AGGELOPOULOS, Christos

2007: Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, FORTH/ICE-HT & Department of Physics, University of Patras, Greece
2004: M.Sc. in Physics (Environmental Sciences), University of Patras, Greece
2002: B.Sc. in Physics, University of Patras, Greece

1. Wastewater treatment by non-thermal plasma: Lab-scale studies of several plasma configurations (gas-liquid DBD and corona, plasma bubbles) for the degradation of various organic pollutants (PFAS, pharmaceuticals, dyes, etc.) in aqueous solutions, process optimization and exploration of plasma and pollutant degradation mechanisms. Inactivation of bacteria by cold plasma.

2. Soil and waste treatment by non-thermal plasma: Lab-scale study and numerical modeling of non-thermal plasma as a method for the advanced oxidation of recalcitrant pollutants (PFAS, petroleum cuts, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc.) in contaminated soil/waste. Appropriately configured plasma lab-scale reactors to produce discharges above and/or directly inside the pore space of soils. Process optimization and exploration of plasma and pollutant degradation mechanisms.

3. Plasma-catalysis: Catalysis-assisted plasma treatment for soil and wastewater remediation.

4. Electrical & optical characterization of plasma: Current-voltage (I-V) waveforms and determination of plasma power, Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) for the identification of plasma excited species in the gas phase.

5. Species detection and physicochemical characterization of plasma-activated water (PAW): Measurement of plasma species in aqueous solutions (OH radicals, O₃, H₂O₂, NO₃^–, NO₂^–, etc.), pH, ORP and electrical conductivity.

6. Modification/regeneration of materials by plasma: Materials surface modification for potential use in organic pollutants’ removal. Regeneration of spent adsorbents by cold plasma bubbling.

7. Treatment of cancer cells by cold plasma: Process optimization and critical plasma species identification towards cancer cell apoptosis.

8. Biomass valorization and adsorption processes for wastewater treatment: Valorization of agricultural wastes for the development of low-cost adsorbents capable to remove multi-species pollutants from wastewater.

9. Photocatalytic wastewater treatment: Lab-scale study of photo-catalysis as an advanced oxidation method to decompose organic pollutants in water (e.g. dyes, pharmaceuticals, etc.).

05/2018 – 04/2022: Assistant Researcher, FORTH/ICE-HT, Greece
10/2017 – 08/2020: Adjunct Academic Staff, Hellenic Open University, Postgraduate Course: Environmental Design of Infrastructure Works
06/2014 – 03/2018: Research Associate, FORTH/ICE-HT, Greece
06/2012 – 05/2014: Research Associate, École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris (ENSCP), Paris, France and FORTH/ICE-HT
09/2010 – 05/2012: Post-Doctoral Fellow, FORTH/ICE-HT, Greece
01/2009 – 08/2010: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institut Français du Pétrole Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN), Rueil-Malmaison, France

A. Prizes/Awards

1. 2^nd Prize of Applied Research: 3rd “Greece Innovates!” Applied Research & Innovation Competition, joint initiative of Eurobank and Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), Title: “Cold Plasma Apparatus for the fast, efficient and cost effective remediation of highly polluted soils”, February 2016 (http://www.kainotomeis.gr/article.aspx?id=2228).
2. Among the 8 Projects cited as most-promising projects in the 2013 ESPA report «Remediation of polluted soils with plasma discharge technologies – SOIL PLASMA» (Supporting Postdoctoral Researchers-ESPA, 2012-2015, Principal Investigator (PI): C.A. Aggelopoulos).
3. Best Oral Presentation Award “Effects of CO₂ leakages from storage sites on the quality of potable groundwater” by K. Terzi, I. Bountas, C.A. Aggelopoulos and C.D. Tsakiroglou, 6th Panhellenic Symposium of Porous Materials, Kavala, Greece, 9-10 September, 2013.
4. Best Poster Prize “Simultaneous Determination of the Two-Phase Flow and Hydrodynamic Dispersion Coefficients of Soils from Transient Immiscible and Miscible Displacement Experiments” by C.A. Aggelopoulos and C.D. Tsakiroglou, Society of Core Analysts, Toronto, Canada, August, 2005.
5. Awards from the Greek State Scholarship Foundation (Ι.Κ.Υ) for the highest academic performance among the postgraduate students of the Department of Physics of University of Patras for the Academic years 2002-2003 & 2003-2004.

