Special Session 12

Monitoring and containment of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in sea water and sediments represent a global challenge of outstanding importance for environmental protection and human health. We will discuss innovative strategies of detection and confinement of organic pollutants, as well as methods for valorization of marine organisms (e.g. algae, microalgae, sponges) or their biological components. Current scientific research will be highlighted with special focus on photosynthetic organisms as (1) valuable living systems for pollutants marine bioremediation and (2) valuable sources of high added value products for biomedicine and nanotechnology.

Monitoring persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in seawater and sediments:

• Chemical methods for detection of POPs in marine ecosystems;
• POPs as ecotoxicological probes of marine organisms’ healthiness;
• Laboratory networks and intercalibration systems for detection of emerging organic pollutants.

Organic active compounds from marine organisms:

• Extraction, recognition, application of valuable organic natural compounds from marine organisms;
• Air/Land interaction with seawater: flow of organic compounds;
• Eco-sustainable bioremediation processes for organic pollutants in marine ecosystems.

Marine Nanotechnology:

• Biopolymers from living marine organisms;
• Functionalization of biological components and nanostructures for marine bioremediation;
• Supramolecular adhesives under water for marine metrology and nanotechnology.

Roberta Ragni is Associate Professor in Organic Chemistry at the University of Bari Aldo Moro. She graduated in Chemistry in 2001, received her PhD degree in Chemical Sciences at the same University in 2004 and held the position as Researcher since 2008. She is professor of Organic Chemistry in the Degree Course in Environmental Sciences at the University of Bari. Her research interests deal with the study of new eco-sustainable synthetic methods of organic conjugated molecules and with the development of innovative biohybrid systems for environmental, nanotechnological and solar energy conversion applications via chemical modification of components of microorganisms such as diatoms microalgae and photosynthetic bacteria.

Pietro Cotugno currently works at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Bari “Aldo Moro” (Italy) as a researcher in Organic Chemistry. He held the PhD in Chemical Sciences at the same University in 2011. Since 2015 he leads the research activity in the Chemistry Laboratory of the Scientific and Technological Pole of the Department of Biology of the University of Bari "Aldo Moro" located in Taranto. His research focuses on the study of green synthetic methods of organic molecules, green extraction and characterization methods of active phytocompounds from marine organisms.

Danilo Vona, is Researcher in Organic Chemistry at the Chemistry Department of the University of Bari “Aldo Moro” (Italy). He is in charge of the project “Algambiente” (POR Puglia FESR FSE 2014-2020 REFIN - Research for Innovation), regarding bioremediation of marine ecosystem. He specialized in interfacing biological components with inorganic and organic functional materials, in the frame of the European project on Hybrid Electronics Based on Photosynthetic Organisms (HyPhOE, FET-OPEN-01-2016-2017). During his PhD in Organic Chemistry he worked on biohybrid systems based on biosilica extracted from diatoms microalgae. He has a degree in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology.