The Biogas Research Team is upgrading to BioResources and Technology (From BRT to BRT)

We are pleased to announce our Biogas Research Team (BRT) rebranding to the BioResources and Technology (BRT) Division. Simply from BRT to BRT. This evolution marks a milestone in our journey, reflecting the broadening scope and increasing complexity of our research and development activities. While biogas remains at the heart of our work, our rebranding to BioResources and Technology better covers the diversity of our research, the projects and our commitment to sustainable solutions for a rapidly changing world.

To broaden and develop the professional skills of our team members and widen their scientific network and cultural experiences, the BRT encourages its students to embark on internships. These internships are connected to their scientific journey and enable them to have hands-on, practical and in-field experiences, which are critical to their future careers. The internships help to hone their communication, time management, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership skills, all of which are highly valued assets in young scientists.

 

The Czech University of Life Sciences Prague researchers and BioResources and Technology Division (BRT) members Ing. Jan Staš, Prof. Ing. Jan Banout, Ph.D., and Assoc.Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubik recently published an article in Life (section Microbiology, Special Issue Food Microbiological Contamination). They have developed an innovative method to analyse the anti-yeast activity of natural compounds in fruit juices. This new approach not only promises to enhance the screening of the antimicrobial potential of natural compounds in beverages but also aligns with the growing consumer demand for natural food preservatives by discovering new candidates for juice preservation.

The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (FTZ) recently had the honor of hosting Prof. Tjandra Setiadi from the Department of Chemical Engineering of Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). The purpose of this visit was to strengthen the bonds of friendship and explore opportunities for collaboration with the BioResources and Technology Division (BRT) team. During the discussions, several key areas of cooperation emerged, the application of bioprocess engineering in tackling industrial wastewater challenges, the production of biopolymers and lignocellulosic enzymes, and the development of bio-based products. This collaboration promises to open new doors for joint research and innovative solutions in sustainable technologies.

We look forward to this new cooperation, strengthening research ties between Indonesia and the Czech Republic!

 

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BRT Senior Researcher, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yelizaveta Chernysh recently had the opportunity to attend a training in Huelva, Spain to learn modern methods of phosphogypsum analysis with Prof. Jose Miguel Nieto Linán’s team, the Environmental Mineralogy and Geochemistry Unit, at the University of Huelva. The teams main research activities are aimed at investigating the sources and pathways of industrial and mining pollution in terrestrial, riverine and estuarine systems. The team is consistent of an interdisciplinary team with expertise in mineralogy, geochemistry, ore deposits, hydrogeology and ecotoxicology. They have many years of experience in studying the environmental impacts associated with the exploitation of massive sulfide deposits in the Iberian pyrite belt (found in Southern Spain). Recent projects in this area have focused on the development of laboratory tests and pilot field plants for the treatment of mining waste, the recovery of essential raw materials from mining waste, and regional studies on the dispersion and attenuation of pollutants in river and estuarine systems (Tinto, Odiel and Guadiana River basins). They are also studying the elemental composition of phosphogypsum.

The training, which was partly motivated by the environmental contamination in Huelva, where waste infiltrates local water systems, gave Dr. Chernysh the opportunity to broaden her expertise in addressing such environmental issues. Specifically, she conducted sample preparation of Ukrainian phosphogypsum. In addition, she familiarized herself with the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis protocol—a powerful technique used for detecting and measuring the concentration of metals and non-metals in samples. Moreover, Dr. Chernysh participated in actual sample analysis during the training, contributing to data that will inform future research. This data will play a vital role in the preparation of a scientific article, showcasing her growing expertise in this field and her contribution to important environmental research.

Thank you to Prof. Jose Miguel Nieto Linán and his research team for providing support and equipment for the training and we look forward to future collaboration!

 

This cooperation is based on the joint ERA-MIN3 action project - Phosphogypsum Processing to Critical Raw Materials (PG2CRM), which received funding from the European Union within the Horizon 2020 program. This training exists within the framework of the project "Phosphogypsum as a mineral resource for bioprocesses". Dr. Chernysh also acknowledges the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) with funding from the European Union under the MSCA4Ukraine framework.

 

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 Anaerobic digestion is an important renewable energy technology that has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the development of a sustainable energy system. However, as in many research fields, the research is extensive and fragmented, making it difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of the technology and hindering progress.

 

Therefore, we concluded a large scoping review of the entire technology, from pretreatment to gas utilization, using a systematic PRISMA protocol, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the anaerobic digestion process. In addition, this research serves to highlight issues in the current research environment, to identify limitations. This information can serve as the basis for future standardization of work to increase the efficiency of biogas research.

 

In this paper, we highlighted multiple issues. For one, the field suffers from a lack of standardization in reporting and no clear definitions for certain terms. This leads to confusion and issues classifying information. This problem is only exacerbated by an exponential growth in published research which indicates a larger issue in science.

 

Overall, there is an urgent need to harmonize work and facilitate knowledge transfer to go beyond the traditional paper system. We need to transition to a more updatable and modular workflow using modern technologies for the increase in the standards for accessibility and visibility of work. By using open science and working with modern scalable database systems, science could benefit by reducing the burden on researchers and facilitating progress.

 

Citation:  Bercy, A.; Roubík, H. A call for modernisation of science, the case of anaerobic digestion: A scoping review. Energy Conversion and Management. 2024. 316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2024.118816.

BRT Authors: Ing. Antoine Bercy and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík

 

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