roles in the Centre: the Global South and Global North chairs. The roles connect institutions in the Global North with those in the Global South to exchange knowledge, expertise, and resources. This is critical for addressing global challenges in a holistic and equitable manner. Working closely with local researchers and communities, the Chair is able to make sure solutions are both contextually appropriate and culturally sensitive.

We'll appoint to these chair roles each year for a three-year term. The eminent academics in role will spend part of their first year in residence as Visiting Professors at Bath. In role, the chairs will drive new international research collaborations through quality papers, inter-institutional visits for staff and students, and new grants.

Prof Murilo Innocentini's keynote lecture

Play Murilo's guest lecture Murilo's keynote is on 'A deep journey into the permeability assessment of key engineering materials'