Chemical Engineering

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Research Topic Summary.

This topic focuses on the development and optimization of edible biopolymer scaffolds for cultivating artificial meat in vitro. The study aims to create scaffolds from non-animal biopolymers and plant-based proteins that provide biocompatible and high-quality tissue suitable for consumption. New scaffolds will be designed and tested using electrohydrodynamic processes and surface functionalization techniques to enhance tissue compatibility and texture.

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Research Topic Summary.

The current interest in biopolymers is forcing to find the ways for generation of new materials from natural polysaccharides such as cellulose, chitosan, alginates, starch, etc, and to extent the area of their applications. The aim of this project is to design and investigate new immobilization paths by using ionogenic polysaccharides as carriers of active compounds and to assess their performance under simulated conditions. The polysaccharide matrices of different charge density and amphiphilicity will be obtained by the means of chemical and mechanical modification of natural polysaccharides. Afterwards, active ingredients immobilization in biopolymer matrices methods will be determined and their interactions, the kinetics, thermodynamics of the processes will be examined. Consequently, in the frame of this project new immobilization techniques will developed with potential use in medicine, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical industries, etc.

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Research Topic Summary.

Autotrophic bacteria are capable of fixing carbon dioxide (CO2) contributing to net-zero emissions and CO2 neutrality. In the absence of organic substrates, it can utilise CO2 and H2 as sole carbon and energy sources. Due to its ability to store large amounts of reduced carbon in the form of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), C. necator is considered a promising host organism for the sustainable production of value-added compounds from CO2. The PhD project will be aimed at application and engineering of C. necator to produce added value products. Combinatorial transcriptional engineering and genetically encoded transcription factor-based biosensors will be used for metabolism characterisation of such nutrients as carotenoids (eg. lycopene), B group vitamins (e.g. myo-inositol) and optimisation of synthetic metabolic pathways. Development and optimisation of the aerobic CO2 fermentation process for bioproduction will play important part in the project. The project will be carried out within the Bioprocess Research Centre. The successful candidate will join a highly motivated and well-funded team of research scientists dedicated to the exploitation of industrially important microorganisms. PhD study will allow for training in a unique multidisciplinary environment, incorporating systems and synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, gas fermentation, biochemical and biophysical analytical techniques.

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Research Topic Summary.

The dissertation project is dedicated to the synthesis of targeted compounds and the development and expansion of environmental technologies. It is planned to create promising CaxSi(y-z)PzOv layered sorbents with controlled chemical composition and properties by combining hydrothermal/microwave and high-temperature synthesis methods, and to determine their adsorption capacities for various cations and anions. The dissertation aims to synthesize multifunctional nanosized CaxSi(y-z)PzOv and propose rational areas of their application.

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Research Topic Summary.

Algal phytohormones, including auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins, are natural regulators of plant growth and stress adaptation. Their application as biofertilizers offers a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers, reducing environmental impact and supporting circular bioeconomy principles. However, commercialization is limited by gaps in production methods, chemical characterization, and understanding of bioactivity in soil–plant systems. This project addresses these challenges by developing and validating fermentation-based strategies to enhance phytohormone content in algal biomass. Unlike conventional approaches, fermentation will be used as a biotechnological tool to stimulate metabolic pathways and increase hormone synthesis, thereby improving the functional value of algae as biofertilizers. The research will focus on optimizing fermentation conditions for selected microalgae and macroalgae species, characterizing hormone profiles using advanced analytical techniques (HPLC-MS/MS, FTIR, NMR), and assessing their physiological effects on model crops under controlled conditions. Expected outcomes include standardized protocols for fermentation-driven hormone enhancement, comprehensive chemical and bioactivity data, and evidence of improved plant growth and stress resilience. Beyond scientific contributions—such as multiple peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations—the project anticipates practical applications with commercialization potential and opportunities for collaboration with industry stakeholders. By leveraging fermentation to boost phytohormone production, this study supports sustainable agriculture and climate resilience while advancing innovative biotechnological solutions for future food systems.

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Research Topic Summary.

