| Summary: |
The main objective is to devise an integrated smart sampling and automatic monitoring of toxic metal ions in aquatic systems. The adverse effects of metal ions are well documented, notably for those displaying toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects for living organisms (Balaji et al., 2016; Jaafari & Yaghmaeian, 2019) like lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and chromium, but also for zinc, iron and copper, if present in high concentrations. In aquatic systems, they can be
present in different forms, namely by the chelation of their metal ions with inorganic or organic ligands, making their toxicity dependent on the respective form.
Another concern with these elements is due to their non-biodegradable nature and consequently potential entry in the food chain (Bhatnagar & Minocha, 2010; Leong & Chang, 2020; J. S. Yang et al., 2015; Zakhama et al., 2011). Moreover, recent works point out that their presence can also promote microbial virulence and antibiotic resistance (Yazdankhah et al., 2018).
As water bodies are dynamic systems, the presence of these ions must be a target of spatial-temporal monitoring. The real-time monitoring is rather cumbersome as current methods rely on transport to off-site laboratories, causing the disruption of the sample characteristics, due to pH and redox potential change and exposure to oxygen, light or temperature shifts, leading to diverse chemical equilibria shifts.
To overcome this limitation, we propose to devise new smart sampling procedures and also flow-based monitoring, for which we intend to:
1. Develop polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) (Almeida et al., 2012; Kuswandi et al., 2020) to selectively collect the analytes at the source. This way, this
liquid polymer membrane will be deployed on site to pre-concentrate the analyte, by liquid-liquid micro-extraction for as long as needed; then the analyte can be measured through the inclusion of the membrane in a flow system;
2. Devise microtubes (cartridges-li  |
Summary
The main objective is to devise an integrated smart sampling and automatic monitoring of toxic metal ions in aquatic systems. The adverse effects of metal ions are well documented, notably for those displaying toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects for living organisms (Balaji et al., 2016; Jaafari & Yaghmaeian, 2019) like lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and chromium, but also for zinc, iron and copper, if present in high concentrations. In aquatic systems, they can be
present in different forms, namely by the chelation of their metal ions with inorganic or organic ligands, making their toxicity dependent on the respective form.
Another concern with these elements is due to their non-biodegradable nature and consequently potential entry in the food chain (Bhatnagar & Minocha, 2010; Leong & Chang, 2020; J. S. Yang et al., 2015; Zakhama et al., 2011). Moreover, recent works point out that their presence can also promote microbial virulence and antibiotic resistance (Yazdankhah et al., 2018).
As water bodies are dynamic systems, the presence of these ions must be a target of spatial-temporal monitoring. The real-time monitoring is rather cumbersome as current methods rely on transport to off-site laboratories, causing the disruption of the sample characteristics, due to pH and redox potential change and exposure to oxygen, light or temperature shifts, leading to diverse chemical equilibria shifts.
To overcome this limitation, we propose to devise new smart sampling procedures and also flow-based monitoring, for which we intend to:
1. Develop polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) (Almeida et al., 2012; Kuswandi et al., 2020) to selectively collect the analytes at the source. This way, this
liquid polymer membrane will be deployed on site to pre-concentrate the analyte, by liquid-liquid micro-extraction for as long as needed; then the analyte can be measured through the inclusion of the membrane in a flow system;
2. Devise microtubes (cartridges-like tubes) packed with novel sorbents (SPE) to collect the samples. These can be moved to specific sampling points and can
be even used in onboard campaigns. The sorbent material can be enriched with analytes by perfusing the sampling device with a large water volume, along with interferents removal; then, the enriched plug is eluted for measurement;
3. For analysis, we propose to use flow-based devices (Mesquita & Rangel, 2009) with miniaturized optical detection to make the apparatus a portable
equipment.
So, the whole process, sampling/preparation/measurement, will become automated. This way, it will allow the real-time monitoring of various metal species in water bodies. This approach is innovative in Environmental Monitoring, as only automation of the measurement has been a central subject of investigation.
These novel approaches will be applied to aquatic systems at locations where the ICBAS/UP participant already carries out periodical sampling campaigns and analysis. The results will be compared with the established reference methodologies.
A consortium composed of CBQF/ESB/UCP and ICBAS/UP has been constituted for this project. The team UCP, Laboratory of Automation and Miniaturization, has a 30-year experience in environmental analytical chemistry: IR - António Rangel (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6486-8947) with more than 180 papers, organizer and keynote speaker of international symposiums, member of Editorial Board of the Q1 journal Talanta, FCT evaluator, and supervision of 20 concluded doctoral students. The other participant is ICBAS/UP, Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Ecology, with 40 years of experience dealing with sampling and environmental characterization of aquatic systems (freshwater, brackish, marine, wastewater and drinking water); this research has been performed in Europe, Africa, and SE Asia.
The Co-IR, Ana Machado (ICBAS/UP), is a young researcher with an already significant publication record (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0732-1571), has more than 15 years of experience on applied research and participation in several projects. Currently is the IR of the ongoing project BeachSafe (PTDC/SAU-PUB/31291/2017), concerning the emergence of microbial pollutants in bathing waters, this project contributing for scientific and management training of a young researcher.
This consortium will benefit from the expertise of a consultant: Prof. Víctor Cerdà (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7474-9426), a retired Full Professor from the Univ. of Balearic Islands (Spain), who led for many years the group of Analytical Chemistry, Automation and Environment. Presently head of the company Sciware Systems, SL (Spain; https://www.sciware-sl.com/, he will have a major role in devising devices to accommodate the novel solid phase materials to be used as sampling
points.
In addition to the elements of the team mentioned, we also foresee the involvement of undergraduate and master students from UCP and UP in curricular and extracurricular activities. |