Ionete Roxana

• Senior Researcher
• Head of Department at Institutul National de Cercetare Dezvoltare pentru Tehnologii Criogenice si Izotopice

Climate change, environmental pollution, population growth and overwhelming amounts of waste have led to the need to identify alternative fuels to replace fossil fuels. The gasification process of biomass residues from agriculture and agro-industry represents a suitable source for energy recovery through the production of syngas, including H2, CO a...

Understanding the performance of polymer dielectrics at different temperatures is becoming increasingly important due to the rapid development of electric cars, electromagnetic devices, and new energy production solutions. Cyclic olefin copolymers (COCs) are an attractive material due to their low water absorption, good electrical insulation, long-...

Globalization and free market dynamics have significantly impacted state economies, particularly in the wine industry. These forces have introduced greater diversity in wine products but have also heightened the risk of food fraud, especially in high-value commodities like wine. Due to its market value and the premium placed on quality, wine is fre...

This study addresses the necessity to monitor the presence of glyphosate (Gly) in waters, highlighting the need for on-site detection of Gly by using electrochemical sensors in environmental and agricultural monitoring programs. Two approaches were employed: (1) modification with graphene decorated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs-Gr) and dispersed i...

Climate neutrality for the year 2050 is the goal assumed at the level of the EU27+UK. As Romania is no exception, it has assumed the gradual mitigation of pollution generated by the energy sector, and by 2030, according to ‘Fit for 55’, the share of energy from renewable sources must reach 42.5% from total energy consumption. For the rest of the en...

Nowadays, an increased concern regarding using natural products for their health benefits can be observed. The aim of this study was to assess and compare several phenolic compounds found in 15- to 60-year-old Douglas fir, silver fir, larch, pine, and spruce needle and bark extracts and to evaluate their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Sp...

Climate conditions clearly influence the concentration of important substances in grapes, generating chemical reactions that will determine the final wine aromas. Three different regions were chosen to cover the most important viticultural areas from Romania. The aim of this study was to highlight, for the first time, the volatile profile for two R...

In the face of escalating environmental challenges, understanding the intricate relationship between plant metabolites, pollution stress, and climatic conditions is of paramount importance. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of metabolic variations generated through 1H and 13C NMR measurements in evergreen needles collected from d...

Until reaching climate neutrality by attaining the EU 2050 level, the current levels of CO2 must be mitigated through the research and development of resilient technologies. This research explored potential approaches to lower CO2 emissions resulting from combustion fossil fuels in power plant furnaces. Different nanomaterials (MOFs versus silica n...

Compound specific isotope analysis was extensively used to characterise the environmental processes associated with the abiotic and biotic transformation of persistent halogenated organic pollutants including those of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). In the last years, the compound specific isotope analysis was applied as tool to evaluate t...

Wine contains important amounts of antioxidants, which contribute to the protection of the body from oxidative stress and associated diseases. This study aims to characterize the bioactive characteristics and individual polyphenolic composition of different white and red musts and the corresponding wines obtained at Stefanesti vineyard, Romania, an...

Some organic pollutants including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been banned from production worldwide, but due to their toxicity and persistence are still of concern. Also, unintentional by-products of combustion and industrial processes such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), represent a perman...

As we address important societal needs, the circular economy equips us with the means to jointly combat climate change and biodiversity loss, including the revaluation of waste. The wine-making process is a huge generator of waste, creating problems for manufacturers every year; therefore, an appropriate management and valorisation of winery wastes...

Grapes are rich in phenolic compounds, being important for human health with anti-inflammatory, antiatherosclerotic, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, antibacterial, antiviral, and antimicrobial activity. The winemaking of the grapes generates significant amounts of waste. These wastes contain bioactive compounds in their biomass that can be used as...

This study investigated changes in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations in the three components of the forest ecosystem (leaves, bark and soil) along an altitudinal gradient in the temperate forests of Romania. The properties and processes within the forest ecosystem are influenced by altitude. The leaves, litter and soil are important in the...

