doc. Ing. Tomáš Weidlich, Ph.D.

Doc. Ing. Tomáš Weidlich, Ph.D. completed his doctoral studies at the Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice. Since 2005, he has been working as an academic at the Institute of Environmental Protection, later transformed into the Institute of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, which is part of the Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice. In 2015, he was appointed Associate Professor in the field of Technology of Organic Materials. He continues to work at the Institute of Environmental and Chemical Engineering. He is the leader of the “Chemical Technology Group” at his Centre of Excellence.

Scientific interests

• Treatment of waters contaminated with difficult-to-degrade organic compounds
• Chemical transformation of halogenated aromatic compounds into biodegradable products
• Sustainable chemistry and chemical production technology according to the circular economy philosophy

Scientific activity

Doc. Weidlich is active in the field of ecological aspects of chemical technologies. He is currently working on the issue of separation and reductive degradation of biologically difficult-to-degrade contaminants based on halogenated aromatic compounds from process waters produced during the production of organic chemical specialties. He focuses on possibilities for use of recyclable ionic liquids and the development of recyclable copper and nickel based hydrodehalogenation catalysts for the reductive degradation of biologically difficult-to-degrade contaminants into biodegradable products. He has authored or co-authored 39 publications with an impact factor and two chapters in specialist books.

Prominent international cooperation

• firma ESIM GmbH, Austria
• Institute of Geotechnics of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia
• Institut de Chimie Moleculaire, Université de Bourgogne, France

Results of applied research

Patents 7, Certified technologies 7, Utility models 3, Summary research report 25

Two most important projects carried out from the position of principal investigator or co-investigator

• Efficient removal of aromatic halogenderivatives (AOX) from the local industrial sources,

2016 -2019, Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TH02030200)

• Intermediates for non-ionic X-ray contrast media - application of principles of Green Chemistry, 2011 – 2013, Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA01010606)

Two most important results of applied research

• Process of reducing dehalogenation of aromatic halo derivatives  (patent 305 586, licensed)
• Contract research for an Austrian company ESIM GmbH (2021)

Awards

• Win in the “Progressive Idea” competition for the lecture by Weidlich T. and Lacina P.: Degradation of hazardous waste containing polychlorinated benzenes and biphenyls (PCBs) using hydrodechlorination at room temperature and ambient pressure, TOP 2018 Conference, Štrbské Pleso, Slovak Republic (2018).
• Third place in the competition of the Slovak Ministry of the Environment for the lecture: Weidlich T. and Krejčová A.: Recycling of a copper catalyst from the Ullman reaction. TOP 2012 Conference, Častá-Papiernička, Slovak Republic (2012).