The use of physical methods for interdisciplinary materials investigation: from the characterization of natural waste for efficient upcycling to the analysis of cultural heritage

In a global context marked by increasingly urgent environmental, climatic and cultural challenges, it is essential to develop scientific approaches capable of combining innovation, sustainability and valorisation of the past. Materials science is now a strategic discipline to address these challenges, offering tools for resource recovery and heritage conservation. This work explores the deep connection between the circular economy and the protection of historical artefacts, underlining how both processes imply an action of transformation and valorisation of the material, aimed at revealing its "second nature". Case studies are presented regarding, on the one hand, the recovery and valorisation of industrial waste (chicken feathers, wool and insects used for the treatment of organic waste) and, on the other, the analysis of archaeological finds in bronze. The investigations were conducted using advanced physical and chemical techniques (Raman, FT-IR, XPS, LIBS, XRF, SAXS, AFM, SEM), with the aim of defining key parameters for the characterization and recovery of materials, both in the technological and historical-artistic fields. The interdisciplinary approach adopted demonstrates how materials science can act as a bridge between innovation, sustainability and cultural memory.