Welcome to the website of the Barta Group!
We are located at the Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Austria.
Research program
Our research program broadly addresses scientific challenges that help to transition from a linear, fossil-dependent industry, to a one based on renewable resources. To this end, we develop methods that are able to integrate widely available sustainable carbonaceous material streams (such as renewable biomass, plastic waste) into the circular bioeconomy.
While deeply rooted in sustainable catalysis and green chemistry, the research group follows a highly interdisciplinary approach. Research areas related to emerging biorefinery concepts, circular bioproducts, materials and polymers, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, chemical engineering and organic chemistry are represented and integrated. Accordingly, the research group features PhD students and post-docs with a wide range of backgrounds and skills, and the regular group meetings address a variety of research topics.
The Group
News
Prof. Katalin Barta has been awarded the Forschungspreis des Landes Steiermark 2025 (Research Award of the Province of Styria 2025). This prestigious annual award has been given for the work “Closed-loop recyclability of a biomass-derived epoxy-amine thermoset by methanolysis.” Congratulations Katalin!
Foto: © Foto Fischer
The alpha+ Foundation of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) has honored Prof. Katalin Barta with the Zero Emissions Award. This award supports outstanding researchers pursuing innovative climate-relevant research within Austria and is given in connection with the group’s FWF-funded grant “Sustainable routes to bioactive heterocycles from wood”. Please join us in the celebration!
Foto: © FWF/Klaus Ranger
We are happy to announce that our sustainable surfactant prototypes from the aws Gründungsfonds funded prototype project “Abfall zu Abwasch” and the EIC Transition funded project PureSurf has won the Austrian Phoenix Founders Award in the category prototype.
Read more: Foto: Austria Wirtschaftsservice/APA-Fotoservice/Schedl
The PureSurf initiative produces “green” surfactants from waste products and aims to found a spin-off company at the University of Graz. Check the latest news about PureSurf on the project website .
We are proud to announce that we were awarded the Styrian Innovation award for our research in the field of sustainable surfactants that can be produced pnly using locally available waste- and side streams.
Read more: „Grüner“ Gewinn
Foto: Land Steiermark/Streibl
The PureSurf initiative produces “green” surfactants from waste products and aims to found a spin-off company at the University of Graz. Check the latest news about PureSurf on the project website .
We are beyond happy to announce that we were selected by the European Innovation Council (EIC) as one of the receivers of the 2.5 million euros grant awarded to take breakthrough projects into real life.
Foto: Uni Graz/Tzivanopoulos
The PureSurf initiative produces “green” surfactants from waste products and aims to found a spin-off company at the University of Graz. Check the latest news about PureSurf on the EU Trending Topics and on the University of Graz website.
We are proud to announce that our recent publication on bio-based polymers from paper industry waste made it to the homepage of the University of Graz! Congratulations to the authors who conducted this exciting research. Enjoy the read!
Congratulations to Dr. Anastasiia Afanasenko (now post-doc at McGill University in Canada) for receiving the Merit Scholarship for foreign students (PBEEE 2021-2022)!