In the heart of the Langhe—the region where Mondo has its roots and the home of the Piedmont IGP hazelnut—tradition and materials research can come together in unexpected ways. In fact, even the byproducts of hazelnut processing can offer new resources for the world of sports surfaces.
This is the opportunity being explored by NINSOLA, the research project in which Mondo is participating to enhance the value of byproducts from the Piedmont hazelnut supply chain and study new industrial applications for them.
Shells, perisperm, leaves, flours, and oils: the project examines various resources from the supply chain through grinding, extraction, and chemical characterization processes. The goal is to identify components that can be used in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and rubber industries as alternatives to certain conventional raw materials.
For rubber sports flooring, the research focuses in particular on the possibility of replacing traditional plasticizers and antioxidants with ingredients of biological origin, while evaluating the effects on the structure and mechanical properties of the compounds.
Mondo contributes to this effort by combining its expertise in materials for sports surfaces with the scientific expertise of the CNR’s “Giulio Natta” Institute of Chemical Sciences and Technologies (CNR-SCITEC).
The joint project compared a reference formulation with several experimental blends containing alternative ingredients. The analyses focused on both the materials’ behavior in tensile tests and their internal structure, observed using electron microscopy.
The initial results were presented in a scientific poster at the 26th AIM National Conference, dedicated to the science and technology of macromolecules, held in Turin from September 6 to 9, 2026.
Preliminary results indicate a real possibility. In the experimental formulation studied, epoxidized hazelnut oil—modified through a chemical process called epoxidation—allowed for the complete replacement of the conventional plasticizing oil component.
Tests revealed tensile properties comparable to those of the reference compound, with a slight increase in elongation at break. This is an encouraging result for continuing the study of alternative ingredients in compounds intended for sports flooring.
The study also examined commercial lignins and gallic acid immobilized on mineral supports, such as silica, saponite, and kaolin, which were investigated as alternatives to antioxidants and, in some formulations, even as part of the fillers.
These systems have shown potential as multifunctional additives, capable of combining reinforcing and stabilizing effects in the compound. Again, these are initial experimental findings that open up new avenues for research.
Adding value to byproducts in a supply chain means exploring new uses for already available resources. To assess their environmental effects, NINSOLA also conducts a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study focused on the impacts of the solutions developed.
The results presented therefore represent a first step: they demonstrate the technical potential of certain alternative ingredients, while the environmental assessment completes the research process.
For Mondo, investing in sustainability also means contributing to this work: combining industrial and scientific expertise to study new materials for sports, starting with local resources.
And yes, even from a hazelnut.
NINSOLA project is supported by the Piedmont Region and Finpiemonte as part of the 2021–2027 ERDF Operational Program, Action I.1i.1.