UPB | SABIOM

UPB

Short history

POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest
	POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest (UPB) is one of the most important and prestigious technical universities in Romania. Its traditions are connected to the founding of the first school higher technical studies in 1818 by Gheorghe Lazar. With a long tradition in higher technical education Politehnica University of Bucharest is undergoing a continuous modernization process.

The Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science

The Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science is involved mainly in educational activities, but it is also performing a vast scientific and technical research.
Along the years it has been part of national scientific research programs not only as sole project manager, but also in partnership.
A lot of international cooperation projects have also been developed in the Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science.
In the SABIOM project are involved members of two departments of the Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science: Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and Dept. of Science and Engineering of Oxides Materiales and Nanomaterials.

Some members of the project team from Mass Transfer Laboratory (Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering)

Key persons involved in the project

	Dr. ing. Anicuța Stoica Team project leader Associated Professor at Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Teaching activities: Unit operations in food engineering, Mass transfer operations, Mass transfer enhancement Research activities: Emulsion liquid membranes, Interfacial mass Transfer, Biomaterials used in industrial applications E-mail address: stoica.anicuta@gmail.com		Dr. ing. Marta Stroescu Research team member Associated Professor at Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Teaching activities: Unit Processes in Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology in Food Industries, Sustainable Biotechnology Research activities: Extraction, mass transfer in biotechnology, Biopolymers used in industrial applications E-mail address: marta_stroescu@yahoo.com

	Dr. ing. Rodica Elena Ceclan Research team member Associate Professor at Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Teaching activities: Chemical, Wastewater, Waste, Environmental and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Bioresources for Energy Research activities: Organic substances/pharmaceuticals synthesis/engineering; Waste/wastewater engineering; Knowledge management; Bioresources for biofuels E-mail address: rceclan@yahoo.com		Dr. ing. Tănase Dobre Research team member Professor at Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Teaching activities: Transport Phenomena, Mass Transfer, Mass Transfer Enhancement, Porous Diffusion Processes, Chemical Engineering Modeling Research activities: Mathematical modeling and computer simulation for chemical and biochemical engineering processes, Mass transfer with porous medium ( membrane processes), Intensive processes by heat and mass transfer enhancement E-mail address: tghdobre@gmail.com

	Dr. ing. Oana Cristina Pârvulescu Research team member Lecturer at Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Teaching activities: Biotechnology and Unit operations Research activities: Separation and purification processes through ion exchange, sol – gel, and pyrolysis processes E-mail address: oana.parvulescu@yahoo.com		Dr. ing. Gabriela Olimpia Isopencu Research team member Lecturer at Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Teaching activities: Hydrodynamics, Real flow in industrial processes, Statistics, Biotechnology – in environmental and food field, Industrial microbiology Research activities: Advanced separation methods applied to the biotechnologies and chemical industry E-mail address: g_isopencu@chim.upb.ro

	Dr. ing. Sorin Ion Jinga Research team member Associated Professor at Dept. Science and Engineering of Oxides Materials and Nanomaterials Teaching activities: Unit operations, Industrial Equipments, Dielectric materials Research activities: High purity anorganic materials, Optic and optoelectronics materials E-mail address: sorinionjinga@yahoo.com

Research tasks of UPB in the SABIOM project

1. Obtaining bacterial cellulose from raw cheap materials, especially agricultural residues, and optimizing the fermentation process.
2. Selection of the most suitable biopolymers which can be used in composites with BC ( bacterial cellulose) in order to obtain materials with very good swelling properties.
3. Experimental laboratory studies concerning mass transfer through the obtained composites: measurement of the swelling degree and water vapour permeability.
4. Development of mathematical models to describe the observed mass transport and the factors which influence the mass transfer through BC composites.
5. Demonstration of the efficiency of the obtained superabsorbent materials.
6. Modeling and simulation of superabsorbent application in vitro and in vivo.

Images from research UPB laboratories ( Mass transfer laboratory)

Gas permeation aparatus

Gas chromatograph

UV – VIS CINTRA 6 GBC

Bioreactor BIOSTAT SARTORIUS

Difussion cell

Selected publications

1. Guzun-Stoica A., Kurzeluk M., Floarea O., Experimental study of Marangoni effect in a liquid-liquid system, Chem. Engng. Sci. 55 (18), (2000), 3813-3816.

