Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology

Department Head – Assoc. Prof. Monika Kalinowska, DSc, PhD

m.kalinowska [at] pb.edu.pl

Department Office:

Anna Gryniewicka, MSc
Wiejska 45E street, 15-351 Białystok, Poland
room: 105
+48 85 746 96 33
+48 571 443 124
wb.kchbib [at] pb.edu.pl

Scientific and didactic employees:

Technical staff

Works for the development of young scientists and participants of doctoral studies

Services and research offer:

Research topics in the area of chemical works

Synthesis of new plant derivatives of phenolic compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer properties

Research methods/techniques used:

• FT-IR, FT-Raman, 1H and 13C NMR, UV/Vis, X-ray, thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), elemental analysis, quantum mechanical calculations (Gaussian program); antioxidant activity tests; antimicrobial activity expressed by MIC parameter (turbidimetric method or agar gel diffusion method); cytotoxicity tests against selected cancer cell lines.

Waste from agro-food industry (biomass) as a source of bioactive substances and raw material for energy industry

Research methods/techniques used:

• extraction of plant material by means of: simple extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, extraction with supercritical fluid; additional support of extraction by means of pre-fermentation and addition of cyclodextrins; evaluation of extracts composition by HPLC, GC-MS techniques; evaluation of antioxidant, antimicrobial or cytotoxic activity of extracts and their components;
• Studies on biomass for energy purposes: evaluation of calorific value, thermal properties, elemental composition, chloride content

Application of natural biosorbents (alginic acid, calcium alginate, biomass) for removal of selected heavy metals from aqueous solutions and wastewater

Research methods/techniques used:

• characterization of biosorbent structure (FT-IR-ATR, SEM, X-ray, TG/DSC); characterization of sorption process kinetics; determination of metal ions concentration by UV/Vis, AAS, ICP/MS methods.

Research topics in the area of biological work

Studies on toxicity and cytotoxicity of selected environmental pollutants (complex matrices such as leachates from landfills, sewage sludge and single pollutants such as selected pesticides)

Research methods/techniques used:

• studies on human cell lines (cancer lines: breast cancer ZR-75-1, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, glioma LN-229, gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas Caco-2 and DLD-1, melanoma A-375, leukemia MOLT-4, cervical cancer HeLa, osteosarcoma U2OS, healthy lines: human skin fibroblasts);
• evaluation of cytotoxicity by spectroscopic methods (MTT, LDH, Trypan blue, methylene blue, ATP levels);
• examination of toxicity mechanisms on the basis of oxidative stress parameters (activity of antioxidant enzymes, analysis of protein and membrane lipid damage markers, level of the most important antioxidant – glutathione, level of free radicals generated by pollutants);
• Analysis of cell apoptosis (caspase activity, detection of apoptotic and necrotic cells – fluorescence and confocal microscopy, detection of apoptotic proteins – Western Blotting method).

Study on the impact of bio-waste application (sewage sludge, biomass combustion waste) for soil remediation and remediation

Research methods/techniques used:

• Study of activity of selected soil enzymes (dehydrogenases, catalase, acid and alkaline phosphatase) by colorimetric method;
• examination of soil microbiological properties (determination of the total number of bacteria and fungi, the number of Pseudomonas fluorescens – plate methods) Pseudomonas – plate methods),
• examination of microbiological biodiversity (bacteria and fungi) with the t-RLFP method with the use of PCR and capillary electrophoresis techniques.

Biological monitoring of the environment and microbiological analyses of surface water, groundwater, drinking water, municipal and industrial wastewater

Research methods/techniques used:

• analysis of basic microbiological indicators (total number of bacteria, coliform index, enterococci index, determination of Salmonella bacilli, determination of spore-forming bacteria e.g. Clostridium perfringens);
• air testing: Mas Eco 100 and Mas 100 NT meters (with calibration), determination of staphylococci, total number of moulds and fungi, Gram negative bacteria, actinomycetes, Pseudomonas fluorescens; plate method in the air aspiration apparatus and sedimentation method
• examination of water, sewage, sediments using Microtox Model 500 (toxicity tests) and microscope techniques,
• parasitological studies on soils, municipal waste dumps and sewage sludge: determination of ATT index (determination of parasite eggs of three major nematodes belonging to genera Ascaris Trichuris and Toxocara according to methodology recommended by EPA; determination of Salmonella spp. by classical method recommended by EPA in sludge and bio-waste or genetically using PCR or RT PCR).