Although there is a lot of international research analyzing the composition and properties of the microbiota of fermented products, most of it focuses on the fermentation processes of traditional dairy products, while the microbiological aspects of fermented plant-based products (beverages) have not been sufficiently studied. The novelty of this work is that, using classical microbiological methods and advanced next-generation sequencing (NGS) and metabolomics methods, the composition of microorganisms in fermented plant-based products (beverages) will be identified, their dynamics and functional potential, analyze their metabolites and influence on product safety and quality. Such scientific research is innovative and significant because it develops scientific knowledge about the fermentation process and its optimization in order to create healthy and safe fermented plant-based products. The aim of the work is to identify the microbial compositions of fermented plant-based products (beverages), evaluate their dynamics, functional potential, and impact on product safety and quality using metagenome sequencing and metabolomics analysis methods.

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Research Topic Summary.

Fermented plant extracts (FPE) are plant-based functional products, mainly produced in China, Japan and other Asian countries. With plenty of nutrients and bioactive substances, FPE provides a variety of health benefits (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects, detoxification, anti-bacterial, hemostasis, etc.) with a wide range of applications in food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. Various medicinal and aromatic plants, rich in valuable non-polar and polar bioactive compounds, can serve as promising materials to produce FPE with the desired phytochemical composition and functional properties. This research is aimed towards the development and characterization of fermented extracts from the selected aromatic and/or medicinal plants, and their targeted application for development of functional products. Results obtained in this research will lead to at least 3 scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals, will be presented in the national and international conferences. FPE and FPE-based functional product prototypes will be presented in the international exhibition of young creators TECHNORAMA, annually organized by KTU.

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Research Topic Summary.

This research explores the development of advanced materials and coatings, such as metal oxides, designed to enhance sustainable energy conversion processes and environmental applications. By focusing on optimizing material synthesis, understanding structural and morphological properties, and evaluating catalytic performance, the study aims to contribute to innovative solutions in renewable energy technologies and environmental remediation, addressing key challenges in efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and scalability.

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Research Topic Summary.

Bitumen, as a building material, has been widely used for roof impregnation and for covering roads, airfields and other purpose paths. In order to improve the properties of bitumen (hardness, elasticity, elasticity, service life, etc.), bitumen is enriched with additives, most of which are now polymeric. Currently, the most widely used synthetic additives are styrene-butadiene-styrene polymer (SBS), ethylene vinyl acetate polymer (EVA), styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) and several polymers and other chemical additives of different composition and purpose, such as antioxidants, adhesives, etc. In our time, for several years now, there has been a problem with waste of polymeric materials (plastics, used tires, packaging). The idea of ??this scientific topic is to create a bitumen modifier using polymer waste and applying the principles of the circular economy, to add it to the product and at the same time reduce the production volume of chemical additives.

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Research Topic Summary.

With the development of high technologies, the need for smart materials is growing rapidly, and to solve recent problems of climate change and the state of the environment, it is especially relevant to use sustainable processes and renewable raw materials in manufacturing technologies. The aim of this work is to design, synthesize, and investigate new shape memory polymers from plant-derived materials for modern light-based manufacturing technologies. Such polymers can be widely applied in smart biomedical devices, flexible electronics or robotics, aerospace devices, etc. During the work, the dependence of the polymerization process, the structure of the obtained polymers, their mechanical, thermal, shape memory, etc. properties on the structure of different plant-derived materials will be investigated. The research will be carried out in collaboration with scientists from Lithuanian and foreign scientific institutions, the most experienced in this field, as well as manufacturing companies using light-based technologies. The results obtained will be reported at international scientific conferences, published in Q1-Q2 scientific journals of the CA WoS database, and disseminated to the general public.

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Research Topic Summary.

The global depletion of hydrocarbon fuels and their impact on global warming has spurred interest in renewable energy sources like wind, hydro, and especially solar energy. Solar-based energy sources are flexible, efficient, versatile and comparably inexpensive. The most promising photovoltaic devices in which organic semiconductors are used are perovskite solar-cells (PSC). The objective of the project is the design, synthesis and investigation of effective organic hole-transporting materials with low ionization potentials for cost-effective and stable PSCs. Using the the most promising materials, efficient PSC will be fabricated and studied. The main advantage of the developed materials will be relative simplicity of their synthesis, cheaper starting materials and inexpensive purification. The obtained hole-transport organic compounds could be also suitable for the application in organic light-emiting diodes and other optoelectronic devices.