Radjenović, Jelena
ICREA Research Professor at Institut Català de Recerca de l'Aigua (ICRA).
Engineering Sciences
Short biography
Graduated in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from the University of Belgrade´s Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Serbia, in 2004. PhD in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Barcelona in July 2009 with “cum laude” distinction. 2009-2014: Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), University of Queensland, Australia. November 2014-onwards: Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona, Spain. Awarded several prestigious fellowships: Queesland Early Career Smart Future Fellowship, Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship, Ramon y Cajal fellowship. 2017-2022: ERC Starting Grant ELECTRON4WATER.
Research interests
I am an expert in chemical and electrochemical advanced (waste)water treatment, with a focus on the fate of chemical contaminants. My research aims to increase the efficiency and resilience of water treatment and reuse through the development of sustainable, energy-efficient and renewable energy-driven technologies. My core expertise is the development of low-cost, nanostructured electrode materials, and their implementation in electrochemical water treatment systems, as well as elucidation of electrochemical degradation pathways of persistent organic contaminants. We have recently patented graphene sponge electrodes that overcome a major limitation of existing, commercial electrode materials - production of toxic byproducts in the presence of chloride - as they are completely inert to chloride and other halides. In addition, our group is also developing a hybrid nano-biotreatment based on accelerating the redox microbial reactions in anaerobic respiration by the addition of low-cost graphene oxide. Electron shuttling by graphene derivatives drastically enhances the removal of pollutants and improves the performance of anaerobic treatment systems, and this is currently being demonstrated at a pre-pilot scale.