Transilvania University of Brașov (UNITBV) contributes expertise in photocatalysis, advanced materials, wastewater treatment and process modelling. Within CERSUS, UNITBV leads advanced treatment research and contributes to metal and nutrient recovery, hydrogen production, carbon dioxide conversion and waste valorisation. Activities connect materials innovation with circular water management, sustainability assessment and researcher training.
CERSUS Project Contribution
Transilvania University of Brașov (UNITBV) contributes to CERSUS through its expertise in photocatalysis, advanced materials, environmental engineering and process modelling. Its research team connects materials synthesis and characterisation with innovative technologies for wastewater treatment, resource recovery and the conversion of carbon dioxide into valuable products.
Within CERSUS, UNITBV leads research on advanced and emerging wastewater treatment processes, integrating pollutant removal with circular water management and nutrient and energy recovery.
Reseach profile and expertise
UNITBV’s team contributes expertise in the following scientific areas of the project:
- Photocatalytic materials and nanostructures, including semiconductor materials, carbon-based composites and heterostructures for environmental applications.
- Advanced wastewater treatment, combining adsorption, photocatalysis and other oxidation processes to remove pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other contaminants.
- Resource and energy recovery, including metal extraction, nutrient recovery, hydrogen production and carbon dioxide conversion.
- Reactor design and process modelling, using computational fluid dynamics to optimise flow, reaction conditions and system performance.
- Materials for water purification, including polymeric membranes and functional materials for filtration and aquaculture applications.
- Environmental performance and toxicity assessment, examining the impacts of innovative materials and treatment technologies.
UNITBV’s role in the consortium
WP1 — Project management and coordination
UNITBV participates in consortium governance, scientific coordination, progress monitoring and reporting. It works with the coordinator and the other partners to support project implementation and interdisciplinary research collaboration.
WP2 — Innovative materials for environmental applications
UNITBV leads the task on synthesising and characterising materials with catalytic, electrocatalytic, photolytic and photocatalytic properties.
The team also contributes to organic and macromolecular composites, carbon-based nanomaterials, porous hybrid materials and natural polymer-based structures. Further contributions include lignocellulosic waste valorisation and computational methods for understanding molecular interactions and optimising material development.
WP3 — Advanced wastewater treatment and resource recovery
UNITBV leads the work package dedicated to advanced and emerging wastewater treatment processes for circular water management, nutrient recovery and energy recovery.
Within this work package, it leads research on metal recovery and sustainable industrial water management, as well as the conversion and utilisation of biogas and carbon dioxide for fuel and chemical production.
The team also contributes to evaluating newly developed materials, integrating treatment processes for priority and emerging pollutant removal, recovering nutrients, and developing photo(electro)chemical approaches that combine hydrogen production with wastewater treatment. Process modelling supports reactor optimisation and the evaluation of scale-up options.
WP4 — Water resources management for recirculating aquaculture
UNITBV contributes to identifying priority and emerging micropollutants in water and wastewater, laboratory testing of the potential toxicity of innovative materials, and their evaluation under real aquaculture conditions.
These activities help assess the suitability and safety of new materials for water filtration and other applications in recirculating aquaculture systems.
WP5 — By-product and waste valorisation
UNITBV leads the task on converting residues from grape seed oil extraction into nutrient-rich grape seed powder. This work investigates the nutritional value, antioxidant activity, microbiological quality and potential toxicity of the resulting product.
The university also contributes to innovative wine seal capsules and alternative corks made from plant-derived wastes, supporting the development of useful products from agricultural and food-processing residues.
WP6 — Sustainability and risk assessment
UNITBV leads the task on sustainability performance assessment of the advanced and emerging processes developed in WP3. This work uses experimental data, life cycle assessment, life cycle costing and process modelling to evaluate treatment performance and scale-up scenarios.
The team also contributes to prospective eco-design assessments and the sustainability evaluation of innovative materials and by-product and waste valorisation pathways.
WP7 — Technology transfer, dissemination and training
UNITBV contributes to dissemination, technology transfer, scientific exchanges and the training of young researchers. Its training contributions cover water and wastewater quality indicators, advanced treatment processes, materials characterisation, and heterogeneous catalysis for carbon dioxide capture and conversion into green fuels.
The university also organises a winter school on innovations in wastewater treatment and resource recovery, connecting nanotechnology, catalysis and circular bioeconomy approaches. Industrial exchanges and business-to-business meetings support collaboration and the practical uptake of research results.
UNITBV Team
The UNITBV team is led by Professor Luminița Andronic, whose research focuses on photocatalytic materials, advanced oxidation processes and environmental remediation. Her work investigates the synthesis and application of semiconductor nanostructures, the integration of adsorption and photocatalysis, and the environmental effects of nanoparticles.
The team brings together complementary expertise in photo(electro)chemical processes, reactor design, computational fluid dynamics, water filtration materials and environmental assessment.
Through its leadership in advanced treatment processes, UNITBV helps CERSUS connect materials innovation with resource recovery, process efficiency and sustainable environmental technologies.
Prof.dr.habil. Luminita Andronic
Partner Coordinator
Prof.dr. Cristina Cazan
Key person
Prof.dr.eng. Angel Huminic
Key person
Prof.dr. Luminita Anisoara Isac
Key person
Lect.dr. Maria Covei
Key person
more about UNITBV reseach team
UNITBV Infrastructure
UNITBV provides facilities for materials synthesis, advanced characterisation, pollutant analysis and photocatalytic process testing.
Materials synthesis equipment includes a hydrothermal system, a spray pyrolysis system and a Nabertherm heat-treatment furnace with an inert atmosphere. Characterisation capabilities include Bruker D8 Discover X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, PerkinElmer UV–VIS–NIR and FTIR spectroscopy, and a Micromeritics TriStar II Plus surface area and porosity analyser.
Water, wastewater and gaseous pollutant analysis is supported by multiparameter instruments, a Shimadzu TOC–TN analyser, Shimadzu LC-20ADsp HPLC, ion chromatography and Shimadzu GC-2010 PRO gas chromatography with a barrier discharge ionisation detector.
Experimental facilities include thin-film and continuous-flow photoreactors with UV, visible, LED and simulated solar irradiation, a microfluidic platform with a 3D-printed flow photoreactor, and a platform for photocatalytic carbon dioxide conversion coupled with automated gas chromatography analysis.
Facilities for cultivating Chlorella vulgaris support toxicity testing. SimaPro and ANSYS Fluent provide complementary capabilities for life cycle assessment and computational fluid dynamics.