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ECOTRANS

Methods/methodologies for the structural identification, chemical confirmation and analytical quantification of emerging anthropogenic contaminants in various environmental components in accordance with the new European environmental directives, acronym ECOTRANS

Team Leader:  Dr. Eng. Gabriela Geanina VASILE

Short description:

The main objective of the project is to investigate the presence of emerging anthropogenic pollutants at the level of treatment plants and their transfer to fresh water ecosystems (natural emissions, underground sources, the Danube River), used as a source of raw water for the production of drinking water.

Thus, the ECOTRANS project will monitor the presence of 5 major classes of emerging anthropogenic pollutants, namely endocrine disruptors (perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids PFAS), pharmaceuticals (azole fungicides), microplastics, toxic metal species (arsenite, arsenate, methyl-Hg, chromate) and by-products toxic substances resulting from water purification processes (iodo-haloacetic acids, iodo-trihalomethanes and haloacetaldehydes), which will be required for monitoring by the EU Water Framework Directive 2020/2184 starting from 2024 or are recently included in the “Watch List” of the Union European for monitoring. Completion of the project will lead to obtaining 14 sensitive and validated quantitative analytical methods for the determination of emerging compounds in water samples and solid environmental samples, resulting in as many environmental services offered to economic operators in the country; a semi-quantitative method for the identification of microplastics; an experimental model for new carbon-based electrochemical sensors for

Results Dissemination of results

Phase 1/2023

The development of new analytical methodologies for the detection and quantification at the ultra-trace level of some pollutants from the category of pharmaceutical residues, some species of toxic metals and products resulting from the water chlorination process:

  • Quantitative method for the determination of As species (As (III), DMA, MMA and As (V)) from various water matrices (drinking water, surface water and underground water) using the HPLC-ICP-MS technique;
  • Quantitative method for the detection of triazole and imidazole-type azole contaminants (clotrimazole, imazalil, ipconazole metconazole, penconazole, prochloraz, tebuconazole, tetraconazole, climbazole, epoxiconazole) from water matrices using the SPE-LC-MS/MS technique;
  • Quantitative method for the determination of iodo-haloacetic acids in drinking water using the SPME-GC-MS/MS technique.

Phase 2/2023

Development, testing and validation of analytical methodologies for the control of toxic pollutants such as perfluorosulfonic compounds applicable to aqueous matrices:

  • Quantitative method for determining perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids in various water matrices (drinking water, surface water and waste water) using the LC-MS/MS technique;
  • Experimental model of new sensors for the detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) type CNT-GO-MIP, CNT-GRQD-MIP, CNF-MIP.

Phase 3/2024

The development of new analytical methodologies for the control of toxic pollutants such as microplastics, perfluorosulfonic compounds, iodo-trihalomethanes, respectively some metallic species applicable to aqueous matrices:

  • Quantitative method for determining emerging persistent pollutants such as perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids from aqueous matrices using electrochemical methods;
  • Quantitative method for the detection and quantification of Cr species in various water matrices (drinking water, surface water and underground water) using the HPLC-ICP-MS technique;
  • Quantitative method for the quantification of iodo-trihalomethane compounds in water subject to potability.

Phase 3/II/2024

Development of new analytical methodologies for the control of toxic pollutants such as microplastics, perfluorosulfonic compounds, iodo-trihalomethanes, and metallic species applicable to aqueous matrices:

  • Qualitative method for identifying microplastic’s polymers present in different water matrices;
  • Quantitative method for the detection and quantification of Hg species from various water matrices (drinking, surface water and groundwater) using the HPLC-ICP-MS technique.

Phase 4/2024

Validation studies of new analytical methodologies for the quantification of persistent pollutants with toxic potential in dehydrated sludge (PFAS, azole fungicides):

  • Quantitative method for the detection of unconventional organic pollutants such as perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids in dehydrated sludge from wastewater treatment plants.

Phase 4.II/2024

Validation studies of new analytical methodologies for the quantification of persistent pollutants with toxic potential in dehydrated sludge (PFAS, azole fungicides):

  • Quantitative method for the detection of antifungal azole compounds in wastewater sludge.

