Research and Development

At ULiège-ACESSS, our ultimate goal is pushing boundaries Separation Science and Chemical Sensing through groundbreaking research and innovation. Our running projects span fundamental studies to applied developments, bridging analytical excellence with real-world impact. Here, you can discover a glimpse of our ongoing research projects, reflecting the diversity and ambition of the scientific field. If you recognize synergies or shared interests, we warmly invite you to get in touch.

Internal ongoing collaborative research projects

  1. RT 24/05 IMPOFAD 2 (MSLab and CA-GxABT): The project brings together a unique consortium in Belgium to address the issues raised in Europe by the lack of data on impurities in food additives derived from oils or fats. It proposes to quantify ~280 impurities from legacy and emerging contaminants (a total of 16 additives) employing state-of-the-art technologies to achieve the required analytical performance.
  2. Exploring molecular composition of upgraded pyrolysis bio-oil using GC×GC-(EI/PI)-TOF MS with different column set-ups (OBiAChem and CA-GxABT): a work of a co-supervised postdoc with Total Energies. Outcomes of the research published in JAAP (doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2024.106569)
  3. Quantification of heterocyclic aromatic compounds (NSO-HET) in fuels by offline HPLC-GC×GC-ToFMS (OBiAChem and CA-GxABT): toxic and persistent contaminants commonly found in fuels. The simultaneous determination of NSO-HET is hindered by matrix complexity, isomer overlap, and coelution with aromatic compounds. An offline preparative HPLC method was applied to enrich the aromatic fraction and remove interferences, followed by GC×GC-ToFMS. Paper published in ACA (doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2025.344621).
  4. Sensor for soil metabolomics (LCMN and all partners): Research on plant allelopathy is ongoing. Using co-culture systems in a controlled environment, we are studying the allelochemical compounds emitted in the soil by the recipient plant that enable the donor plant to “detect” its presence and induce the production of allelopathic compounds. This project will, in the future, evolve towards continuous emission monitoring.
  5. Development of green stabilizers (OBiAChem and MSLab): The constant evolution towards greener chemistry is present in every field, including defence applications. In this project, we developed a green analytical workflow to monitor the degradation of propellant powders mixed with green stabilizers. Paper recently published in SSCP (doi.org/10.1002/sscp.70130).

Newly initiated collaborative research

  1. Initiated SFC research (CA-GxABT and all partners): with the acquired SFC-PDA of phase 1. The instrument installation was delayed due to administrative issues and took place in March. Nevertheless, preliminary results were already presented at the highly recognized international HPLC Conference (“Exploring Novel Separation Mechanisms for MOHs Using Supercritical Fluid Chromatography: Preliminary Results”), showcasing the effective actions in the short term. It has also led to (i) new collaborations with the University of Orleans (prof. C. West) and (ii) investments of new industrial partners, i.e., Nacalai Tesque (Japan) who has offered to provide consumable (notable chromatographic columns) to extend the initiated study, and Sedere (France) that has offered to provide an additional detector that will broaden the field of application of SFC, thus further reinforcing our position. The instrument will be used for collaborative projects with OBiAChem to extend lipid and metabolomics analysis, as well as with LCMN for the study of oxylypins.
  2. Optimization of an untargeted method for metabolomics and lipidomics profiling of cells using GC×GC-TOFMS (OBiAChem and CA-GxABT): The project was established to compare derivatization methods for untargeted analysis of metabolites and FAMEs in Human A549 lung epithelial cells. The initial results were presented at the Advances in Separation Science workshop, and a joint paper is in preparation. The same method will be applied to the studies performed by LCMN and integrated with their studies on oxylypins.
  3. Volatile characterization of buckwheat varieties (CA-GxABT and LCMN): A collaborative study between the members of GxABT (M.L. Fauconnier and G.Purcaro) and UCLouvain (M. Quinet) on volatile characterization in relation to the ability of attracting pollinators. Data elaboration is ongoing, and publication is foreseen soon.
  4. Micro- and nanoplatic analysis (CA-GxABT, OBiAChem, and MSLab): The project aims to developed analytical methods for the detection of micro and nanoplastics in environmental and food samples using pyrolysis coupled to GC×GC-MS. This topic groups several projects in a collaboration with VITO and industrial partners (GL Sciences and LECO).

National Research projects under the umbrella of ULiège-ACESSS

  1. Chargé de recherche (FNRS) of Dr. Theo Issitt (Dr. Stefanuto – OBiAChem) aims to revolutionize the diagnosis and monitoring of inflammatory lung diseases through innovative breath analysis, fitting perfectly the exposomics and beyond approach and showcasing its short-term valorization.
  2. REUSAFE (FOD VVVL – SPF SPSCAE) (Prof. JF Focant – OBiAChem) Reusable food contact materials as an alternative to single-use plastics in a circular economy.
  3. NOxyPAKs (FOD VVVL – SPF SPSCAE) (Prof. JF Focant – OBiAChem) Dietary exposure assessment of the Belgian population to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives