University of Bucharest

Research Group:	Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis
Host institution:	University of Bucharest (UoB)
Location:	Bucharest, Romania
Involved Persons:	Vasile I. Parvulescu (ESR 14 and 15)

General description: The University of Bucharest (32,000 students, over 1300 professors and researchers) was ranked in 2011 by the Minister of Education, Research, Youth and Sports as being the first advanced research and education university. The Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis consists of over 45 researchers and professors. About 36 PhD students and several fellows are also associated with the Department.

Persons involved in PIONEER:

• Vasile I. Parvulescu is the Director of Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis and of the Center of Catalysis and Catalytic Processes. His research focuses on the catalytic reactions in conventional and non-conventional media including plasma catalysis, for the production of energy, biomass valorization, environmental applications and synthesis of fine chemicals.  
• Monica Magureanu is high signor researcher at the National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Department of Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion and associate researcher at the Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis. Her research focuses the investigation of plasma’s processes in various gas and liquid environments for the engineering of solid materials and environmental applications. 

Representative publications:

• V. I. Parvulescu, M. Magureanu and P. Lukes (Eds), Plasma Chemistry and Catalysis in Gases and Liquids, VCH-Wiley, 2012
• M. Magureanu, N. B. Mandache, P. Elloy, E. M. Gaigneaux, V. I. Parvulescu, Plasma-assisted catalysis for volatile organic compounds abatement, Appl. Catal. B: Environmental 61 (2005) 12-20.
• M. Magureanu, N. B. Mandache, V. I. Parvulescu, Ch. Subrahmanyam, A. Renken, L. Kiwi-Minsker, Improved performance of non-thermal plasma reactor during decomposition of trichloroethylene: Optimization of the reactor geometry and introduction of catalytic electrode, Appl. Catal. B: Environmental 74 (2007) 270-277.
• M. Magureanu, D. Piroi, N. B. Mandache, V. . Pârvulescu, V. Pârvulescu, B. Cojocaru, C. Cadigan, R. Richards, H. Daly, C. Hardacre, In situ study of ozone and hybrid plasma Ag–Al catalysts for the oxidation of toluene: Evidence of the nature of the active sites, Appl. Catal. B: Environmental 104 (2011) 84-90.
• M. Magureanu, D. Dobrin, C. Bradu, F. Gherendi, N. B. Mandache, V. I. Parvulescu, New evidence on the formation of oxidizing species in corona discharge in contact with liquid and their reactions with organic compounds, Chemosphere 165 (2016) 507-514
• A. Primo, A. Franconetti, M. Magureanu, N. B. Mandache, C. Bucur, C. Rizescu, B. Cojocaru, V. I. Parvulescu, H. Garcia, Engineering active sites on reduced graphene oxide by hydrogen plasma irradiation: Mimicking bifunctional metal/supported catalysts in hydrogenation reactions, Green Chem. 20 (2018) 2611-2623.