19th International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment (ICCE2025)

The 19th International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment (ICCE 2025) took place in Belgrade, Serbia, from 8-12 June 2025. Organized by the Division of Chemistry and the Environment (DCE) of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) in collaboration with the Serbian Chemical Society, the event drew significant institutional support from the University of Belgrade and the University of Novi Sad. This biennial gathering is a leading platform for discussing environmental chemistry, bringing together researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers from across Europe and beyond.

With over 450 participants, ICCE2025 featured a rich scientific program including plenary and keynote lectures, oral presentations, poster sessions and an editorial panel with journal editors. Key thematic areas addressed included pollutant dynamics, pollution prevention, analytical techniques, risk assessment and sustainable development. A dedicated exhibition space allowed sponsors to showcase innovations, while satellite events and networking opportunities facilitated cross-sector collaboration.

As part of the scientific program at ICCE 2025, 7 plenary lectures were presented and 13 keynote lectures. Plenary lectures were given by:

1) Branimir Jovancicevic "Polycyclic alkanes as a forensic tool in the identification of petroleum-type pollutants in the environment"

2) Begoña Jiménez "POPs as critical novel entities: analytical and regulatory challenges"

3) Mathias Ulbricht "Advanced membranes with tailored filtration, adsorber or catalytic properties for removal of micropollutants from water"

4) Virender K. Sharma and Hartmut Hermann "Ferrates in water, energy, food, and human health"

5) Ester Heath "From drain to grain: Opportunities and Challenges in Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture"

6) John Giesy "Wastewater-based surveillance of SARS-CoV-2"

7) George Cobb "Utilizing Chemical Fate and Transformation Data to Inform Policy Decisions"

There were more than 100 oral presentations divided into different sections: Occurrence and fate of pollutants in different environmental compartments/exposure/remediation; Environmental analytical chemistry, various aspects; Environmental responses to exposure/effects/hazards & risk assessment; Environmental chemistry and societal challenges. The Book of Abstracts from ICCE2025 is available here: https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/7084

IMGGE attendants at ICCE2025 (from left to right): Dr Milica Ciric, Dr Marijana Ponjavic, Dr Brana Pantelic, Dr Jelena Milovanovic, Dr Jasmina Nikodinovic-Runic

Poster presentations included more than 140 poster presentations organized in sessions: Atmospheric chemistry and air pollution; Water chemistry, water pollution and water treatment; Contaminants of emerging concern in focus (occurrence, analytical assessment, regulation, climate change impacts on the fate of contaminants); Manufactured particles in the environment (e.g. nanomaterials, microplastics); New process materials and methods for innovative treatment of waste streams; Bioremediation and Biodegradation; Mining impact on the environment: threats, solutions for remediation and practice; Challenges in modern analytical chemistry - sustainable sample processing from simple to complex environmental matrices; Advances in target and non-target screening in environment by HRMS; New analytical methods for long-term monitoring of environmental pollutants; Applications of data analytics and in-silico tools in environmental science and engineering; New strategies for the assessment of the risks from chemicals; Metabolomics and genetic investigations in the context of environmental chemistry; Environmental Chemistry in Higher Education, Communication, Ethics, Legislation and Cultural Heritage; Food-environment interplay; Environmental chemistry for circular economy: Safe-by-design approaches and LCA-based assessment tools.

As part of the scientific program at ICCE 2025, one poster presented the EcoPlastiC project results, authored by researchers from the Group for Eco-Biotechnology and Drug Development from the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE), University of Belgrade.

IMGGE attendants at ICCE2025 during a networking session

Dr Jelena Milovanovic presented a poster titled "Bio-Upcycling of PET Plastic Waste into Bacterial Nanocellulose Reinforced by Poly(vinyl alcohol) as a Platinum Nanoparticles Support Efficient in Methanol Oxidation" with co-authors Leyla Nesrin Kahiyaoglu (META), Jasmina Nikodinovic-Runic (IMGGE) and Marijana Ponjavic (IMGGE). This study showcased innovative approaches to valorizing PET waste through biopolymer engineering and catalytic material development.

Photo of the presenting author Dr Jelena Milovanovic and IMGGE Team Leader Dr Jasmina Nikodinovic-Runic with the poster "Bio-Upcycling of PET Plastic Waste into Bacterial Nanocellulose Reinforced by Poly(vinyl alcohol) as a Platinum Nanoparticles Support Efficient in Methanol Oxidation"