Meat and bone meal (MBM) is considered animal waste and can no longer be used in agriculture since the onset of the disease called spongiform encephalopathy in cattle. This waste is burned and then dumped in landfills, which causes unwanted emissions to the environment. This is a real problem nowadays and we must find environmentally friendly solut...

Mitigating climate change is a challenge that urgently needs to be addressed, as it has an increasing impact on the planet. According to the latest reports, global CO2 emissions must be neutralized by 2050 in order to limit the rise in temperature to 1.5 °C. This work presents the evolution of Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) greenho...

This study provides important data on the distribution, sources and ecological risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in surface waters and sediments collected from dam reservoirs on middle and lower course of the Olt River, the main tributary of the Danube, until the discharge into the Black Sea. A wide variation range of total PAHs con...

The capitalization of agri-food waste is essential for the sustainability of a circular economy. This work focuses on a solution to eliminate such waste, meat and bone meal (MBM), which is produced in large quantities by the food industry and is prohibited for use as animal feed under the European directives. Therefore, with the focus of converting...

The 1H-NMR carbohydrates profiling was used to discriminate fruits from Rosaceae family in terms of botanical origin and harvest year. The classification was possible by application of multivariate data analysis, such as principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and Pearson analysis. Prior, a heat map was created based...

Natural ecosystems are polluted with various contaminants, and among these heavy metals raise concerns due to their side effects on both environment and human health. An investigation was conducted on essential oil samples, comparing similar products between seven producers, and the results indicated a wide variation of metal content. The recommend...

Tracing contaminant in surface and groundwater remains an issue of significance. Nitrate is one of the parameters to be monitored identifying the source and biogeochemical transformations of the nitrogen of interest for the management of water resource. Increasing the inorganic nitrogen concentrations in surface waters can be due to upstream discha...

The authors regret that the printed version of the above articlecontained a number of errors. The correct andfinal version follows. The au-thors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Determination of heavy metals in soil and wine is very important for wine quality and consumer health, but at the same time it is a complementary tool for differentiating wines according to their geographical origin. In this work, soils and ten brands of wines originated from four major wine-growing areas of Romania (Iaşi, Babadag, Ştefăneşti and B...

Drought-induced dieback has been extensively studied in various forests habitats. We used a retrospective tree ring width (TRW), basal area increment (BAI), oxygen isotope ratios in tree ring cellulose (δ18OTR) and carbon isotope ratios in tree ring cellulose (δ13CTR) to assess causes in declining Pinus sylvestris L. and Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold. Th...

Determination of heavy metals in soil and wine is very important for wine quality and consumer health, but at the same time it is a complementary tool for differentiating wines according to their geographical origin. In this work, soils and ten brands of wines originated from four major wine-growing areas of Romania (Iaşi, Babadag, Ştefăneşti and B...

Abstract Heavy metal pollution of river freshwater environments currently raises significant concerns due to the toxic effects and the fact that heavy metal behavior is not fully understood. This study assessed the contamination level of eight heavy metals and trace elements (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Cd, and Hg) in the surface sediments of 19 sites...

In this work, the challenges and progression in stable isotope investigation, from the analytical tools and technical sample preparation procedures to the dendroclimatological experiments, were reviewed in terms of their use to assess tree physiological responses to environmental changes. Since the isotope signature of whole wood is not always a re...

The present study was conducted to quantify the daily intake and target hazard quotient of four essential elements, namely, chromium, cobalt, nickel, and copper, and four toxic trace elements, mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic. Thirty food items were assigned to five food categories (seeds, leaves, powders, beans, and fruits) and analyzed using i...

Past environments of the Earth's surface may be deciphered and modelled using stable isotopes along with mineralogical, sedimentological, biological, palaeontological, chemical and climatological methodologies. This volume is devoted to studies investigating the distribution of stable isotopes in precipitation and groundwaters and their interaction...

