Eva Pongrácz, Director of NorTech Oulu, Programme Director of the Environmental Technology Development Programme
Eva Pongrácz has an engineering/industrial management background, and received the degree of Doctor Universitatis in environmental economics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary in 1996, and later the degree of Doctor of Technology in environmental engineering at the University of Oulu in 2002. She has been a research fellow of the Academy of Finland and in charge of several academic research projects between 2002 and 2008. She qualified for docentship in industrial environmental engineering with specialization in industrial ecology and resources management in production processes at the Department of Process and Environmental Engineering of the University of Oulu in 2007.
She has been appointed as the Director of the Centre of Northern Environmental Technology (NorTech Oulu) in February 2008, and Programme Director of the Environmental Technology Development Programme in January 2009. As Programme Director, her task is to coordinate and advance environmental technology research in the University of Oulu, as well as to encourage multidisciplinary collaboration within and beyond the university.
The research of Eva Pongrácz is in waste management, industrial ecology, sustainable production and energy and specializes in the conceptual analysis of waste and waste management, including ownership and awareness issues. She has published over 100 original works, of which some 20 are international peer-reviewed publications, mainly in waste management and industrial ecology. In addition, she is also lecturing in these subjects and is supervising master’s theses and doctoral research. She has also designed courses and curricula in environmental engineering.
Current research projects:
• Environmental Best Practice Technologies in Food Industry for Waste Minimisation and Utilisation, research advisor, funded by the Graduate School in Chemical Engineering, the Thule Institute and foundations, 1.9.2004-31.12.2009
• Greening the chemical industry – Use of separation technologies for waste minimization, project leader and grant holder, Funded by the Academy of Finland, the Thule Institute and foundations, 1.1.2006 – 31.12.2009
• Towards utilisation of Carbon Dioxide as a green and versatile commodity chemical: Clean synthesis of Methanol and Dimethyl Carbonate (CO2UTIL), Funded by the Academy of Finland’s Sustainable Products and Production (KETJU) Research Programme, 1.1.2007-31.12.2010
• Sustainable processing of natural resources (SuSProc), Research group leader, Funded by the Academy of Finland’s KETJU programme, 1.1.2007-31.12.2010
• Sustaining Micro Waste to Energy Business: Micro energy to rural enterprise (MicrE), Coordinator at UOulu, Funded by the Interreg IIIB Northern Periphery Programme, 1.1.2009-31.12.2011
Teaching:
• Industrial Ecology (480370S Teollinen ekologia)
Selected publications:
• Pongrácz E. (2009) Through waste prevention towards corporate sustainability: Analysis of the concept of waste and a review of attitudes towards waste prevention. Sustainable Development, Special issue: Paradigms of corporate sustainability. 17(2): 92-101.
• García V, Landaburu-Aguirre J, Pongrácz E, Perämäki P, Keiski R.L. (2009) Dehydration of water/dichloromethane/n-butanol mixtures by pervaporation: optimisation and modelling by response surface methodology. Journal of Membrane Science, 338(1-2): 111-118.
• Raudaskoski R, Turpeinen E, Lenkkeri R, Pongrácz E and Keiski RL. (2009) Catalytic activation of CO2: Use of secondary CO2 for the production of synthesis gas and for methanol synthesis over zirconia containing catalysts. Catalysis Today, 144(3-4): 318-323.
• García V, Pongrácz E, Muurinen E and Keiski RL. (2009) Recovery of n-butanol from high salt containing solutions by pervaporation. Desalination, 241(1-3): 201-211.
• Häyrynen K, Pongrácz E, Väisänen V, Pap N, Mänttäri M, Langwaldt J and Keiski RL. (2009) Concentration of ammonium and nitrate from mine water by reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. Desalination, 240(1-3): 280-289.
• Landaburu-Aguirre J, García V, Pongrácz E and Keiski RL. (2009) The removal of Zinc from synthetic wastewaters by Micellar-Enhanced Ultrafiltration; Statistical design of experiments. Desalination, 240(1-3): 262-269.
• Pap N, Kertész Sz, Pongrácz E, Myllykoski L, Keiski RL, Vatai Gy, László Zs, Beszédes S, Hodúr C. (2009) Concentration of blackcurrant juice by reverse osmosis. Desalination, 241(1-3): 256-264.
• García V, Pongrácz E, Muurinen E and Keiski RL. (2009) Pervaporation of dichloromethane from multicomponent aqueous systems containing n-butanol and sodium chloride. Journal of Membrane Science. 326(1): 92-102.
• Turpeinen E, Raudaskoski R, Pongrácz E and Keiski RL. (2008) Thermodynamic analysis of conversion of alternative hydrocarbon-based feedstocks to hydrogen. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 33(22): 6635-6643.
• García V., Pongrácz E., Phillips P.S., Keiski R. (2008) Factors Affecting Resource Use Optimisation of the Chemical Industry in the Northern Ostrobothnia Region of Finland. Journal of Cleaner Production 16(18): 1987-1994.
• Häyrynen K, Langwaldt J, Pongrácz E, Väisänen V, Mänttäri M, and Keiski RL. (2008) Separation of nutrients from mine water by reverse osmosis for subsequent biological treatment. Minerals Engineering. 21(1): 2-9.
• Pongrácz E. (2006) Industrial Ecology and Waste Management: From Theories to Applications. Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal. Special issue: Industrial Ecology - Philosophical and Epistemological Framework. 3(1-2): 59-74.
• Pongrácz E, Ylä-Mella J, Phillips PS, Tanskanen P and Keiski RL. (2005) The impact of the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE): Development of waste management strategies in Oulu, Finland. Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management. 31(2): 102-111.
• Mikkonen H, Myllykoski L, Pongrácz E & Keiski R. (2005) Resources use optimization in small- and medium-sized juice plants in Northern Finland: A novel, waste-free utilization of annual shoots of Norway spruce. Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management. 31(2): 59-68.
• Pongrácz E & Pohjola VJ. (2004) Re-defining waste, the concept of ownership and the roles of waste management. Resources Conservation & Recycling. 40(2): 141-153.
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