Project number #16103
Research Team
Consortium Expertise & Project Organization
The project was carried out by a multidisciplinary team, whose complementary expertise covered all experimental and computational aspects of CO₂BION. Leveraging the multidisciplinary environment of FORTH/ICE-HT, the project brought together clusters of laboratories to address complex challenges in physical and engineering sciences through close collaboration. Researchers from different scientific backgrounds worked in parallel on interconnected tasks, sharing results to achieve key milestones, while specialized deliverables were assigned to experts in the relevant fields to ensure efficient and successful project completion.
MARIA KLAPA - Research Director, Head of Metabolic Engineering and Systems Biology Lab (MESBL)
Bio & Research Expertise
Dr. Maria Klapa is Principal Researcher and Head of the Metabolic Engineering & Systems Biology Laboratory at FORTH/ICE-HT. She has significant expertise in high-throughput metabolic phenotyping using untargeted mass spectrometry–based metabolomics and fluxomics, multi-omic systems biology studies, and the mathematical modeling of metabolic and protein interaction networks.
Role in CO₂BION
Dr. Klapa serves as Coordinator of the CO₂BION project, overseeing the timely and successful completion of project milestones and deliverables, as well as overall financial management. She is responsible for communication with HFRI and the submission of all project reports. In addition, she leads WP4, focusing on the investigation of microbial fermentation tolerance to impurities present in CO₂ streams, and works closely with the leaders of WPs 2 and 3.
VASILIOS BURGANOS - Research Director
Bio & Research Expertise
Dr. Vasilios Burganos is Research Director and Director at FORTH/ICE-HT. His research focuses on multiscale simulations, gas separation processes, filtration, diffusion and sorption in porous materials, single- and multiphase flow in porous media, flow at nanoscales, pore structural analysis, and nanofluids.
Role in CO₂BION
Dr. Burganos coordinates WP2 (Modeling) in the CO₂BION project. He provides and receives input from WPs 3 and 4, contributing extensive expertise in the mathematical modeling of complex processes. He is supported by a postdoctoral researcher with a PhD in Physical Sciences or Engineering, specialized in mathematical modeling and computational simulations of chemical and physical processes.
THEOPHILOS IOANNIDES - Research Director & FORTH/ICE-HT Director
Bio & Research Expertise
Dr. Theophilos Ioannides is Research Director and Director at FORTH/ICE-HT. His research focuses on heterogeneous catalysis, membrane gas separation, functional porous materials, and energy and environmental processes, with extensive experience in the development of materials and technologies for gas separation and catalysis.
Role in CO₂BION
In CO₂BION, Dr. Ioannides contributes senior scientific expertise in membrane and gas separation technologies, supporting the development and evaluation of CO₂ capture systems and their integration within the overall process.
VASSILIOS DRACOPOULOS - Application Scientist A
Bio & Research Expertise
Dr. Vassilios Dracopoulos is Application Director at FORTH/ICE-HT and has extensive expertise in the design of ionic liquids for specific applications and their physicochemical characterization. In recent years, his work has focused on the development of nicotine-based ionic liquids for CO₂ capture and their application in industrial post-combustion capture processes, particularly in coal-fired power plants.
Role in CO₂BION
Dr. Dracopoulos supervises WP3, which focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents, as well as the measurement of CO₂ absorption and transport properties of supported liquid membranes. He works closely with Dr. Klapa and Dr. Burganos, sharing critical information on IL/DES membrane properties that influence the feasibility of the integrated process and the performance of the microbial fermentation.
DIONYSIOS VROULIAS - Post Doctoral Fellow
Bio & Research Expertise
Dr. Dionysis Vroulias is a postdoctoral fellow at FORTH/ICE-HT with expertise in the synthesis and physicochemical characterization of ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DES). His work includes thermodynamic analysis using TGA and DSC, as well as structural characterization through ATR-FTIR and NMR spectroscopy.
Role in CO₂BION
In CO₂BION, Dr. Vroulias is responsible for the synthesis and characterization of novel IL and DES materials. He also performs the full characterization of supported liquid membranes under varying pressures and temperatures relevant to post-combustion CO₂ capture, using the laboratory permeability setup.
VASILIKI (VANESSA) SAVVOPOULOU - Ph.D. Candidate
Bio & Research Focus
Ms. Vasiliki (Vanessa) Savvopoulou is a PhD candidate at the University of Patras and FORTH/ICE-HT. Her doctoral research focuses on the optimization and metabolic phenotyping of Moorella thermoacetica fermentations, contributing to the advancement of microbial CO₂ utilization processes.
Role in CO₂BION
In the CO₂BION project, Ms. Savvopoulou contributes to WP4, supporting the investigation and optimization of mixotrophic M. thermoacetica fermentations. Her work involves metabolic phenotyping and process optimization, assisting in the evaluation of microbial performance under conditions relevant to the integrated CO₂ capture and bioconversion workflow.