N. 3 (MAY 2019) AQUALITY NEWSLETTER

Welcome again to the AQUAlity newsletter. In this third number you can :ind the second episode of "ESRExperiences"(wherethreeyoungresearcherswroteabouttheirexperiencesintotheAQUAlityproject),ashortreportoftheprojectactivitiesthattookplaceinthe:irsthalfof2019andinformationaboutthenextevents.Enjoythereading!

InternationalWinterSchoolonMassSpectrometryTheLaboratoiredeChimieMoléculairefromÉcolePolytechniqueorganizedtheSchoolonMassSpectrometryinPalaiseau(France)onMarch4-5th.TheeventorganizedbyStéphaneBouchonnetandhisgroup,addressedthemassspectrometryfundamentalconceptsanditspotentialenvironmentalapplication,withparticularfocuson water analysis for the identi:ication of contaminants and their transformation products. The lecturescoveredalarge:ieldonthiscomplextechniquepreparingtheERSwithessentialskillsforthechallengingworldofanalysisandtreatmentofwater.TheSchoolwasalsomarkedbythelecturesoftwoESRexpertsinthe:ield,ZsuzsannaVargaandDimitraPapagiannaki.

WorkshoponSubstancesPrioritizationAworkshoponsubstancesprioritisationwasorganizedon6thMarch2019byINERISincollaborationwiththeNORMANnetwork.During the :irstpartof theworkshop, itwaspossible toexaminetheUrbanWasteWaterTreatmentDirective(UWWTD91/271/EEC)andtogetanoverviewof theresultsof relevantEUprojectsonContaminantsofEmergingConcerns(CECs)inurbanwastewater(UWW).Successively,ananalysisonhowtoselect priority substances was performed and the Norman Prioritisation Scheme was explained. Then theparticipants, distributed in groups having each amoderator, discussed on different questions:whether it ispossibletode:ineacommonlistofEuropean“priority”CECsinurbanwastewater,whatshouldbetheprioritytargets for innovative treatment technologies, andwhether or not it is necessary to set new emission limitvaluesforspeci:icprioritycontaminants.The:inalreportofeachgroupwaspresentedtotheplenaryfor:inaldiscussionandpossiblerecommendationsforpolicyreview.

ThirdAQUAlityMeeting&Mid-TermcheckThemeetinghasbeenorganizedbyStéphaneBouchonnetandheldon7-8thMarch2019atÉcolePolytechnique,Palaiseau (France). The meeting started with a general introduction on the purpose of the meeting by theProjectCoordinatorPaolaCalzaandtheREAProjectOf:icer,ApostolosParalikas.ThenaTourdetablefollowedwherethescientists-in-chargeand/ortherepresentativesofbene:iciariesandpartner institutionsgaveshortpresentationsontheirresearchteamsandroleswithinthenetwork.

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PROJECT, PARTNERS & BENEFICIARIES

SUMMER SCHOOL AND THIRD MEETING IN

PALAISEAU (FR)

ESR EXPERIENCES: EPISODE TWO

NEXT MEETING: SEPTEMBER 2019 IN TRABZON (TR)

NEWSLETTER

TheparticipantstothemeetinginPalaiseau

N. 3 (MAY 2019) AQUALITY NEWSLETTER

After that, the REA Project Of:icer explained to theaudiencetherulesonthemonitoringoftheproject intheframework of the mid-term check and the coordinatorpresented her overall report about all the administrativeand :inancial activities carried out so far. Soon after,fellows’individualpresentationsanddiscussionsfollowed:each of them focused on her/his background andindividualresearchproject.

In the second day, the coordinator chair the WP1-Projectmanagementsession.Successively,thesessionsrelativetotheWP2-4tookplace,ineachsessionabriefintroductionofthepersoninchargefortheWPwasfollowedbythepresentationoftheresultsbyeachESRandafinaldiscussionwithplanningoffutureactivities.Then,EmiliaSanninointroducedtheWP7-Datamanagement,disseminationandoutreachsessiongivingapresentationonthestatusofoutreachanddisseminationactivitiesandinvitingalltheparticipantstoupdatethe information of their activities for the project’s archive and the website. A general discussion followed thepresentationand thenetworkdecided to take intoaccount thespecificEUchannels fordisseminationand findauser-friendlyrightwaytosharescientificdatabetweentheresearchers.

FinallytheSupervisoryBoardMeetingchairedbythecoordinator,anda:inalsectionabouttheplanningofthenextprojectmeetingsconcludedthenetworkactivities.

ESRExperiences-EpisodeTwoInthisnumber,threeESRstalkabouttheirworkandlifeintheAQUAlityproject.ThankstoIlaria,ZsuzsannaandDavidefortheircontributions.