2. Dinculescu D., Guzun-Stoica A., Dobre T., Floarea O., Experimental investigation of citric acid reactive extraction with solvent recycling, Bioprocess Engineering, 22 (6), (2000), 529-531.

3. Guzun Stoica A., Stroescu M., Tache F., Zaharescu T., Grosu E., Effect of electron beam irradation on bacterial cellulose membranes used as transdermal drug delivery systems, 7th International Symposium on Ionizing Radiation and Polymers, 23-28 September, 2006, Antalya, Turkey, published în Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physical Research, B 265(1), (2007), 434-438.

4. Dobre T., Parvulescu O. C., Stoica A., Iavorschi G., Characterization of cooling systems based on heat pipe principle to control operation temperature of high-tech electronic components, Applied Thermal Engineering, 30(16), (2010), 2435-2441.

5. Stoica-Guzun A., Jecu L., Gheorghe A., Raut I., Stroescu M., Ghiurea M., Danila M., Jipa I.,Fruth V., Biodegradation of Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Bacterial Cellulose Composites by Aspergillus niger, J Polym Environ, 19 (1), (2011), 69-79.

6. Dobre T., Parvulescu O. C., Sanchez-Marcano J., Stoica A., Stroescu M., Iavorschi G., Characterization of gas permeation through stretched polyisoprene membranes, Separ. Purif. Technol., 82,(2011), 202-209.

7. JipaI. M., DobreL., Stroescu M., Stoica-Guzun A., Jinga S., Dobre T, Preparation and characterization of bacterial cellulose-poly(vinyl alcohol) films with antimicrobial properties, Materials Letters, 66, (2012), 125–127.

8. Kibédi-SzabóC. Z., Stroescu M., Stoica-Guzun A., Jinga S. I., Szilveszter S., Jipa I., Dobre T., Biodegradation Behavior of Composite Films with Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Matrix, J Polym Environ, 20 (2), (2012), 422-430.

9. Stoica-Guzun A., Stroescu M., Jinga S., Jipa I., Dobre T., Dobre L., Ultrasound influence upon calcium carbonate precipitation on bacterial cellulose membranes, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 19, (2012), 909-915.

10. Jipa I. M., Stoica-Guzun A., Stroescu M., Controlled release of sorbic acid from bacterial cellulose based mono and multilayer antimicrobial films, LTW -Food Sci. Technol. 47, (2012), 400-406.

11. Stroescu M., Stoica-Guzun A., Jinga S. I., Dobre T., JipaI. M., Dobre L. M., Influence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide upon calcium carbonate precipitation on bacterial cellulose, Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, 29 (9),(2012), 1216-1223.

12. Jipa I. M., Stroescu M., Stoica-Guzun A., Dobre T., Jinga S., Zaharescu T., Effect of gamma irradiation on biopolymer composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol) and bacterial cellulose, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physical Research, B 278, (2012), 82-87.

13. Dobre L. M., Stoica-Guzun A., Stroescu M., Jipa I. M., Dobre T., Ferdes M., Ciumpiliac S., Modelling of sorbic acid diffusion through bacterial cellulose-based antimicrobial films, Chemical Papers, 66(2), (2012), 144-151.

14. JipaI. M., Stoica A., Stroescu M., Dobre L.-M., Dobre T., Jinga S., Tardei C., Potassium sorbate release from poly(vinyl alcohol)-bacterial cellulose films, Chemical Papers, 66 (2), (2012), 138-143.

15. Stroescu M., Stoica-Guzun A., Ghergu S., Chira N., Jipa I., Optimization of fatty acids extraction from Portulca oleracea seed using response surface methodology, Ind. Crop Prod. 43,(2013), 405-411.

16. Stroescu M., Stoica-Guzun A., Jipa I. M., Vanillin release from poly(vinylalcohol)-bacterial cellulose mono and multilayer films, J. Food Eng., (2013), 114, 153-157

20. Stoica-Guzun A., Stroescu M., Jipa I., Dobre L., Zaharescu T., Effect of γ irradiation on poly(vinylalcohol) and bacterial cellulose composites used as packaging materials, Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 84, (2013), 200-204.