The European mitigation strategy for combatting climate change requires up-to-date knowledge about the environmental effects of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the national scale. As a strong response to the consequences of climate change, the European Union has imposed on the member states an obligation to achieve the goals set out in the climat...

The efficient use of renewable energy resources is one of the most important elements of energy sustainability at the European Union level. The growing demand for energy will continue to support the use of other materials as resources of energy than conventional ones, coal, crude oil and natural gas. This paper investigates the feasibility of valor...

The global demand for innovative, efficient, and agile designs continues to grow exponentially due to interdependence of energy, environment and overall quality of life. The overall landscape is complex as the energy sector faces two significant yet conflicting imperatives: rapidly rising global demand, as billions of people in emerging economies...

The producers of essential oils from the Republic of Moldova care about the quality of their products and at the same time, try to capitalize on the waste from processing. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the chemical composition of lavender (Lavanda angustifolia L.) essential oil and some by-products derived from its production (res...

Based on the global need to efficiently eliminate highly produced amounts of sewage sludge, alternative technologies are required to be practically developed. Reduction of sewage sludge waste quantities with energy recovery is the most important and modern practice, with least possible impact on the environment. Appropriate technologies for treatin...

The biodegradation of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) is known to be accompanied by isotope fractionation of carbon (¹³C/¹²C), but no systematic studies were performed on abiotic degradation of HCH isomers by iron (II) minerals. In this study, we explored the carbon isotope fractionation of α-HCH during dechlorination by FeS nanoparticles at differen...

The study tried to contribute to solving two serious environmental issues: CO2 reducing and sewage sludge disposal. Thus, sewage-sludge-derived materials were obtained in order to be evaluated for CO2 adsorption capacity. Therefore, the char resulted after the sewage sludge pyrolysis was subjected to oxidation and chemical activation processes by u...

Combustion of fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions, large amounts of sewage sludge, lead to environmental pollution and global warming. For this reason we must think of feasible solutions to disposal the sewage sludge by capitalization it and energy recovery. One of the most interesting technologies for disposal the sewage sludge is the pyrolysis...

Removal of contaminants from wastewater has become an important research area because the amount of available drinking water in the world continues to decline due to rising demand and/or long periods of drought. Furthermore, the chemical and petrochemical industry generates a wide variety of highly toxic residues. Treatment of wastewater is a contr...

Decentralized treatment of drinking water and its safe storage in specially designated storage vessels, prior to be used for household daily needs, with the purpose of preventing illnesses and improving health, is defined as Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage philosophy. Moreover, primary water collection and storage in different types of c...

In this work a comparative assessment was performed on individual and total polyphenols and biochemical properties of some Feteasca Neagra red wines obtained from grapes cultivated with different farming technologies (organic vs. conventional). The effect of a 30% cluster thinning treatment in both organic and conventional vineyard, compared to con...

In this study, a new method for the synthesis of FeS nanoparticles was developed in order to be used in the reductive dechlorination of αhexaclorocylohexane (α-HCH), mimicking its transformation pathways in anoxic environments. The FeS nanoparticles were synthesized by adding 250 mL 0.2 M Na2S over 250 mL 0.2 M FeSO4, under a N2 flow. The experimen...

This study aimed to analyze Romanian (RO) involvement in the LULUCF sector by considering the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) good practice guidance (GPG). Trends were assessed using the Mann-Kendall (MK) test for trend estimation to determine the total greenhouse gas (GHG) (GHGCO₂-eq.) emissions/ removals. The results emphasized t...

Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.), a popular and widely cultivated fruit world-wide, contains bioactive compounds responsible for their health benefits. Here we report the amounts of some bioactive compounds: two major triterpenes (oleanolic and ursolic acids) and polyphenols (phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols, flavonoids and t-resveratrol), together with...