Ilaria Berruti Ineverconsideredandplannedthepossibilitytogetoutofmy“comfortzone”, to put myself out there and to dramatically change my life.However, the best things in life aren’t planned, they simply just…happen.WhenIhadtheopportunitytoapplyforaPhDabroad,withoutthinkingtwice,IdecidedthatImighthavebeenreadyforanewlife,ina

foreigncountrywithanunknownlanguage.Ifeltamixtureoffearandexcitation,nothavingthenearfutureclear.Thehardestpart is dealing with sometimes being homesick, but when you have the luck tomeetpeoplethatmakeyoufeellikebeingathome,everythingissomucheasier.I’llbe always grateful for the constant support of my colleagues and supervisors.Moreover, the PSA provides an international environment and I have theopportunity to meet several people from different places in the world withdifferentcultures,wayofthinking,backgroundsandlanguages.Itishelpfultohavesomeoneinthesamepositionasyoutosharework,pleasure,andtiredtimes.ThehardestpartisalwaystohavetosaygoodbyesandI’llneverbereadyforit,butthisallowsmetomakefriendsfromallovertheworldandatourinSouthAmericais

waitingforme!Ihavebecomeamoreindependentperson,expandedmyhorizons,willkeepdiscoveringnewsideofmycharacterandIammorereadythanevertodealwithchallengesandovercomemyselftobeanevenbetterperson.

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• AQUAlity is a project funded by the European Union under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) –  Innovative Training Networks (Call: H2020-MSCA-ITN-2017). Project N. 765860

• AQUAlity is a multidisciplinary European Training Network aiming to generate and promote 15 highly skilled scientists in the field of the removal of pollutants present in very small amount in aqueous systems.

• Info: www.aquality-etn.eu/the-project/

The AQUAlity project

Miss Berruti received a Master degree in Environmental Chemistry from Università degli Studi di Torino. Soon after, she started a fellowship at the Agricultural Department of the same University on a project about the recovery of digestate in agronomy.

The AQUAlity consortium

• 7 universities: ‣ Università di Torino, Italy ‣ Aalborg Universitet, Denmark ‣ Università del Piemonte Orientale,

Italy ‣ U n i v e r s i t a t P o l i t e c n i c a D e

Valencia, Spain ‣ Panepistimio Ioanninon, Greece ‣ Ecole Polytechnique, France ‣ Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi,

Turkey

• 8 companies: ‣ Liqtech Internat ional A/S,

Denmark ‣ Società Metropolitana Acque

Torino, Italy ‣ IRIS, Italy ‣ FACSA, Spain ‣ ISALIT, Italy ‣ MIRTEC, Greece ‣ Eurofins VBM Laboratoriet, Denmark ‣ NIVA, Norway

• 3 research institutes: ‣ CNRS Clermont-Ferrand,

France ‣ P la ta fo rma So la r De

Almería, Spain ‣ INERIS, France

Info: www.aquality-etn.eu/who-we-are/

N. 3 (MAY 2019) AQUALITY NEWSLETTER

Lastbutnot least,oneof theAQUAlityprojectkeypoints, forwhich Iam very happy, are the regularmeetings and the secondments. Theyboost interactions, collaborations and personal relationships amongtheESRs.Wearegettingtoknoweachotherbetterandbetter.TherebyitisalsonicetoorganizeAQUAlitytripstoenjoydifferentplaces.Andso, anevent like theFallas inValencia is a goodoccasion tohave funtogether.

Zsuzsanna Varga TherearedifferentlevelsofdoingaPhDabroad,andIwouldcategorizeaMarieCuriePhDproject,with10monthsofsecondments,asexpertlevel.Inthisone,youhavetojugglebetweenlivinginmultiplecountriesinoneyear,themanyconferencesandprojectmeetings,whiledoingef:icientworkasaresearcher.Sometimesyoudon’tknowexactlywhereallyourluggageis,youmightlosetrackofhowmanyplaneticketsdidyoubookoryouareconfusedwhichlanguageto

prioritize learning, therefore it does require a good amount of:lexibility.

Mindfulness is required to enjoy such a lifestyle since besides itsmanybene:itsonemightmissapointofstabilityanditcangetlonelysometimes. Fortunately, the great people involved in this projecthelpedmefeellikehomeeverywhereIwentsofar.Shoutouttothe

great team of ESRs and professionals involved in the project. I would like toespecially thank Stéphane, who is an incredibly supportive, quali:ied and kindsupervisor.Thankstoallthehelpandencouragement,Ihavemanagedtoembracethislifestyleandhavegreatexperiencesinbothmyprofessionalandpersonallife:bepartof great research teams, enjoy the cultureand cuisineofmanyEuropeancountries(Iamabigfood-lover),theParisianmuseumsandartscenes,theSpanishwarmth(bothfromthesunandtheheartsofthelocals),andsoonexperiencingmy:irstconferenceandvisittotheUSA.

Thisprojectoffersplentyofopportunitiesonsomanylevelsandthepossibilitytoexperiencecross-sectoralapproacheswillbehelpfulin:indingasuitablecareer.At:irstitwasscarytochangefromananalytical research laboratory toawastewater treatmentplant,butintheendmysecondmentatFACSAturnedouttobeanamazingexperience,Ihavelearnedhowtoimplementmyworkatsecondmentsintomycoreresearchproject,gainedmuchpracticalknowledge in the :ield of water treatment and met exceptionalpeopleinSpain.

