The team of the Chemistry Department participated in the final conference of the project “Agricultural Residues and Plastic Waste Materials as a Sustainable Source of Alternative Fuels and Valuable Chemicals” (AGRIPLAST), held from April 8 to 10 in Sombor. This project, supported and financed by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), aims at the chemical characterization and valorization of agricultural and plastic waste, following the principles of the circular economy.
At this conference, which brought together researchers from Serbia, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia, Prof. Milica Balaban held an invited lecture on “Microplastics as a carrier of polluting substances in the environment”. In addition, in part dedicated to the development of possibilities for further activities, Sanja Pržulj, senior teaching assistant, and Dejana Savić, teaching assistant, provided a detailed insight into the situation and perspectives in the Republic of Srpska regarding the issue of plastic waste and waste from the food industry with the presentation topics ” Plastic waste pollution in the countries of the Western Balkans” and “Beer trop as a raw material in pyrolysis processes”.
The presence of representatives of the Chemistry Department and engagement at the conference contributed to spreading knowledge about the importance of sustainable waste management in the region. This conference highlighted the potential for future collaboration between the Chemistry Study Program and other research institutions.