Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

Environmental analysis

Today, an increasing number of anthropogenic compounds is released to the environment. Especially pharmaceutical compounds and pesticides, which are not or only partially removed or degraded in the waste water treatment plants, have to be considered problematic because mechanisms of action relevant in environmental systems evolutionary also affect human health. But also vice versa, pharmaceuticals most likely are also active in aquatic organisms. We aim at the determination of these trace compounds in aquatic systems and biota.

Our scientific approach is not limited to the original compounds themselves, but it comprises the different degradation products of these compounds as well. These degradation products are increasingly polar and often ionic, which renders a comprehensive analysis of all these compounds with gas chromatography and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography impossible. In this regard electromigrative separation techniques can be applied advantageously, when detection limits in the ng/l range can be realized via preconcentration techniques, which we address in our research.

Currently, the analysis of glyphosate and its fate in the environment and in the food chain is one of our main focuses.

Another approach is the utilization of electromigrative techniques as a tool for sample preparation, regarding e.g. matrix removal or analyte preconcentration for subsequent chromatographic analysis.

Further information on analysis of biota can be found under Effect-based environmental research

Projects:

Collaborative Research Centre SFB1253: Campos - Catchments as Reactors: Metabolism of Pollutants on the Landscape Scale

Cooperations:

  • Wolfgang Schulz, Landeswasserversorgung Langenau, Langenau
  • Geosciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

Publications:

  1. Desulfurized fuels from Athabasca bitumen and their polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles. Analysis based on capillary electrophoresis coupled with TOF MST.
    Nolte, T. N. Posch, C. Huhn, J. T. Andersson, Energy Fuels 2013, 27, 97-107