Isotopic analyses of micropollutant transformation - Environmental applications or mechanistic studies?
Event details
| Date | 27.11.2012 |
| Hour | 16:15 › 17:15 |
| Speaker | Professor Thomas Hofstetter, Environmental Chemistry, EAWAG |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
A profound understanding of organic micropollutant transformation processes in the environment is essential to assess the impact of chemical pollution on humans and the environment. Successful applications at contaminated sites have shown that the analysis of stable isotope ratios in individual organic compounds is becoming a key techniques for evaluating (bio)degradation. Recent advances in analytical techniques have increased the number of contaminant classes and reactions that can be examined, but, on the other hand, also challenged our understanding of degradation mechanisms and kinetics, especially in enzymatic systems. As will be illustrated for nitro- and aminoaromatic compounds, the combined investigation of C, N, and H isotope ratios offers unique opportunities to distinguish biotic and abiotic transformations even if they occur in parallel in complex environmental matrices. A more widespread application of compound-specific isotope analysis to emerging micropollutants, however, will depend on the elucidation of the kinetic isotope effects responsible for pathway-specific isotope fractionation trends.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
- This event is internal
Organizer
- IIE
Contact
- Professor Urs Von Gunten, LTQE