Investigating the correlation between biodiversity and ecosystem function in natural environments using carbon-isotope composition (δ13C) allows distinguishing the nutrient cycling pattern and anthropogenic effects incorporation in plants and soil processes. The mechanisms behind the isotopic composition of soil organic matter (SOM) and parent vege...

Organic contaminants (OCs) accumulate in the environment as a result of anthropogenic activities (industrial, agricultural, and household activities as well as auto traffic) and produce negative effects on the environment and humans. [...]

The study aims to promote clean energy technologies that ensure the recycling and recovery of waste, namely the sewage sludge (SS), by converting it into products (e.g. oil, gas) with added value, contributing thus to reducing the negative impact on environment and health. An experimental setup was proposed in order to achieve the pyrolysis process...

The concentrations of twelve heavy metals and trace elements (Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, Pb, Hg, Zn, Fe, and Al) in bed sediment and river freshwater that received sewage discharge, industrial wastewater inputs and mining residue were discussed. Spatial distribution, intra-annual trends and diffuse flux in 2019 in the middle and lower reaches of O...

To investigate the influence of local climate and transboundary circulation of moisture on the stable isotope of precipitation in Ramnicu Valcea, Romania, monthly values of δ ² H, δ ¹⁸ O, deuterium excess (d excess ), temperature, relative humidity and precipitation were determined between January 2012 and December 2018. Monthly analysis showed dif...

The identification and quantification of a large range of pesticide residues (e.g. fungicides, insecticides, acaricides) in vegetables from Romania markets, in Maramures, Alba Iulia and Botosani region, was performed by gas-chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-ToFMS) to better assess the impact of agricultural practices...

Honey is considered a desirable ingredient in a range of different foodstuffs, due to its nutrient and therapeutic effect. The honey characteristics mainly depends on the type of vegetation visited by the bees and the climatic conditions in which the plants are growing. Therefore, the purity, floral and geographical origin, and authenticity are imp...

This paper is an overview of screening methods recently developed for emerging halogenated contaminants and their transformation products. The target screening methods are available only for a limited number of emerging pollutants since the reference standards for these compounds are not always available, but a risk assessment of those micropolluta...

This work aims at assessing the pollution degree of the Olt River (Romania), based on the Canadian Water Quality (CWQI) index, by monitoring twenty twos locations along the middle and south part of the river basin for a period of four months, from March to October, during 2018. A comprehensive physico-chemical analysis involving major cations (Ca2+...

Mining activities, in combination with accelerated urbanization growth and climate change, constitutes a major challenge for creating a sustainable development. Thus, the monitoring and assessment of mining effect is mandatory in understanding the impact on the primary physico-chemical characteristics of an environment. In this context, the paper p...

There is a growing trend in food industry in combining safety and quality attributes of products with their distinct regional identity. In this study we used data on several elements (Cd, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb and Ni) and phenolic compounds (gallic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, trans-resveratrol, rutin, quercetin and...

There is a growing trend in food industry in combining safety and quality attributes of products with their distinct regional identity. In this study we used data on several elements (Cd, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb and Ni) and phenolic compounds (gallic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, trans-resveratrol, rutin, quercetin and...

This study aims to assess the capability of the 1H-NMR profiling of fruits from different genera in combination with multivariate data analysis to provide feasible information for fruit juices’ authenticity in terms of botanical origin. Nine fruit varieties from four genera were selected for the experimental plan. The juice obtained from the fruits...

Abstract: The increased demand for energy sources is the driving force to convert organic compounds into alternative fuels. Plastic waste disposal affects the environment, since they are not easily recycled and, during the recycling process, they can produce waste ash, heavy metals, or potentially harmful gas emissions. In the plant design for pla...

Iron sulfide (FeS) is a reductive mineral naturally occurring in many anoxic environments. It is associated with sulfate-reducing bacteria that grow in anoxic aquifers and sediments. Many previously studies have reported the capacity of FeS for reductive dehalogenation of various halogenated organic pollutants. Therefore, a new method for FeS nanop...

