The European Commission has announced the results of the 2025 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships) call. We are happy to announce that Dr. Megha Deshmukh has been awarded an ERA postdoctoral fellowship grant. Her supervisor is prof. Arūnas Ramanavičius from the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences at Vilnius University. 

The project aims to develop an advanced electrochemical system that would simultaneously produce urea, an important raw material for fertilizers, and treat wastewater.

The project aims to create an advanced electrochemical system that would simultaneously produce urea, an important raw material for fertilizers, and treat wastewater. Specially designed highly efficient catalysts consisting of individual atoms of two metals in the cathode of the system will promote the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) into urea. This would convert greenhouse gases and environmentally harmful substances into a useful product.

At the same time, microorganisms in the bioanode will break down organic pollutants in the wastewater, purifying the water and consuming less energy than traditional methods.

To better understand how these chemical reactions take place, advanced monitoring methods will be used to study molecular processes in real time, particularly the formation of carbon and nitrogen bonds. The project is expected to enable the efficient production of urea under environmental conditions and with low energy consumption, contributing to the development of a circular, low-carbon economy.