Marking its victory in the prestigious LIRA Program​ 2025, the Faculty of Engineering (FOE) at the University of Balamand (UOB) continues to shine on the national stage at the LIRA 18 (2025). The Chemical Engineering team complemented with the sustainability expertise were declared winners for their innovative project titled “Novel Sustainable Dry Ice Blasting Technology for Solid Food Decontamination and Detoxification” (ID: 14543). 

As the sole shortlisted entry from the University of Balamand selected for LIRA 18 (2025), the project went on to win Track 2 (Solving Industrial Challenges), outshining 88 entries from universities from across Lebanon from Stage 1, and 40 projects from Stage 2 at the event that took place on Monday 14 April 2025.

The winning project is led, for the second year running, by Dr. Jean Claude Assaf (Lead - Chemical Engineering) and Mrs. Mantoura Nakad (Co-Lead - Sustainability). The  team also includes three chemical engineering students, Christina Issa (Lead Student), Cherelle Atallah, and Theresa Zaayter (all 3 completed SUST229) and in collaboration with Société d’Oxygène et d’Acétylène du Liban (S.O.A.L.) as our industrial partner. The proposed design introduces an environmentally sustainable solvent-free approach for enhancing food safety through innovative dry-ice blasting technology. This is a novel concept, which can be a promising advancement for industrial applications in solid-food decontamination and detoxification.

The jury for the LIRA 18 (2025) was composed of 15 independent members of the industry and all shortlisted teams were granted personal certificates and a certificate for the winning teams. Distinguished figures attended the event including Minister of Industry Mr. Mr Joe Issa Al-Khoury, President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists Mr. Salim Zeeni, COO of Berytech Mr. Maroun Chammas, Head of IRALEB Executive Board Engineer Ziad Chammas, Lira Executive Director Mrs. Fabienne Balaa, Additionally, the Vice President for Internationalization and Engagement, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Professor Rami Abboud also attended the event alongside other presidents, vice presidents and deans from esteemed Lebanese universities. The jury evaluated the submissions on technical novelty, feasibility, and industrial implementation. This recognition and win reflect not only the project’s innovation and applicability but also the continued leadership of our FOE in industry-aligned research.

Vice President for Internationalization and Engagement and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Professor Rami Abboud expressed his heartfelt congratulations to the winning team of faculty and students stating: “this win comes at the right time to ascertain our leadership, as a faculty of engineering, in sustainability and innovation. Our ongoing success at the LIRA competitions, which are sponsored by the European Union under Lebanon Innovate, is a small example. Our ongoing success, at all levels, is cementing our UOB-FOE reputation as a leading faculty for excellence in engineering education, in design and innovation, in research and sustainability, and in cultivating strong university–industry collaboration.” 

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