An important tributary of the Danube River, the Olt River, was characterized in its middle and lower catchment in terms of volatile organic compounds (1,2 -dichloroethane and perchlorethylene) and volatile aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene and xylene isomers) to better assess their transfer in the environmental compartments (air, water, sedim...

Heavy metals represent a serious threat for aquatic ecosystem, due to their environmental persistence and bioaccumulation. The main aspect covered by this work is establishing a methodology for assessing the pollution with heavy metals in surface sediment of a watershed. Therefore, several indices, namely the contamination factor (CF), geo-accumula...

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Highly ordered-pore SBA-15 was synthesized by co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) using an amphiphilic block copolymer as structure-directing agent. The BET, EDX, TGA-DSC and SEM analysis have been used for sorbent characterization. The adsorption properties of the calcined mesoporous silica SB...

：The aim of the study was to investigate the differences between walnut genotypes of various geographical and genetic origins grown under the same or different environmental conditions. The biological material analyzed consisted in walnut kernels of 34 cultivars, nine advanced selections, and six hybrids harvested in 2015 and 2016, summing up to a...

The pyrolysis can be an attractive way to reduce the plastic waste and, in the same time, to obtain alternative conventional fuels. In this respect, four polymers (low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, propylene and polystyrene) were used in the pyrolysis process. The experiments were carried out by using an in-house plant, which all...

Heavy metals are among the most persistent pollutants in the ecosystem due to their resistance at decomposition in natural condition. They have low solubility in water and tend to be adsorbed and accumulated on bottom sediments. Anthropogenic actions conduct to the discharge of heavy metals from various sources (industrial, urban, and/or agricultur...

Sewage sludge (SS) from municipal wastewater treatment has drawn serious attention of scientists around the world in the attempt to find feasible disposal methods. Therefore, in this work, a solution for valorisation of SS as solid fuel is proposed based on an advanced compositional investigation of SS versus conventional solid fuels, namely, ligni...

There is an increased concern about the constantly mounting amounts of sewage sludge due to different factors, in particular population growth and urbanization. Therefore, besides common sewage sludge disposal, innovative solutions are required, such as by energy recovery. The present research aimed at evaluation of the energy potential of sewage s...

The purpose of this study is to determine the volatile organic compounds, which are responsible for the flavor found in sour cherry distillates from various regions, in order to create a comparative study, i.e. to determine criteria used in their qualitative evaluation. In fruit distillates, a big number of volatile organic compounds has already be...

A study was carried out to determine the accumulation of trace metals in water, sediments, and soil from several locations in the Transylvania region (Romania), using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) technique. A significant number of metals (range of several μg L⁻¹) were identified, the toxic metal concentrations in mostly...

Wine geographical traceability is an important topic in the context of wine authentication and for that, many researchers worldwide have addressed this subject by developing different methodologies based on multivariate analysis of natural chemical composition data (inorganic or organic parameters) and isotopic signature. The goal of this work was...

The feasibility of isotopic and elemental fingerprinting in the classification of wines according to their geographical origin was investigated by applying advanced techniques such as isotope ratio mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to characterize wines produced in four major vineyards in Romania from both indigenou...

This paper is an overview of enantioselective methods developed for chiral BFRs. • Enantioselective analysis methods are available only for a limited number of BFRs. • There is a need of further development of chiral GC and LC analytics for BFRs. Enantioselective analysis is a powerful tool for the discrimination of biotic and abiotic transformatio...

Certification of quality and authenticity of food, among which fruits and its derivate products have a significant contribution on the market, remains a topic of interest for both consumers and producers since the price of agricultural products can vary greatly according to their denomination of origin and nutritional value. For this purpose reliab...

Tracing pollution sources and transformation of nitrogen compounds in surface- and groundwater is an issue of great significance worldwide due to the increased human activity, translated in high demand of water resources and pollution. In this work, the hydrological basin of an important chemical industrial platform in Romania (Ramnicu Valcea indus...