B. Other Honours/Distinctions

1. Editorial Board (EB) Member of Technologies (MDPI).
2. Ranked among the World’s Top 2% Scientists in the Stanford list for 2023 and 2024.
3. Guest Editor, Special Issue “Nanostructured Materials and Advanced Processes for Application in Water Purification” of Nanomaterials 2021-2022.

Participation in 23 R&D projects (9 of which as PI or Co-PI) funded by the EU and National sources (General Secretariat for Research and Innovation, HFRI, Greek Ministry of Education, Region of Western Greece, etc.).

68 (36 as corresponding author, 2 monographs) publications in refereed journals; 1 special issue editorial; 1 patent; 80 publications in international and national conference proceedings

More than 70 presentations in international/national conferences and workshops

2017 – 2020: Adjunct Academic Staff, Hellenic Open University, Postgraduate Course: Environmental Design of Infrastructure Works.

2016 – 2018: Lectures on “Innovative remediation technologies for soil/water systems”, Postgraduate Studies Program: Catalysis, Environmental Protection and Clean Energy Production, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras.

2004 – 2009 & 2010 – 2012: Adjunct Professor, Course instructor and laboratory assistant, Department of Electrical Engineering & Department of Mechanical Engineering, Higher Technological Educational Institute of Western Greece, Courses: Physics, Electrical Measurements, Fluid Mechanics.

• I-E. Triantaphyllidou and C.A. Aggelopoulos, Insights on bacteria inactivation in water by cold plasma: Effect of water matrix and pulsed plasmas waveform on physicochemical water properties, species formation and inactivation efficiency of Escherichia coli, Environmental Research, 266, 120467 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.120467
• K. Papalexopoulou, X. Huang, A. Ronen, C.A. Aggelopoulos, Reactive species and mechanisms of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) degradation in water by cold plasma: The role of HV waveform, reactor design, water matrix and plasma gas, Separation and Purification Technology, 342, 126955 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2024.126955
• S. Meropoulis and C.A. Aggelopoulos, Plasma microbubbles vs gas-liquid DBD energized by low-frequency high voltage nanopulses for pollutants degradation in water: Destruction mechanisms, composition of plasma-activated water and energy assessment, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 11 (3), 109855 (2023), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2023.109855
• M. Hatzisymeon, M.K Daletou, G. Rassias, C.A. Aggelopoulos, Degradation of organic pollutants combining plasma discharges generated within soil with TiO₂ and ZnO catalysts: Comparative analysis, optimization and mechanisms, Separation and Purification Technology, 320, 124119 (2023), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2023.124119
• S. Meropoulis, S. Giannoulia, S. Skandalis, G. Rassias, C.A. Aggelopoulos, Key-study on plasma-induced degradation of cephalosporins in water: Process optimization, assessment of degradation mechanisms and residual toxicity, Separation and Purification Technology, 298, 121639 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2022.121639
• C.A. Aggelopoulos, Recent Advances of Cold Plasma Technology for Water and Soil Remediation: A Critical Review, Chemical Engineering Journal, 428, 131657 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.131657
• C.A. Aggelooulos, A-M. Christodoulou, M. Tachliabouri, S. Meropoulis, M.-E. Christopoulou, T. Karalis, A. Chatzopoulos, S. Skandalis, Cold atmospheric plasma suppresses the growth of breast cancer cells of different ER status by regulating cell microenvironment effectors, Frontiers in Oncology, 11, 826865 (2022),  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.826865
• M. Daletou, C.A. Aggelopoulos, Highly-Energy Efficient Oxidation of MWCNT with Nanosecond Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma, Applied Surface Science, 563, 150139 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2021.150139
• M. Hatzisymeon, D. Tataraki, G. Rassias, C.A. Aggelopoulos, Novel combination of high voltage nanopulses and in-soil generated plasma micro-discharges applied for the highly efficient degradation of trifluralin, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 415, 125646 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125646
• C.A. Aggelopoulos, M. Hatzisymeon, S. Meropoulis, Z. Lada, G. Rassias, Degradation of antibiotic enrofloxacin in water by gas-liquid nsp-DBD plasma: Parametric analysis, effect of H₂O₂ and CaO₂ additives and exploration of degradation mechanisms, Chemical Engineering Journal, 398, 125622 (2020), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.125622