Phase 5.1/2024

Validation of advanced mass spectrometry methods for the quantification of toxic species and by-products from water and sediment matrices (partial):

  • Quantitative method for the detection and quantification of Hg species in sediment using HPLC-ICP-MS technique.
  • ISI BDI Articles / Patents / Books
  1. Anda-Gabriela Tenea, Cristina Dinu, Paul Alexandru Rus, Ioana Alexandra Ionescu, Stefania Gheorghe, Vasile Ion Iancu, Gabriela Geanina Vasile, Luoana Florentina Pascu, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Exploring adsorption dynamics of heavy metals onto varied commercial microplastic substrates: isothermal models and kinetics analysis, Helyion, 2024, 10, no. 15, 2024, https://doi.org/10/1016/j.helyon.2024.e35364, FI=3.4, AIS=0.614, Q1;
  2. Victor Constantin Cojocaru, Ionut Nicolae Cristea, Ioana Ana Paris, Ioana Alexandra Ionescu, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Exploring sustainable solutions: dynamic adsorption, isotherm models, and kinetics of organic contaminants on polystyrene microplastics, 2024, Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 17, 2024, https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177743, FI=3.3, AIS=0.533, Q3;
  3. Vasile-Ion Iancu, Laura-Florentina Chiriac, Iuliana Paun, Florinela Pirvu, Cristina Dinu, Lidia Kim, Luoana Florentina Pascu, Marcela Niculescu, Occurrence and distribution of azole antifungal agents in eight urban Romanian waste water treatment plants, Science of the Total Environment, 2024, 920, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170898, FI=8.2, AIS=1.493, Q1;
  4. Iuliana Paun, Luoana-Florentina Pascu, Vasile Ion Iancu, Florinela Pirvu, Toma Galaon, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Simultaneous determination of 17 phenolic compounds in surface water and wastewater matrices using an HPLC-DAD method, Environments, 2024, 11, https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11060117, FI=3.5, AIS=0.587, Q2;
  5. Gabriela-Geanina Vasile, Vasile-Ion Iancu, Nicolae Ionut Cristea, Detection of emerging contaminants such as azole fungicides from aqueous matrices and of toxic by-products resulting from water purification processes, Bulletin of the Romanian Chemical Society, No. XXXI, 1/2024, pp. 22-29, BDI article;
  6. Florentina Laura Chiriac, Andreea Valentina Petre, Antonia Ioana Cimpean, Victor Constantin Cojocaru, Iuliana Paun, Florinela Pirvu, Vasile Ion Iancu, New LC-MS/MS method for the determination of unconventional organic pollutants: perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids in wastewater, surface water, and drinking water, Romanian Journal of Ecology & Environmental Chemistry, 2024, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 7-20,  https://doi.org/10.21698/rjeec.2024.201, BDI article;
  7. Victor Constantin Cojocaru, Valentina Andreea Petre, Ioana Ana Paris, Ionut Nicolae Cristea, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Antonia Ioana Cimpean, Evaluating the occurrence of trihalomethanes in drinking water and their implications for human health risk, Romanian Journal of Ecology & Environmental Chemistry, 2024, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 55-67, https://doi.org/10.21698/rjeec.2024.205, BDI article
  8. Ioana-Antonia Cimpean, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Diana Constantinescu-Groposila, Victor Constantin Cojocaru, Vasile Ion Iancu, Assessing environmental and human health risks of pharmaceutical contamination in surface water, Romanian Journal of Ecology & Environmental Chemistry, 2024, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 43-54, https://doi.org/10.21698/rjeec.2024.204, BDI article;
  9. Sorina-Claudia Negrea, Lidia Ani Diaconu, Dorian Neidoni, Adina Pacala, Luoana Florentina Pascu, Sorina Motoc (M. Ilies), Anamaria Baciu, Elena Trif (M. Mercea), Florica Manea, Indirect electrochemical detection of PFDA from water, Romanian Journal of Ecology & Environmental Chemistry, 2024, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 121-129,  https://doi.org/10.21698/rjeec.2024.212, BDI article;
