News
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The PhD students from our group were awarded the 1st and the 2nd prize at the Spring Wind Conference in Pécs
Congratulations to the PhD students from our group, who participated and were awarded prizes at the multidisciplinary regular annual scientific conference labelled as the Spring Wind Conference in Pécs, organized by the Association of Hungarian PhD and DLA Candidates (DOSZ) between 6-8th of May 2022. The event provided an opportunity for young researchers and doctoral candidates from all scientific disciplines to present their research outcomes in Hungarian and English, also in oral or poster sessions.
Based on the previously sent abstracts, the presentations were classified into 21 scientific sections and 61 various subsections and two poster sessions according to the scientific disciplines. The conference hosted altogether 500 presenters and 90 participants in the audience.
Two of our PhD students participated with 2 oral presentations at two different scientific subsections and were awarded the 1st and the 2nd prize:
Medical molecular biology subsection
Berkl, Zsófia (1st prize): The effect of cyclodextrines on bacterial communication in the Chromobacterium violaceum model system (PhD Supervisor: Dr. Molnár, Mónika)
Biotechnology and microbiology subsection
Németh, Imre (2nd prize): Ecotoxicity study of nanoparticles by various test systems (PhD Supervisor: Dr. Molnár, Mónika)
The additional two of our PhD students presented their research results in the poster session, where Rita Márton’s poster won the 1st prize and Szabina Molnár’s poster the 2nd prize:
Poster session 2.
Márton, Rita (1st prize): Biofilm formation by Candida boidinii and the assessment of the effect of quorum sensing molecules on the process (PhD Supervisor: Dr. Molnár, Mónika)
Poster session 1.
Molnár, Szabina (2nd prize): Qualification of beech-wood biochar and investigation of its applicability in sandy soil. (PhD Supervisor: Dr. Molnár, Mónika)
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We participated at the 11th International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Management (ICEEM11) (Muttenz, Switzerland, 8-10 September 2021)
On 8-10 September 2021 our group was represented again at the ICEMM11 conference (11th International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Management) with an on-line presentation. The presentation was held by Dr.Viktória Feigl, who presented the results of direct mutagenicity testing conducted on complex environmental samples. The abstract of the lecture was published in the Book of Abstracts under the following details:
Rita Márton, Viktória Feigl, Ildikó Fekete-Kertész, Mónika Molnár: DIRECT MUTAGENICITY TESTING AS PART OF THE ECOTOXICITY TEST BATTERY FOR THE ASSESSMENT COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES, 2021, 11th International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Management, ICEEM11, 8 – 10 SEPTEMBER 2021 MUTTENZ, SWITZERLAND, Book of abstracts, 231-232, ECOZONE Publishing House, Iasi, ISSN 2457-7049, ISSN-L 2457-7049
Under the tagline Environmental Engineering for a Clean and Healthy Planet, ICEEM11 aimed to be a platform for scientific dissemination boosting internationalization, multi-disciplinarity and collaboration in research.
Information about the programme of the conference, about the organisers and other details can be reached through the conference webpage: http://iceem.ro/
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The over 4 years long SCALE project, funded by H2020-EU.3.5.3, was successfully completed on 31.05.2021
The SCALE project (Production of Scandium compounds and Scandium Aluminum alloys from European metallurgical by- products) funded by the EU Research and Innovation programme H2020-EU.3.5.3 was successfully completed on 31.05.2021.
The main achievements:
- An optimized, commercially viable, eco-friendly selective ion recovery (SIR) technology process for extracting scandium from bauxite residues was patented and demonstrated at pilot scale, imparting sustainability benefits to the environment.
- Al-Sc master alloys was produced at small industrial scale and used in production of Al-Mg-Sc alloys.
- Al-Sc 3D printing with SCALE alloy was demonstrated.
- Direct production of Al with ~ 2wt% Sc by electrolysis from a cryolite melt with Al2O3and Sc2O3 as feed material was demonstrated, obtaining current efficiencies in the range of 85-90%. Besides, dross residues from Al-Sc master alloy production were successfully used as feed, i.e., as Al2O3 and Sc2O3 In this way, the dross material can be valorised by the developed innovative electrolysis process.
- Acid resistant nanofiltration process developed and tested at laboratory and pilot scale proved to be suitable for extraction of Sc from strongly acidic process wastewater (acidic waste of TiO2 production).
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Popular Science article about the Ajka red mud disaster in 2010
Our colleague, William Mayes, an environmental scientist from the University of Hull in England, summarised in a short article published on the 15th February, 2021 at the Popular Science website, the lessons learned from the Ajka 2010 red mud disaster in Hungary.
