PNNL

Francesca Pierobon is a chemical engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and a UW-PNNL Faculty Fellow at the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.

Pierobon specializes in renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials derived from a variety of feedstocks, including forest materials. Her work primarily focuses on applying lifecycle assessment and techno-economic analyses to innovative products and processes.

She has a BS and an MS in chemical engineering and a PhD in land, environment, resources and health from the University of Padua in Italy. After earning her PhD, she worked at the University of Washington on several projects for the development of sustainable bioenergy and bio-based products and technologies. Pierobon joined PNNL in 2022 as a chemical engineer in the Energy Processes & Materials Division. Her research is aimed at supporting the advancement of affordable and low-carbon technologies.

• Chemical Process Simulation
• Techno-Economic Analysis
• Life Cycle Assessment

• PhD in forestry and environmental science, University of Padua
• MS in chemical engineering, University of Padua
• BS in chemical engineering, University of Padua

• Affiliate Assistant Professor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2022-Present  
• Research Scientist IV, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, 2021-2022 
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, 2015-2021     

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• 2018 Mistletoe Fellowship Award: Unfettered Research Grant, for university-approved research-related activity

2022

• Pierobon, F., Sifford, C., Velappan, H., Ganguly, I. 2022. Air quality impact of slash pile burns: Simulated geo-spatial impact assessment for Washington State. Science of The Total Environment 151699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151699.
• Chen, C.X., Pierobon, F., Jones, S., Maples, I., Gong, Y., Ganguly, I. 2022. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Mass Timber and Concrete Residential Buildings: A Case Study in China. Sustainability 14, 144. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010144.

2021

• Gu, H., Liang, S., Pierobon, F., Puettmann, M., Ganguly, I., Chen, C., Pasternack, R., Wishnie, M., Jones, S., Maples, I. 2021. Mass Timber Building Life Cycle Assessment Methodology for the U.S. Regional Case Studies. Sustainability 13, 14034. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132414034.
• Puettmann, M., Pierobon, F., Ganguly, I., Gu, H., Chen, C., Liang, S., Jones, S., Maples, I., Wishnie, M. 2021. Comparative LCAs of Conventional and Mass Timber Buildings in Regions with Potential for Mass Timber Penetration. Sustainability 13, 13987. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413987.

2020

• Sgarbossa, A., Boschiero, M., Pierobon, F., Cavalli, R., Zanetti, M. 2020. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Bioenergy Production from Different Wood Pellet Supply Chains. Forests 11, 1127. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11111127.
• Ganguly I., Pierobon F., Sonne Hall E. 2020. Global Warming Mitigating Role of Wood Products from Washington State’s Private Forests. Forests 11, 194. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11020194.

2019

• Martinkus, N., Latta, G., Rijkhoff, S.A.M., Mueller, D., Hoard, S., Sasatani, D., Pierobon, F., Wolcott, M. 2019. A multi-criteria decision support tool for biorefinery siting: Using economic, environmental, and social metrics for a refined siting analysis. Biomass and Bioenergy 128, 105330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2019.105330.
• Pierobon, F., Huang, M., Simonen, K., Ganguly, I. 2019. Environmental benefits of using hybrid CLT structure in midrise non-residential construction: An LCA based comparative case study in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Journal of Building Engineering 26, 100862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2019.100862. 
• Chen C., Pierobon F., Ganguly I. 2019. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) Produced in Western Washington: The Role of Logistics and Wood Species Mix. Sustainability 11, 1278. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051278. 
• Corradini G., Pierobon F., Zanetti M. 2019. Product environmental footprint of a cross-laminated timber system: a case study in Italy. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 24, 975–988. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-018-1541-x.

2018

• Pierobon F., Eastin I., Ganguly I. 2018. Life cycle assessment of residual lignocellulosic biomass-based jet fuel with activated carbon and lignosulfonate as co-products. Biotechnology for Biofuels 11:139. DOI: 10.1186/s13068-018-1141-9.
• Ganguly, I., Pierobon, F., Bowers, T., Huisenga, M., Eastin, I., Johnston, G. 2018. ‘Woods-to-Wake’ Life Cycle Assessment of Residual Woody Biomass Based Jet-Fuel Using Mild Bisulfite Pretreatment, Biomass and Bioenergy 108: 207–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.10.041.
• Rosenbaum S.A., Bergman R.D., Ganguly I., Pierobon F. 2018. A comparative life-cycle assessment of briquetting logging residues and lumber manufacturing coproducts in Western United States. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 34:11–24.

2017

• Ganguly, I., Bowers, T., Pierobon, F., Eastin, I. 2017. Role of Online Survey Tools in creating temporally accurate EDP within context of US wood products industry, Forest Products Journal 67:397–400.
• Chen, C.X., Pierobon, F., Zamora-Cristales, R., Ganguly, I., Sessions, J., Eastin, I. 2017. Modeling the Processing and Transportation Logistics of Forest Residues Using Life Cycle Assessment. Journal of Forestry. doi:10.5849/jof.2016-027
• Bhochhibhoya, S., Zanetti, M., Pierobon, F., Gatto, P., Maskey, R.K., Cavalli, R. 2017. The Global Warming Potential of Building Materials: An Application of Life Cycle Analysis in Nepal. Mountain Research and Development 37, 47–55. doi:10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00043.1

2016

• Santi, S., Pierobon, F., Corradini, G., Cavalli, R., Zanetti, M. 2016. Massive wood material for sustainable building design: the Massiv–Holz–Mauer wall system. Journal of Wood Science. doi:10.1007/s10086-016-1570-7
• Nwaneshiudu, I.C., Ganguly, I., Pierobon, F., Bowers, T., Eastin, I. 2016. Environmental assessment of mild bisulfite pretreatment of forest residues into fermentable sugars for biofuel production. Biotechnology for Biofuels 9. doi:10.1186/s13068-016-0433-1

2015

• Pierobon, F., Zanetti, M., Grigolato, S., Sgarbossa, A., Anfodillo, T., Cavalli, R. 2015. Life cycle environmental impact of firewood production – A case study in Italy. Applied Energy 150, 185–195. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.04.033.

2014

• Pierobon F., Ganguly I., Anfodillo T., Eastin I.L. 2014. Evaluation of environmental impacts of harvest residue-based bioenergy using radiative forcing analysis. The Forestry Chronicle 90, 577–585.