  10. Florentina Laura Chiriac, Catalina Stoica, Cristina Iftode, Florinela Pirvu, Valentina Andreea Petre, Iuliana Paun, Luoana Florentina Pascu, Gabriela-Geanina Vasile, Mihai Nita-Lazar, Bacterial biodegradation of perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA) and perfluorosulfonic acid (PFOS) using pure Pseudomonas strains, Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, no. 18, https://doi.org/10.3390/su151814000, FI=3.3, AIS = 0.533, Q2;
  11. Stefania Gheorghe, Vasile Ion Iancu, Ioana Alexandra Ionescu, Florinela Pirvu, Iuliana Claudia Paun, Luoana Florentina Pascu, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Adsorption of sunscreen compounds from wastewater using commercial activated carbon: detailed kinetic and thermodynamic analyses, Water, 2023, vol. 15, no. 23, https://doi.org/10.3390/w15234190, FI=3.0, AIS = 0.529, Q2;
  12. Gabriel Valentin Serban, Vasile Ion Iancu, Cristina Dinu, Anda Tenea, Nicoleta Vasilache, Ionut Cristea, Marcela Niculescu, Ioana Ionescu, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Removal efficiency and adsorption kinetics of methyl orange from wastewater by commercial activated carbon, Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, no. 17, https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712939, FI=3.3, AIS = 0.533, Q2;
  13. Anda-Gabriela Tenea, Cristina Dinu, Gabriela-Geanina Vasile, Iancu Vasile Ion, Niculescu Marcela Antonia, Speciation of inorganic and organic arsenic forms using HPLC-ICP-MS techniques in aqueous matrices, CEST 2023 Proceedings, ISSN: 2944-9820, https://doi.org/10.30955/gnc2023.00576;
  14. Nicolae Ionut Cristea, Victor-Constantin Cojocaru, Valentina-Andreea Petre, Anda-Gabriela Tenea, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Gabriela-Geanina Vasile, Study of iodo-haloacetic acids using SPME-GCMS/MS in chlorinated water, CEST 2023 Proceedings, ISSN: 29449820, https://doi.org/10.30955/gnc2023.00580;
  15. Vasile-Ion Iancu, Anda-Gabriela Tenea, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Florinela Pirvu, Gabriel Serban, Victor Cojocaru, Gabriela-Geanina Vasile, Sensitive method for the simultaneous detection of ten azole contaminants in water samples by SPE-LC-MS/MS, CEST 2023 Proceedings, ISSN: 2944-9820, https://doi.org/10.30955/gnc2023.00577.
  • Scientific manifestations
  1. Florentina Laura Chiriac, Florinela Pirvu, Iuliana Paun, Antonia Ioana Cimpean, Vasile Ion Iancu, Detection and quantification of PFAS contamination in water: advancements in LC-MS/MS methodology, 27th International Symposium „Environment and Industry” SIMI 2024, 19-20.09.2024, Constanta, Romania, Book of Abstracts, ISSN-L: 1843-5831, pp. 54-55,  https://doi.org/10.21698/simi.2024.ab20.
  2. Cristina Dinu, Anda-Gabriela Tenea, Alexandru-Paul Rus, Gabriela-Geanina Vasile, Simultaneous detection of chromium species with HPLC-ICP-MS technique, 27th International Symposium „Environment and Industry”  SIMI 2024, 19-20.09.2024, Constanta, Romania, Book of Abstracts, ISSN-L: 1843-5831, pp. 58-59,  https://doi.org/10.21698/simi.2024.ab22.
  3. Ioana-Antonia Cimpean, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Diana Constantinescu-Groposila, Victor Constantin Cojocaru, Vasile Ion Iancu, Assessing environmental and human health risks of pharmaceutical contamination in surface water, 27th International Symposium „Environment and Industry” SIMI 2024, 19-20.09.2024, Constanta, Romania, Program, pp. 3, https://www.simiecoind.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SCIENTIFIC-PROGRAM-SIMI-2024.pdf;
  4. Victor Constantin Cojocaru, Valentina Andreea Petre, Ioana Ana Paris, Ionut Nicolae Cristea, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Antonia Ioana Cimpean, Evaluating the occurrence of trihalomethanes in drinking water and their implications for human health risk, 27th International Symposium „Environment and Industry” SIMI 2024, 19-20.09.2024, Constanta, Romania, Program, pp. 3,  https://www.simiecoind.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SCIENTIFIC-PROGRAM-SIMI-2024.pdf;