Weare inanagewhereenvironmentalchemistry,watercleaning,and climate change are hot topics, and water reuse anddecontaminationare gaining increasing importance.All this givesextra motivation and meaning to our work, and I am extremelyhappytosaythatIhavefoundpassionandloveinwhatIamdoing.

Davide Palma ItwastheJanuarythe18th2018,onthedayofmy28thbirthday,whenIreceivedtheemailinformingmethatIhadbeenacceptedforthePhDpositionIhadappliedforacoupleofmonthsbefore;itwasthebestbirthdaypresentIcouldhaveaskedfor!Butthatemailalsomeantthatmanythingswereabouttochangeinmylifeand,aboveall,itmeantthatIhadtomoveabroad.LessthantwomonthslaterIwasonthebustakingmetoClermontFerrand,asmallcityinthecenterofFrancethatwouldhavebeenmynewhomeforthefollowingthreeyears.Acompletelynewandexcitingchapterofmylifehadbegun,fullofsurprises,challengesandresponsibilitieslikeIneverhadtoface before. and Dealing with French bureaucracy, looking for an apartment, getting

familiarwith theworkenvironmentand thecitywasalot to deal with at the beginning especially because Ididn’tknowthe languagebut,as timepassesby, thingsgoteasierandIstartedfeelinglessandlessasastrangerinthisnewrealityandthemoreIgotintouchwiththeFrenchculturethemoreIrealizedthatItalyandFrancewere not so different after all. It’s been one year now

thatI’mlivingabroadandevenifonsomedaysIstillfeelhomesick,Ineverregrethavingboardedforthisadventurethatisgivingmealotofpersonalandprofessionalsatisfaction.

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Miss Varga obtained a bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering at Budapest University of Technology and Economics and a master degree in Advanced Spectroscopy in Chemistry jointly at University Lille 1 and University of Bologna

Mr. Palma obtained his Master degree in Environmental Chemistry at Università degli Studi di Torino. His work concerned the synthesis of iron-oxides based magnetic nanoparticles containing natural organic matter.

ZsuzsannaandIvanatFACSAWWTP

AQUAlitytrip:FallasdeValencia

N. 3 (MAY 2019) AQUALITY NEWSLETTER

OnDecember2018IparticipatedtoEMEC19,theEuropeanMeetingonEnvironmentalChemistry,hostedinthecity of Royat (France). For me it was a very special conference because at EMEC19 I had my :irst oralcommunicationinaninternationalconference.Theparticipantsarrivedfrom all over Europe forming a heterogeneous and stimulatingscienti:ic community with a very friendly feeling; regardless this, Iremember being quite nervous the moments before taking themicrophone topresentmyworkbutonce I started talking Igotmorerelaxed and time :lew so fast that, before I could even realize, mypresentation was over and the much feared “time for questions”arrived.WhenIgotbacktomyseatIfeltlikeIgotahugestoneoffmychestbutIwasnotentirelysatis:iedofmyperformance,forthisreason,I was extremely surprised when, at the closing session of theconference,Iwasawardedwithaprizeformyoralcommunication!

Other activities AQUAlity consortiumconsidersvery important thebi-directionalprocessinvolving the public in interaction and listeningwith the goal ofmutualbene:it. For these reasons, the ESRs take advantage of all the availableevents to involve school students and generic public in the consortiumactivities.AnAQUAlityLabhasbeenestablishedandalreadypresentedonFebruary 2019 at secondary school students in the Università delPiemonteOrientale,Alessandria(Italy)byIlariaBerrutiandMashoBelay,inUniversitàdegliStudidiTorino,Torino(Italy),byIlariaBerruti,MashoBelay,NunoGonḉalves,DimitraPapagiannaki,FabricioBortotCoehloandKatarzyna Janowska and to citizensduringLaPrimaVeraFesta inTorinoonMay2019byBethelAnuchaandNunoGonḉalves.A three days of interaction of AQUAlity ESRswith other projects (ETN PARACAT; H2020 Innovation ActionProjectÔ;ProGIreg,H2020-SCC-2016;Re-Horti)havebeenorganizedinMay2019atUniversitàdegliStudidiTorinowithcoursesonsoftskillsanddisseminationactivities.

Awards Davide Palma was not the only ESR to win a prize in 2018. The posterspresentedbyKatarzyna JanowskaandEsraEraywin the first and the thirdprizeatthe2ndNordicConferenceonCeramicandGlassTechnology,thatwasheld on 10-11 December 2018 at the Technical University of Denmark inRoskilde.Congratulationtoallofyou!

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Website: www.aquality-etn.eu Facebook: www.facebook.com/AQUAlityITN2017INFORMATION & NEWS:

NEXT EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Venue: Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon (Turkey) Information on the Websites: https://www.aquality-etn.eu/4th-aquality-meeting-and-cescop-2019/ https://cescop2019.org/

3rd European Summer School of Environmental Applications on Advanced Oxidation Processes 3 - 7 June 2019, Alcoy, Spain

—— Fourth AQUAlity Meeting

2-3 September 2019 ——

 International Conference on Chemical Energy and

Semiconductor Photochemistry (CESCOP 2019)