EcoPlastiC at BioBased Future 2025: Green Bioprocessing for Innovative Bioactive Products

BioBased Future 2025: Green Bioprocessing for Innovative Bioactive Products, an international conference focused on advancing sustainable and circular bio-based innovations, was held in Belgrade, Serbia, from 16-18 June 2025. Organised by Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy with support from “Twinning for intensified enzymatic processes for production of prebiotic containing functional food and bioactive cosmetics – TwinPrebioEnz” project funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, the conference gathered experts from research and industry to share knowledge and innovations in the bio-based economy.

The program featured 10 keynote lectures, 5 plenary lectures, 8 lectures, 1 round table and 68 poster presentations, divided into 5 sessions: Interaction between human microbiota and health; Prebiotics; New and improved biocatalysts and biosensors; Bioprocess intensification; Bio-based products: from laboratory to industry. Topics that were covered and discussed included microbial biotechnology, sustainable feedstocks, bio-based materials, enzyme engineering, immobilization techniques and biosensor development, highlighting the application of research to industry and real-world solutions. The official Book of Abstracts is available HERE.

As part of the event, Sara Petrovic who a master student from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy (FTM) and does experimental work at the Group for Eco-Biotechnology and Drug Development at the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE), University of Belgrade, presented a poster titled: "From plastic waste to nutraceutical–conversion of PET-containing hydrolysates to bacterial nanocellulose with pomegranate extract", co-authored by Dr Marijana Ponjavic (IMGGE), Dr Jasmina Nikodinovic-Runic (IMGGE), Dr Vuk Filipovic (IMGGE), Dr Katarina Savikin (Institute for Medicinal Plants Research "Dr Josif Pančić") and Marija Nenadovic (IMGGE).

The poster showcased recent EcoPlastiC project results focused on microbial valorisation of PET hydrolysates for the production of high-value biomaterials, specifically bacterial nanocellulose, enriched with bioactive compounds from pomegranate extract. The work attracted attention from researchers working on plastic biodegradation and functional biomaterials.

Sara Petrovic with the poster “From plastic waste to nutraceutical–conversion of PET-containing hydrolysates to bacterial nanocellulose with pomegranate extract”