BrainMap

Mrs. Monica Elisabeta Maxim

scientific researcher CSIII

Researcher - INSTITUTUL DE CHIMIE FIZICA - ILIE MURGULESCU

Researcher

Dr. Monica Elisabeta Maxim is a Scientific Researcher at the Institute of Physical Chemistry - Ilie Murgulescu (ICF). She studied chemistry at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and obtained the Ph.D in the Chemistry field from Romanian Academy in 2013. Dr. Monica Elisabeta Maxim worked at the analysis and characterization of polymers, surfactants and their complexes by techniques like: UV-VIS and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy, DLS, FTIR, surface and interfacial tension, contact angle measurements and “layer-by-layer” deposition. She is also interested in the obtaining hydrogels from natural polymers for the adsorption of dyes from wastewater and their investigation.

Web of Science ResearcherID: DFR-7334-2022

Curriculum Vitae (31/03/2025)

Expertise & keywords

Efficient fluidized bed reactor with co-immobilized enzymes for treatment of real wastewater containing bisphenols and dyes Call name: PNCDI IV, SP 5.7.1 - Proiect experimental demonstrativ
PN-IV-P7-7.1-PED-2024-0431 2025 - 2026

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL DE CHIMIE FIZICA - ILIE MURGULESCU

Project partners: INSTITUTUL DE CHIMIE FIZICA - ILIE MURGULESCU (RO); ARCIF AG SRL (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website:

Abstract:

The project scope is to create and perform experiments on a purification system for contaminated water containing phenols and dyes. The system will consist of a fluidized bed reactor (FBR) and a catalyst made of co-immobilized enzymes on solid supports composed of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) as core, and chitosan (Cs) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) as shell. Also, the project aims to implement an ecological approach utilizing biocatalysis to effectively eliminate hazardous or persistent substances from water. The project team desires to generate a biocatalyst by co-immobilizing two enzymes - Laccase from Aspergillus (Lc) and Tyrosinase from mushrooms (Tyr) - on solid supports composed of a rPET core and a polymeric shell. One of the innovative solutions is the support activation with carbodiimide alternated with the enzyme immobilization, in repetitive procedures. The project encompasses 4 objectives: obtaining and characterizing co-immobilized tyrosinase and laccase on recycled polyethylene terephthalate coated with polyacrylic acid and chitosan; operational stability of co-immobilized rPET-Cs-PAA-Lc-Tyr products in synthetic and real wastewaters; design of a lab-scale fluidized bed reactor with co-immobilized enzymes to be applied in wastewater treatment; validation of the operational efficiency of the fluidized bed reactor and co-immobilized enzymes system for treatment of bisphenols and dyes from real wastewater.

Investigating micro- and nanostructured colloidal systems by fluorescently labeled polymers and probes Call name: Exploratory Research Projects - PCE-2011 call
PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0916 2011 - 2016

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: Institutul de Chimie Fizica "Ilie Murgulescu" al Academiei Romane

Project partners: Institutul de Chimie Fizica "Ilie Murgulescu" al Academiei Romane (RO)

Affiliation: Institutul de Chimie Fizica "Ilie Murgulescu" al Academiei Romane (RO)

Project website: http://www.icf.ro/pr_2011/DFA/index.html

Abstract:

This project aims to synthesize and characterize hydrophobically modified and/or fluorescently labeled polymers, in order to apply them in probing the hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface of regular and reverse micelles and to investigate layer-by-layer polymer assemblies. To accomplish this goal the following parameters will be monitored: the alkyl chain length and amount grafted, the fluorophore content and its nature, the polymer molecular weight, the surfactant, pH, ionic strength, the organic solvent and the reverse micelle hydration degree. The techniques involved in this project are: UV spectroscopy, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, GPC and capillary electrophoresis, static and dynamic fluorescence, FTIR, rheometry, DLS, surface tension, goniometry. The acquired data will shed light and elucidate phenomena involved at nanometric scale in these systems. The importance of this study resides in obtaining new intelligent materials able to modify their molecular architecture in response to external stimuli. A particular attention will be payed to fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for getting insights into the interface of micellar nanocages and of thin films.

FILE DESCRIPTION	DOCUMENT
List of research grants as project coordinator or partner team leader
Significant R&D projects for enterprises, as project manager
R&D activities in enterprises
Peer-review activity for international programs/projects