Andrea Paulillo

Senior Research Fellow

Biography

Andrea obtained a PhD in Chemical Engineering from UCL in 2018 for the advancement of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) application in the nuclear industry, in collaboration with the National Nuclear Laboratory and Sellafield Ltd. From 2018 to 2022, he led the LCA efforts in various research and consultancy projects, and supported managing the LCA research group at UCL Chemical Engineering, including by writing grant proposals, fostering external engagement and collaborations, and supervising PhD students. In 2018 he co-founded a consultancy startup in Italy that focuses on sustainability. In 2023 Andrea was awarded the prestigious 5-year Research Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng).
Andrea is an Associate Member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), a member of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and a committee member of the IChemE Sustainability Special Interest Group (SIG). He also contributes to the Global Guidance for Life Cycle Impact Assessment Indicators and Methods (GLAM) project led by the UN Environment’s Life Cycle Initiative.

Teaching Summary 

Andrea teaching interests focus on Sustainability, Industrial Ecology, Climate Change, life-cycle methodologies (e.g. LCA) and decision-making approaches.
He currently leads the Sustainability topic of Professional and Design Skills II (CENG007) for 2nd year Chemical Engineering students.

Research Summary

Andrea research interests revolve around the concepts of Sustainability and Industrial Ecology. He focuses on the application life-cycle methodologies to evaluate the environmental, economic and social performance of products and technologies, with the objective of supporting decision and policy making. Andrea particularly specializes in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), including its methodological development.

His main research topics include:

• Absolute environmental sustainability approaches that combine Life Cycle Assessment with the Planetary Boundaries concept
• The nuclear fuel cycle, including waste management, and fuel recycling and disposal.
• Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)
• Energy systems, including geothermal technologies and shale gas,
• Conventional and emerging waste management technologies
• Plastics products and bio-plastic alternatives
• Models for assessing radiological impacts in LCA.

To support his research activities, Andrea participated in several successful research grants, including from H2020, EPSRC, BEIS, RAEng, and obtained funding from industry. He has contributed and or led numerous consultancies for industries and charities. He has authored 25+ peer-reviewed articles and 3 book chapters.

Awards 

2023

Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow

Education

2018

PhD, Chemical Engineering, University College London (UCL), UK

2014

MSc, Chemical Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Italy

2012

BSc, Chemical Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Italy

Professional Affiliations  

• FHEA – member of HEA

Publications

• Paulillo, A., Clift, R., Dodds, J. M., Milliken, A., Palethorpe, S. J., & Lettieri, P. (2020). Radiological Impacts in Life Cycle Assessment. Part I: General framework and two practical methodologies. Science of The Total Environment, 135179. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135179
   
• Paulillo, A., Dodds, J. M., Palethorpe, S. J., & Lettieri, P. (2021). Reprocessing vs direct disposal of used nuclear fuels: The environmental impacts of future scenarios for the UK. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 28. doi:10.1016/j.susmat.2021.e00278
   
• Paulillo, A., Striolo, A., & Lettieri, P. (2019). The environmental impacts and the carbon intensity of geothermal energy: A case study on the Hellisheiði plant. Environment International, 133. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2019.105226
   
• Paulillo, A., Kim, A., Mutel, C., Striolo, A., Bauer, C., & Lettieri, P. (2021). Influential parameters for estimating the environmental impacts of geothermal power: A global sensitivity analysis study. Cleaner Environmental Systems, 100054. doi:10.1016/j.cesys.2021.100054
   
• Bareschino, P., Mancusi, E., Urciuolo, M., Paulillo, A., Chirone, R., & Pepe, F. (2020). Life cycle assessment and feasibility analysis of a combined chemical looping combustion and power-to-methane system for CO2 capture and utilization. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 130, 109962. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2020.109962

See more publications.