02/10/2023
EC-FATE: Advances in field monitoring and analytical screening techniques for an improved knowledge of emerging contaminants fate in groundwater
The EC-FATE project, led by Josep Mas-Pla and Meritxell Gros, was launched last September 2023. For three years it will develop advances in monitoring and analytical screening techniques to better understand the fate of emerging pollutants in groundwater.
EC-FATE is part of the ADVANCE4WATER project (Advances in the fate, impact and remediation of pollutants by water sustainability), coordinated between the University of Barcelona, the University of Castilla-La Mancha and ICRA-CERCA, and which received the 2022 Knowledge Generation Projects grant (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities).
The ICRA EC-FATE subproject addresses two topics of high interest. First, improving analytical methods to detect a wider range of emerging contaminants (ECs) and even lower concentrations thanks to advanced screening methods such as UHPLC coupled to high-resolution HRMS. Second, to increase the ability to predict the presence of ECs, especially pharmaceuticals, in groundwater. These objectives are key in the design of proper water quality monitoring and in the implementation of management plans against contamination by ECs, an objective shared by multiple government bodies at different institutional levels.
Contamination of water resources is a major threat to human and environmental health. ADVANCE4WATER seeks a better understanding of contamination by nitrates, halogenated volatile organic compounds and emerging contaminants such as pesticides and pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and their environmental impact in different hydrogeological settings. In addition, it aims to develop advanced low-cost remediation techniques for different contaminants, an important step in mitigating the environmental impacts of these compounds.
