Dr Franja Prosenc

Profile

I am an environmental scientist with expertise in resource recovery from waste streams. My work focuses on recovering and recycling nutrients from wastewater, liquid digestate and fish farm effluents using microalgae and duckweed. I’m interested in circular economy and recovering as many valuable resources as possible from various value chains (e.g., nutrient-rich fish farm effluents – nutrients captured with duckweed – reclaimed water – duckweed recycled back into fish feed). However, with the circular economy approach, we also recycle non-beneficial and hazardous substances (e.g., contaminants of emerging concern, microplastics, PFAS, pharmaceuticals). Therefore, one of my missions is to find ways to recover valuable resources safely. This often includes source separation and fit-for-purpose applications. Currently, I’m also researching the potential of microalgal carbon capture of CO2 impurities in biogas and biohydrogen. Within our BioResource Systems research group, I contribute significantly to project proposals, project management, and international collaborations. My active research partnerships are in Slovenia, Mexico, Taiwan, and Indonesia.

I joined the School of Civil Engineering at Leeds as a Research and Teaching Fellow in BioResource Systems in October 2022. 

Before this, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (2018-2022). During the first two years in Ljubljana, I focused on the algae-based removal of bisphenols (endocrine-disrupting plasticisers) and following their fate during the treatment process. For the last two years, I held a postdoctoral fellowship from the Slovenian Research Agency (ARIS) to work on agricultural soil microplastic pollution. This included developing methods for their extraction from soil and organically rich matrices (e.g. sewage sludge, compost), carrying out an extensive monitoring campaign to evaluate the spread of microplastics in different agricultural practices (e.g., using organic fertilisers or irrigating with wastewater), and evaluating the effect of soil microplastic pollution on agricultural production. 

In addition to research, I have a strong teaching background and have delivered courses in wastewater treatment, water resource management, environmental microbiology and biotechnology, and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate students. I have also been involved in developing multidisciplinary curricula for higher education in aquaponics.

I have received awards for research excellence from the Slovenian Research Agency, the University of Ljubljana and for best conference presentation from the International Water Association (IWA). I’m an active member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Association of Chemistry and the Environment. Through my volunteer work, I support early-career researchers (Chem2Change ECR network) and engage in science communication to raise awareness about environmental issues.
 

Research interests

My research focuses on developing methods to safely recover valuable resources from waste streams, such as wastewater, anaerobic digestate, and fish farm effluents. This includes reclaiming nutrients, organic matter, and water for reuse.

Current research projects:

• H2BOOST Phase 2: Biohydrogen from organic waste streams via dark fermentation. Leeds Principal Investigator (PI): Dr M A Camargo-Valero; Co-Investigators (Co-Is): Professor A Baker, Dr V Dupond, Dr C Okoro-Shekwaga.  Partners:  The Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC), Qube. Funder: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) UK, £5M.  
• Global STEM: Professional Qualifications without Borders: A roadmap for international accreditation of STEM programmes in Mexico. PI: Dr M A Camargo-Valero; Co-Is: A Heitor, A Matamoros-Veloza, M Asachi. Partners: Tecnológico de Monterrey and Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan (Mexico). Funder: The British Council, £25k
• Duckweed 2: Sustainable aquaculture in Southeast Asia via nutrient recovery and bioenergy production. Leeds PI: Dr M A Camargo-Valero; Co-Is: Professor A Baker, Dr F Prosenc. Partners: State University of Malang (Indonesia) and National Cheng Kung University (Taiwan).  Funder: WUN Global Research Group: SDGs in South Asia, £5k

Past research projects:

• Duckweed for fish feed: Closing nutrient cycles for sustainable aquaculture. Individual grant. Partners: State University of Malang (Indonesia) and National Cheng Kung University (Taiwan). Funder: School of Civil Engineering Research Development Fund Seed funding 2022/23. £13.5k
• International collaboration on nutrient recovery and reuse in aquaculture. Individual grant. Partners: State University of Malang (Indonesia) and National Cheng Kung University (Taiwan). Funder: School of Civil Engineering, International Academic Pump-priming fund 2023. £2k
• Water Week at Tecnológico de Monterrey. Individual grant. Partners: Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico). Funder: School of Civil Engineering, International Academic Pump-priming fund 2023. £1.5k
• Agri-iMPact: Microplastic Prevalence and Impact in Agricultural Fields (at the University of Ljubljana). Postdoctoral Fellowship. PI: Dr F Prosenc. Funder: Slovenian Research Agency – ARIS. €125k
• GreenT: Closing material flows by wastewater treatment with green technologies (at the University of Ljubljana). PI: Professor T Griessler Bulc. Funder: Slovenian Research Agency – ARIS. €200k
• EdiCitNet: Edible Cities Network (at the University of Ljubljana). PI (main): Dr I Saumel, PI at UL: Dr N Atanasova. Funder: Horizon 2020 Framework Programme. €11.7M (UL part €450k)

Qualifications

• PhD in Environmental Sciences, University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia
• MSc in Environmental Biotechnology, University of Westminster, UK
• BSc in Biotechnology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Professional memberships

• Member of Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC)
• Membership in Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
• Membership in Association of Chemistry and the Environment (ACE)

Student education

I have teaching and supervision responsibilities in the following taught programmes:

• MSc in Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering
• MSc in Environmental Engineering and Project Management
• MEng and BEng in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Research groups and institutes

• Water, Public Health and Environmental Engineering