From 9-13 June 2025, the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology (IChTJ) successfully hosted the Regional Training Course on Strengthening the Use of Radiation Technologies in the Processing and Valorisation of Biomass Feedstocks as part of the RER1024 project “Enhancing the Use of Radiation Technologies for Improved Resource Efficiency”. The RTC program was prepared by Dr. Maria Helena Freitas Casimiro (IAEA) and Dr. Marta Walo (INCT). The meeting was attended by 16 representatives from 12 IAEA Member States including Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Hungary.
The aim of the meeting was to provide participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to use radiation technologies effectively for the processing and valorisation of waste biomass.
Celem spotkania było przeszkolenie uczestników w zakresie stosowania technologii radiacyjnych do przetwarzania i waloryzacji biomasy odpadowej.
During the meeting, representatives of individual Member States presented their work and achievements in the field of biomass use and the possibilities of applying radiation technologies in a circular economy. This section presents important lectures; “Wastewater treatment plants as biomass resources” (Otton Roubinek) and “Radiation technologies for enhancement of biogas production and biomass valorisation” (Marcin Sudlitz), related to the implementation of radiation technologies in the valorisation of biomass produced in biological wastewater treatment plants. The technologies are being developed within the EU project I.FAST "Innovation Fostering in Accelerator Science and Technology" and the Polish-Chinese NCBiR TAPEB project "Advanced purification of typical antibiotic pharmaceutical wastewater using electron beam irradiation." Participants underwent practical exercises in the control of the irradiation process on the ILU-6 accelerator. They determined the range of the electrons using a stack of CTA dosimeters, and also examined the characteristics of the irradiation process in a flow system using liquid alanine dosimeters. The effect of ionising radiation on the antioxidant activity of food extracts was studied utilising the FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) test. Furthermore, they performed functional dose distributions in lignocellulosic biomass, using the PUFFIn software.
The IAEA expert, dr Sandra Cabo Verde delivered three lectures on the use of waste biomass in the circular economy, the influence of ionizing radiation on the bioactive properties of plant extracts and the biological effects of ionizing radiation on biomass microflora. Dr. Cabo Verde, who works at the Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN) in Lisbon, which is a Portuguese partner in the EU RADOV project "RADiation harvesting of bioactive peptides from egg proteins and their integration in advanced functional products" coordinated by ICHTJ, presented, among other matters, the methods used in the implementation of this project. The training provided a valuable opportunity for the exchange of experiences and the improvement of practical skills in the field of radiation technologies used in the circular bioeconomy.
