ICECHIM was founded in 1951 and became in 2004 The National Research and Development Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry, being now one of the most important R&D institutes in Romania. ICECHIM has an activity of over 60 years in applicative and fundamental research, focused mainly towards applied and technological research. The main research directions are: Bioresources valorization, Biotechnologies; Nanosciences and Nanomaterials, Nanotechnologies; Technologies and advanced organic materials; Environmental protection and sustainable management of resources, recycling of by-products; Improving the competitiveness of industrial products; Rehabilitation and revitalization of the Romanian chemical and petrochemical industry.
Renewable natural resources valorization represents a domain of great interest, according to the strategic objectives at European level, including biotechnologies for agro-food waste valorization, organic loaded water treatment, reconversion of oily greases from wastewaters, selection, identification and characterization of microorganisms involved in waste reconversion, by-products recycling. ICECHIM has five R&D Departments (Bio-resources, Biotechnologies, Analysis, Polymers, Chemical and Petrochemical Technology) and seven accredited testing laboratories, according to the standard ISO 17027/2005 for: water analysis, ecological fertilizers, analysis and testing dangerous chemicals, incinerator emissions according to Directive 94/67/CE, physical-chemical testing of dye-stuffs, varnishes and mineral oils, organic volatile compound content of dyes and varnishes.
The Bioresources laboratory is mainly devoted to plant extracts using classical or unconventional methods, screening laboratory for investigation of the preliminary biological activity of bioactive compounds from plants and their constituents, analysis laboratory with capacity for identification and quantification of organic compounds.
The research activity of the institute is reflected in result indicators: national R&D projects as a coordinator (16 CEEx, 25PN2/Partnerships, 15 Innovouchers/2012) and as a partner (33 CEEx, 31PN2/Partnerships), more than 10 international projects (Manunet, Eureka, Horizon 2020, Bilateral Cooperation), 90 communications at international scientific events, 5 published books/chapters in books, national and international scientific articles (242), patents (40 RO, 16EPO) and international prizes (35 gold medals, 50 others) for innovative products and technologies, mostly in the thematic area of the project or closely related scientific domains.
The implementation team of ICECHIM has a high competence and equipments to successfully develop the proposed project, being able to recover by extraction valuable compounds from industrial side flows and to convert them into innovative formulations of high quality and environmentally safe. The Bioresources Department has as main activity scientific research and technological development regarding the use of natural renewable resources and by-products from current production of fertilizers and biofuels, development of technologies for polyols from natural resources, agro-useful products, overactive biocides and formulations of ecological bioactive products, specific chemical analysis of fertilizers and agrochemicals, characterization of commercial products, raw materials and intermediates.
Thus, ICECHIM specialists will deal with the synthesis and formulation of fertilizer compositions which will be encapsulated and together with L’UREDERRA specialists will elaborate and develop the technology for encapsulation of fertilizer compositions, including physic-chemical characterization of formulated fertilizers, according to EC 2003/2003 Regulation. Also, as a research institute will exploit project results as follows: formation and development of the competence of youth potential in the research profile, facilitating some stable professional positions for young researchers, formed as high level specialists who will have also the opportunity to have training stages and exchange of experience in the specific domain; promotion of the participation for research institutes at European programs and the integration of said institutes in the active international networks. The cooperation between specialist teams from the EC is meant to ease the access of the Romanian and Spanish research to the technological novelties in the domain, to the experience of other partners in the project, but also to offer to scientific community an objective image on the quality of the Romanian and Spanish scientific research.
In conclusion, ICECHIM has a strong position in the consortium because it has a strong research experience in the coordination of over 100 national and international projects in the scientific domains of chemistry, agrochemistry, bioresources, biocides, biofilms, biodegradable materials.
