Thanks to the INSPIRE project, which has received funding under the European ERA Fellowships programme, Manohara Halanur from the Materials-Envi Lab (MEL) at the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET), VSB – Technical University of Ostrava (VSB–TUO) will focus on developing next-generation ultrafiltration membranes for the removal of emerging micropollutants from water. The project aims to improve the efficiency of water treatment by integrating single-atom catalysts into ultrafiltration membranes, enabling the removal of highly persistent and toxic contaminants. The two-year project has secured funding of approximately CZK 5 million.
“Receiving this project is an important milestone in my career, as it validates my research vision in the field of sustainable water treatment. It will enable me to pursue ambitious research on catalytic membranes for the degradation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These synthetic fluorinated compounds represent one of the greatest challenges in modern water treatment. My goal is to bring the project’s outcomes into practical applications that will help protect aquatic ecosystems and contribute to safer water quality standards across Europe,” said Manohara Halanur, who previously worked on membrane technologies at Tel Aviv University in Israel.
The research will focus on a novel approach to eliminating PFAS, a group of chemicals that pose a serious threat to both ecosystems and public health. Due to their exceptional chemical stability and toxicity, PFAS are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.” Conventional water treatment technologies are generally unable to degrade these compounds effectively, creating an urgent need for innovative and sustainable solutions.
The INSPIRE project will pioneer the development of ultrafiltration membranes integrated with single-atom catalysts that exploit piezo-photocatalysis to enable rapid and energy-efficient degradation of PFAS. In this approach, the catalyst is activated through a combination of mechanical and light energy, significantly enhancing its catalytic performance.
“This is an exceptionally exciting project with significant application potential. The removal of PFAS from water is one of today’s most pressing environmental challenges. The use of chemically active membranes represents a highly promising strategy that combines materials science with environmental engineering, offering the potential not only to capture but also to degrade these highly toxic and persistent contaminants,” said Radek Zbořil, scientific supervisor of the project and Head of the Materials-Envi Lab.
The ERA Fellowships call is part of the Horizon Europe programme and builds on the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships scheme. It is intended for research organisations based in the so-called Widening countries of the European Union, including the Czech Republic. Its objective is to strengthen research excellence, promote the international mobility of researchers, and help reduce disparities in research performance across Europe.
