The Laboratory for Environmentally Friendly Materials and Technologies was established through the ENRECA Project (2007–2010), funded by DANIDA (Denmark), followed by the Own Initiative Project (2009–2013), funded by VLIR (Belgium). The laboratory has since been further developed within the ROHAN SDG Graduate School (2016–2025), funded by DAAD (Germany).

The laboratory is led by Prof. Le Minh Thang.

Our research focuses on materials and sustainable technologies for environmental protection, climate change mitigation, sustainable chemistry, and energy, including but not limited to the following areas:

- Selective oxidation of hydrocarbons (e.g., propylene/propane to acrolein; methane to ethylene or methanol)

- Hydroformylation over supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) and nano-gold catalysts

- Catalysts for exhaust gas treatment, including complete oxidation of CO, hydrocarbons, and VOCs, as well as DeNOx processes

- Non-noble metal catalysts for complete oxidation of CO at room temperature

- Photocatalysis for the removal of heavy metals and organic compounds from wastewater

- Biomass conversion into activated carbons, fuels, and biogas (including CH₄ and H₂)

- Carbon-based materials for CO₂ adsorption and conversion

Some of our research outcomes have attracted interest from industrial sectors and have received several awards.