RESEARCH

AND DEVELOPMENT

Since 2008 Luigi Metelli S.p.A. has developed a close partnership with the Perugia University to develop innovative solutions for the production of building materials and reducing to the minimum the environmental impact of its products. The company’s interests have significantly widened in the field of innovation, ranging over a wide variety of topics, where basic research supports industrial development. Over the years the cooperation has involved:

  • Installation of two photovoltaic systems for a total power of approximately 105 kW to serve concrete production
  • Joining the ENERGY HUB of the Umbria Region
  • Assessment of the “cool roof” properties of its products: Use of low cost and easy to procure technologies to counter the effects of heat islands is an important frontier of present-day research on climate change. That is why a study of the reflectance and albedo of aggregate products has been promoted to assess the energy savings due to their use on flat roofs in collaboration with CIRIAF in order to assess their applicability as “cool roof” materials These studies have led to publication of some scientific articles: Pisello, A.L., Pignatta, G., Castaldo, V.L., Cotana, F. “Experimental analysis of natural gravel covering as cool roofing and cool pavement” (2014) Sustainability (Switzerland), 6, pp. 4706-4722.

Presenting the results at international conferences:

  • 14th CIRIAF National Congress, Perugia, Italy. April 4-5, 2014
  • Third International conference on Countermeasures to urban heat Island, Venice , October 13-15 2015
  • Cool Roof: intelligent materials for energy efficiency of buildings, Modena , Italy, 27/05/2015

The results achieved have elicited significant scientific and industrial interest internationally.

  • Presentation of European projects within the scope of the Marie Curie program by HORIZON 2020, for using innovative Phase Change materials (PCM) in protecting works of art
  • Research project on Additivation of Nano Materials to concrete in collaboration with the University of Perugia (CIRIAF, Department of Physics and Geology, Department of Engineering). The intense cooperation with the University is involving the most advanced technologies and methods. In particular, this will lead to:
    – Production of nano materials
    – Measurements with scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscope
    – X-Ray Measurements
    – Measurements of thermal conductivity and dynamic-mechanical