  5. Sorina-Claudia Negrea, Lidia Ani Diaconu, Dorian Neidoni, Adina Pacala, Luoana Florentina Pascu, Sorina Motoc (M. Ilies), Anamaria Baciu, Elena Trif (M. Mercea), Florica Manea, Indirect electrochemical detection of PFDA from water, 27th International Symposium „Environment and Industry” SIMI 2024, 19-20.09.2024, Constanta, Romania, Program, pp. 6, https://www.simiecoind.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SCIENTIFIC-PROGRAM-SIMI-2024.pdf;
  6. Anda-Gabriela Tenea, Cristina Dinu, Gabriela-Geanina Vasile, Iancu Vasile Ion, Marcela Antoneta Niculescu, Speciation of inorganic and organic arsenic forms using HPLC-ICP-MS techniques in aqueous matrices, 18th International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology, CEST 2023, 30.08.2023-02.09.2023, Athens, Greece, 2023;
  7. Nicolae Ionut Cristea, Victor-Constantin Cojocaru, Valentina-Andreea Petre, Anda-Gabriela Tenea, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Gabriela-Geanina Vasile, Study of iodo-haloacetic acids using SPME-GCMS/MS in chlorinated water, 18th International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology, CEST 2023, 30.08.202302.09.2023, Athens, Greece, 2023;
  8. Vasile-Ion Iancu, Anda-Gabriela Tenea, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Florinela Pirvu, Gabriel Serban, Victor Cojocaru, Gabriela-Geanina Vasile, Sensitive method for the simultaneous detection of ten azole contaminants in water samples by SPE-LC-MS/MS, 18th International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology, CEST 2023, 30.08.2023-02.09.2023, Athens, Greece, 2023;
  9. Sorina-Claudia Negrea, Sorina Motoc, Anamaria Baciu, Anca Andreea Șăulean, Ecaterina Matei, Roxana Trușcă, Florica Manea, Vegetable and iron-based wastes re-used in green electrochemical detection of doxorubicin in water, 12th International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Management (ICEEM 12), Circular Economy and Sustainability, 13.09–16.09.2023, Iasi, Conference Abstracts Book, pp. 207-208, https://www.iceem.tuiasi.ro/wpcontent/uploads/ICEEM12_Program-04.09. 2023_f.pdf, 2023;
  10. Anamaria Baciu, Sorina Motoc, Sorina-Claudia Negrea, Danut Vitan, Corina Orha, Constantin Tudoran, Florica Manea, Boron-doped diamond anode in electrochemical filtering system for advanced water treatment, 12th International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Management (ICEEM 12 ), Circular Economy and Sustainability, 13.09–16.09.2023, Iasi, Conference Abstracts Book, pp. 167-168, https://www.iceem.tuiasi.ro/wpcontent/uploads/ICEEM12_Program-04.09.2023_f.pdf, 2023 ;
  11. Sorina-Claudia Negrea, Lidia Ani Diaconu, Dorian-Gabriel Neidoni, Adina Pacala, Elena Mirela Piciorus, Sorina Motoc, Anamaria Baciu, Florica Manea, Electrochemical detection of ciprofloxacin from water using a graphene quantum dots – carbon nanotubes paste electrode, 26th International Symposium "The Environment and the Industry", Bucharest, 27.09-29.09.2023, Book of Abstracts, pp. 78-79, https://doi.org/10.21698/simi.2023.ab28, 2023;
  12. Florinela Pirvu, Vasile-Ion Iancu, Iuliana Paun, Marcela Antoneta Niculescu, Gabriel Valentin Serban, Nicoleta Vasilache, Florentina Laura Chiriac, Determination of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in wastewater using HPLC-FLD, 26th International Symposium "The Environment and the Industry", Bucharest, 27.09-29.09.2023, Book of Abstracts, pp. 76-77, https://doi.org/10.21698/simi.2023.ab27, 2023;
  13. Vasile-Ion Iancu, Florinela Pirvu, Iuliana Paun, Marcela Antoneta Niculescu, Gabriel Valentin Serban, Ionut Cristea, Florentina Laura Chiriac, SPE-LC-MS/MS detection of pharmaceutical compounds (gastric antacids) in wastewater, 26th International Symposium " The Environment and the Industry”, Bucharest, 27.09-29.09.2023, Book of Abstracts, pp. 89-90, https://doi.org/10.21698/simi.2023.ab33, 2023.