The High Tech Recycling Research Center (HTR) is an interuniversity research center joining researchers from different Italian Universities (La Sapienza University of Rome (operative center), University of L'Aquila, University of Genoa, University of Bologna, University of Cagliari, Polytechnic of Marche) and one institute of the National Research Council (Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering). HTR researchers operate in the development of innovative processes in the field of waste exploitation, water treatment and circular economy. Main activities concern with industrial processes development from lab scale up to prototype scale, including technical-economic feasibility and environmental impact assessment.
The researchers working in HTR have a long experience in the development of new adsorbent materials from biomass feedstocks (proved by several scientific papers), for the removal of metals and heavy metals from contaminated waters. Many research papers have been published about the valorization of olive industry by-products such as olive pomace and olive mill wastewater. Since some years, HTR researchers are working about the development of innovative adsorbents for arsenic removal by means of hydrothermal carbonization.