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We participated at the 1st International Greenering Conference between 15-17. 02. 2021
We participated with a poster presentation at the first international online Greenering conference, organised between 15-17 February, 2021.
The conference was organised within the GREENERING COST action, that had the objective to join academics, researchers and companies in an international forum to promote industrial application of green chemistry and sustainable technologies into industries, with environmental, innovation, economic and policy aspects in focus.
The title of the poster presented on behalf of our reserach group is:
Poster: ECOTOXICITY ASSESSMENT TO SUPPORT THE SELECTION OF TECHNOLOGY ALTERNATIVES FOR SCANDIUM EXTRACTION FROM BAUXITE RESIDUE IN SCALED-UP EXPERIMENTS
Authors: Feigl V., Molnár M., Berkl Zs., Vaszita E., Fekete-Kertész I.
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Éva Farkas defended her PhD dissertation
Congratulations to Éva Farkas for sucessfully defending her PhD thesis on 15. 01. 2021.
The title of the PhD dissertation is:
“Complex assessment and evaluation of the long-term effects of biochar to improve sandy soils – from laboratory to field application “
The PhD dissertation and the thesis book (both in Hungarian and English) are available in the digital archive of the university.
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We are pleased to welcome in our group two new PhD students
We are pleased to welcome in our group two additional PhD students, who won a scholarship from the
George A. Olah Doctoral School of Chemistry and Chemical Technology:
Rita Márton (bioengineer M.Sc., BME VBK) and Molnár Szabina (environmental engineer M.Sc., BME VBK).
Rita Márton’s PhD research topic is: studying and influencing quorum sensing in fungi.
Szabina Molnár’s PhD research topic is: the effect of biochar ageing on biochar properties and on its applicability in soil.
We wish much success to their research activity!
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Zsófia Berkl, our PhD student received the Best Lecture Award at FIBOK2020 on 19th November 2020
We are pleased to inform you that Zsófia Berkl, our PhD student, was awarded the Best Lecture Award (1st Prize) within the MICROBIAL AND BIOMASS BIOTECHNOLOGY section of The 4th National Conference of Young Biotechnologists „FIBOK 2020” for her lecture on the 19th of November 2020:
CYCLODEXTRIN-MEDIATED QUORUM QUENCHING IN ALIIVIBRIO FISCHERI MODEL SYSTEM
Authors: BERKL Zsófia1 – MOLNÁR Mónika 1 – FENYVESI Éva 2 – NÉMETH Imre 1 – BUDA Kata 1 – FEKETE-KERTÉSZ Ildikó 1 – MÁRTON Rita 1 – SZENTE Lajos2
1 BME-VBK ABÉT, Budapest
2 CycloLab Kft., Budapest
Congratulations Zsófi for your continuous success!
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We were represented by our two PhD students at the 4th National Conference of Young Biotechnologists
The 4th National Conference of Young Biotechnologists „FIBOK 2020” organised by the HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES and the UNIVERSITY OF DEBRECEN was held online in November, 2020 and it focused on the following areas: PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY, MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, MICROBIAL AND BIOMASS BIOTECHNOLOGY, ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY.
The aim of the conference was to provide a forum for young scientists in Hungary involved in biotechnological research and to introduce the results of their research via oral and poster presentations and to support the collaboration between them.
Our research group was represented by two PhD students, Zsófia Berkl and Imre Németh, who presented their work in the MICROBIAL AND BIOMASS BIOTECHNOLOGY section on the 19th of November, 2020.
Zsófia Berkl introduced her work in an oral presentation on the cyclodextrin-mediated quorum quenching in the Aliivibrio fischeri model system. The abstract can be reached on page 63 of the Conference Abstract Book.
Imre Németh introduced the results of his work in a poster presentation on the effects of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens biofilm formation. The abstract can be reached on page 81 of the Conference Abstract Book.
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The first ELECTRA newsletter was published
We are pleased to present the first issue of the ELECTRA project newsletter.ELECTRA is a flagship project of the EU-China Cooperation Initiative. It is a 4-year Research and Innovation Action. Our research team from BME is consortium partner of the ELECTRA project . The consortium consists of 16 European partners receiving funding from the European Union H2020 programme, and 5 Chinese partners being funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
The project aims to develop and implement bioelectrochemical systems for the bioremediation of contaminated wastewater, groundwater, sediments and soil.
The first newsletter presents the first set of four technologies as well as a brief summary of an impressive number of communication and dissemination activities performed within this first 18 months of the project.