21. Dobre M. L., Stoica-Guzun A., Antimicrobial Ag-Polyvinyl Alcohol-Bacterial Cellulose Composite Films , J. Biobased Mater. Bioenergy 7, (2013), 157-162

Patents and patent applications

1. RO126952-A2/2012, Patent Assignee: DOBRE T; SARBU A; STROESCU M C; STOICA A, Inventor(s): CONSTANTIN S; DIMA S O; DOBRE T; et al. Bicomponent composite with polymeric matrix for the thermal rehabilitation of buildings

2. RO126951-A2/2012, Patent Assignee: DOBRE T; SARBU A; STROESCU M C; STOICA A Inventor(s): CONSTANTIN S; DIMA S O; DOBRE T; et al., Novel composites for thermal rehabilitation of buildings involves a process for treating some granules of raw expanded polystyrene

3. RO126644-A2/2012 Patent Assignee:DOBRE T; STOICA A; STROESCU M C; CHICIUDEAN T G; MICHEL V T, Inventor(s):DOBRE T; STOICA A;STROESCU M.C; et al., Method for preparing biocellulose composites, involves imprinting membranes obtained from cultivation of Acetobacter xylinum on medium with silver by repeated sorption of dextrose solution and modified Tollens solution

4. RO127026-A2/2012, Patent Assignee: DOBRE T; IAVORSCHI G; PARVULESCU O C; STROESCU M C; STOICA A, Inventor(s): DOBRE T; IAVORSCHI G; PARVULESCU O C; et al., Membranes and sorbents developed from the composite system cellulose/biocellulose – silica gel

National research projects

1. CEEX 148/2006 Imprinted polymers for molecular recognition of bioactive compounds from plants (Structuri polimerice imprentate pentru recunoașterea moleculară a compușilor bioactivi din din plante) – BIOSPIM (2006-2008) (Coordonator UPB, Director proiect: prof. T. Dobre)

2. CEEX 127/2006 Advanced solutions for VOC recovery from surface and underground waters (Soluții avansate de reducere a nivelului de compuși organici volatili din apele de suprafață și de adâncime) – RECOV (2006-2008) (Partener, Responsabil : conf. A. Stoica)

3. IDEI 1031/2007 Analysis of fundamental processes of sol-gel synthesis using bacterial cellulose matrix: experiments and simulation (Analiza prin modelare simulare și experimentare a proceselor fundamentale din sinteza sol-gel cu matrice de bioceluloză) (2007-2010) (Director proiect: prof. T. Dobre)

4. PNI 21027/2007 Hybrid composite matrices containing expanded polystyrene for thermal buildings rehabilitation (Materiale compozite hibride, pe baza de polistiren expandat, destinate reabilitarii termice a cladirilor) – COMRETERM (2007-2009) (Coordonator UPB, Director proiect: prof. T. Dobre)

5. PNI 61045/2007 Development of a method of biocontrol exerted by microbial systems in order to avoid fungal infections (Dezvoltarea unei metodologii de biocontrol exercitat de sisteme microbiene asupra infecțiilor fungice) – BIOCONTROL (2007-2010) (Partener, Responsabil : conf. M. Stroescu)

6. 32115/2008 Ecoeficient solutions for plastic wastes degradation using biological systems (Soluții ecoeficiente pentru gestionarea deșeurilor de plastic folosind potențialul degradativ al sistemelor biologice) – ECODEGRAD (2008-2010) (Partener, Responsabil : conf. M. Stroescu)

7. PNII Ceramic foams from nanopolymeric composites for gases depollution in steam generation stations (Spume ceramice din nanocompozite polimerice, destinate depoluării fluxurilor gazoase din centralele termice) (2008-2011) (Partener, Responsabil: Sef lucr. G. Isopencu)

8. PCCA2 114/2012 Superabsorbents biopolymer materials for agriculture uses (Materiale biopolimerice superabsorbante cu utilizări în agricultură) – SABIOM (2012-2015) (Coordonator UPB, Director proiect: conf. A. Stoica)