Prof. Henryk Struszczyk Awardfor original achievements in research in the field of chitin and its derivatives in 2026 was awarded to M.Sc. Eng. ŁUKASZ WUJCICKI from the Faculty of Chemistry, Silesian University of Technology.

Łukasz Wujcicki is a PhD student at the Silesian University of Technology, conducting his research in the Department of Inorganic, Analytical, and Electrochemical Chemistry. His work focuses on the synthesis and modification of chitosan hydrogels for the selective separation and recovery of inorganic ions from water and wastewater, particularly critical metals such as cobalt, nickel, and copper.

He designs new chitosan derivatives obtained via organic acid amidation, with their sorption capacity and selectivity controlled by the chemical structure and degree of modification. The synthesized materials are characterized under different process conditions to evaluate their sorption performance.

His research addresses challenges associated with the rapidly growing lithium-ion battery (LiB) recycling market. By 2030, the amount of end-of-life LiBs in Europe is estimated to reach approximately 930,000 metric tons, exceeding 2 million metric tons by 2040, while the global LiB recycling market is projected to grow from USD 6.9 billion in 2024 to USD 30.7 billion in 2033.

In Poland, hydrometallurgical technologies for recovering metals from spent LiBs are being developed, but lower-concentration streams generated outside the main process line, such as cleaning and rinsing solutions, are often treated as standard industrial wastewater. Łukasz Wujcicki’s research addresses this gap by developing modified chitosan hydrogels for the selective recovery of critical metals from such streams without interfering with the main recycling process.

Awards winners in short talk competition:

1st Award
Tomasz Mańdok, Joanna Kluczka, Klaudiusz Gołombek, Jakub Adamek
SEPARATION OF GALLIUM FROM ALUMINIUM IONS USING ION-IMPRINTED CROSS-LINKED CHITOSAN SORBENT

2nd Award
Weronika Gonciarz, Marek Brzeziński, Magdalena Chmiela
UPREGULATION OF INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE MECHANISMS FACILITATING PREVENTION OF GASTRIC HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION IN GUINEA PIGS BY PER OS ADMINISTRATION OF CHITOSAN MICROPARTICLES LOADED WITH MYCOBACTERIUM BOVIS BCG

3rd Award
Kamila Rułka-Olszak, Anna Masek
FUNCTIONALIZATION OF CHITOSAN WITH POLYPHENOLIC COMPOUNDS TO OBTAIN BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS WITH ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

Recognition Award
Joanna Odrobińska-Baliś, Adriana Gilarska, Dorota Lachowicz, Krzysztof Szczepanowicz, Adelajda Adamczyk, Agnieszka Kłapcia, Agnieszka Radziszewska, Lilianna Szyk-Warszyńska, Dawid Lupa
CHITOSAN HYDROGEL–POLYMERIC CAPSULE SYSTEM FOR EQUINE DISTAL LIMB WOUND MANAGEMENT

Awards winners in poster competition:

1st Award
Barbara Hawrylak-Nowak, Maria Stasińska-Jakubas, Agata Majewska-Fala
EFFECTS OF CHITOSAN ON PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES AND HIGH-TEMPERATURE STRESS TOLERANCE IN COMMON WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.)

2nd Award
Alicja Matyjewicz, Dominik Müller, Beata Paczosa-Bator, Tomasz Skalski, Bożena Muszyńska, Agata Krakowska
FUNGAL CHITOSAN AND γ-POLYGLUTAMIC ACID BIOCOMPOSITE FOR WOUND DRESSING APPLICATIONS

3rd Award
Łukasz Wujcicki, Joanna Kluczka, Jakub Adamek, Klaudiusz Gołombek
ORGANIC ACID-FUNCTIONALIZED CHITOSAN FOR THE RECOVERY OF CRITICAL METALS FROM BATTERY WASTEWATER