On November 14^th, 2024, the World Quality Day, the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Biotechnologies and Environmental Protection (Politehnica University Timisoara) organized the fourth edition of the national symposium entitled Quality – an asset for the future. The event is an opportunity to focus the attention of individuals, teams, non-profit organizations, companies and decision-makers, on the essential aspects aimed at improving the quality of life, services and products.

In the section dedicated to presentations made by teaching staff and students, assoc. prof. Cornelia Muntean presented the results of the NETMIN project in the field of environmental quality assessment and the measures that can be applied to reduce the pollution of mining areas.

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The Joint Steering Committee of the network created within the framework of the project NETMIN RORS-308 „Forming of network for enhancing environmental protection from pollutants of mining cross border areas” reunited on October 4th, 2022, in Bor (Serbia) evaluated the converging efforts to build upon the results obtained in the project and further the cooperation in the research linked to environmental topics. The second year after the completion of project implementation shows that the identified solutions of phytoremediation are recognized in the scientific community and have merit for practical applications. Partners agreed upon the strategy of disseminating the project results to relevant stakeholders in the mining areas, to raise awareness regarding the possibility to use phytoremediation in combating the negative effects of mining upon soil.

The project “Forming of network for enhancing environmental protection from pollutants of mining cross border areas”), acronym NETMIN, eMS nr. RORS-308, implemented within the framework of the Interreg-IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Romania-Serbia Programme by Politehnica University Timisoara (Romania) and the Mining and Metallurgy Institute Bor (Serbia) has reached its final stage, the closing conference being organized on the 3rd of December 2020. The outcomes are impressive: 16 workshops organized alternatively in Romania and Serbia, two of which also accompanied by training sessions for young researchers, one cooperation agreement signed to create the education and research network, around 300 members joining the network, two plants tested for the bioremediation of the soils polluted with heavy metals, due to mining activities (barley and cup-plant), three scientific articles to share the results with the scientific community, over 7800 promotional materials including flyers and brochures disseminated to inform the target public in Romania regarding the results in the project, numerous media campaigns to keep the general public informed about the progress in identifying solutions to environmental challenges and encouraging the sustainable use of natural resources. However, the most valuable outcome of the project is the tightening of the cross-border relations and the complementarity achieved in joint scientific and research endeavors by experts from Timisoara (Romania) and Bor (Serbia). Also, local communities from the target area of the project were attracted into a network, to share experiences concerning available solutions for fighting the negative impact of mining activity on soils, as well as on the quality of environment and, ultimately, on human health.

In the framework of the NETMIN project, MS nr. RORS-308 conducted by Politehnica University Timişoara (Romania) and the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Bor (Serbia), the Romanian lead partner organized a new workshop, in virtual format, on Friday, 6 November 2020.

The workshop created the platform for disseminating information on environmental projects in mining or former mining areas, as well as for inviting new members in the “Network for enhancing environmental protection from pollutants of mining cross border areas”, created within the project. Assoc. prof. dr. Cornelia Muntean (UPT, project manager) explained the main steps taken in the project, welcoming the participation of professors, students, master’s students, young researchers, and project partners in Serbia in the event. On behalf of the Mining and Metallurgy Institute Bor (Serbia), Dr. Ana Kostov has brought the message of interest and collaboration, which, although it continues through online platforms only, does not slow down, while the project gets close to its completion.

Assoc. prof. dr. Marius Gheju (Coordinator for Environmental Pollution Assessment and Remediation, UPT), presented the results of the assessments on contamination of water, soil, and vegetation with heavy metals in mining areas of Banat. Dr. Daniel Duda-Seiman (Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara) presented the effects of heavy metal pollution on human health. Prof. univ. dr. Radu Şumălan (Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Timisoara “King Michael I of Romania”) spoke about the possibility of remediating polluted soils using the power of plants that can be grown in the contaminated areas. He presented the cup plant, tested as a viable alternative for remediation of soils polluted with heavy metals.

The participants’ questions demonstrated the high interest towards bioremediation as means of sustainable interventions to improve the quality of the environment.