NEW HORIZONS AND CHALLENGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS AND MONITORING

Transcription

1 NEW HORIZONS AND CHALLENGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS AND MONITORING Plenary lectures and major contributions to the workshop Gdańsk, August, Editors: Jacek Namieśnik, Wojciech Chrzanowski, Patrycja Żmijewska Centre of Excellence in Environmental Analysis and Monitoring GDAŃSK 2003 I

2 FOREWORD FROM THE EDITORS Writing these sentences we are full of mixed feelings. The dominating one, however, remains that of satisfaction due to the near completion of the editorial work and the rapidly approaching date of the first workshop organized by CEEAM within its Work Package 1. Both the package and the workshop bear the same name as the book we now have the pleasure to submit for the reader s judgment. The idea of such a meeting and such a book was born at the time of the preparation of our proposal, later sent to the European Commission, which finally led to the foundation of CEEAM. Our concept was one of a meeting which would make it possible to achieve several goals we deemed important. These goals may be itemized as follows: Providing the European ecoanalytical community with a kind of summary of the leading edge research efforts in the field, also including an outline of the most burning needs and possible future developments. Familiarizing young Polish researchers, who are the principal target group in the overall scope of CEEAM s activities, with these efforts, and at the same time, giving them a chance to get in direct contact with leading European and Polish specialists in environmental analysis and monitoring. Formulating nomenclature suggestions for the Committee of Analytical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences regarding the new, not yet covered sections of environmental analysis, also known as ecoanalytics. From these goals logically followed the form of the meeting (a workshop), the need for an extensive publication (a book, the more that our wish was to make this event a kind of big bang for the centre), and the bilingual form of the latter. Meanwhile, we could read in our proposal evaluation sheet that importance of Deliverable 1 (i.e., the book) for the overall project performance makes it necessary to be finished by the end of year 1. Soon after the formal foundation of the centre, we started learning by doing, learning how difficult this task may be, that is. First of all, it has not been so simple to find, to recruit, or to lure by hook or by crook the lecturers and contributors to the planned book. The task seemed almost hopeless, especially bearing in mind the short notice and killing as one of our authors expressed it deadlines we suggested when sending invitations. Therefore, it seems suitable to express here our warmest gratitude to all the contributors, who fell to our persuasions and decided to commit themselves. Without your huge effort and priceless commitment, dear authors, the completion of our task would have been impossible and the book would have never seen the light of day. Thank you very much for your co-operation which we value highly indeed. We also hope that these first threads between CEEAM and your institutions will become more solid links or even close ties. Those of you who decided to come to Gdańsk have earned even more gratitude and we want to thank you for the time devoted and all inconveniences caused by this meeting through interfering with your other duties and not of any lesser importance your vacation plans. Our second principal task was to recruit the audience, i.e., to find a group of eager and promising young researchers from Poland. Invitations were sent and information published on the web. The difficulty of this task came to light when the II

3 response exceeded our expectations. After careful consideration, we selected 52 participants out of 75 candidates who had sent applications before the deadline, yet many more applications arrived after that date. We believe we chose well, while at the same time being aware that many of those eliminated would also profit from participation and contribute to the proceedings. We hope our future activities will include a larger number of young analysts, and not only from Poland. The book consists finally of 24 chapters. They cover a wide spectrum of problems related to environmental analytics and monitoring. Being unable, due to time limitations, to organize the book contents according to any logical key the chapters come in alphabetical order by the corresponding authors names, even with some exceptions we wish to present here a brief overview. There are several articles dealing with environmental analytics and monitoring at the most general level. One of us (J. N.) has made an attempt to write a brief presentation of his own view on current trends in the field (Ch.14), meant to serve as a kind of introduction. Problems of quality assurance and quality control in general (Ch.2, P. Bode), as well as in detail (calibration, Chs.8 and 9, P. Kościelniak) have also been reflected on. Metrological (Ch.4, E. Bulska et al.) and chemometric aspects are raised with numerous examples including environmental samples (Ch.18, P. Szefer) and studies of interactions found in the environment (Ch.23, B. Buszewski et al). Following the advice of CEEAM s International Scientific Advisory Board we invited specialists from the State Inspection of Environmental Protection, Pomeranian Voivodship (Prefecture) Division to present the current condition of the environment in this region of Poland, as assessed through their studies (Ch.21, A. Walkowiak), and to include also a brief on the laboratories of the institution (Ch.5, K. Gazda). Among the papers dealing with various analytical methods, the hyphenated techniques prevail, which most probably correspond to their significance in the field of environmental applications. From more general description (Ch. 19, J. Szpunar et al.), we come to more detailed papers on HPLC-NMR and HPLC-MS (Ch.10, K. Levsen et al.), LC-MS and LC-MS-MS (Ch.11, M. J. Lopez de Alda et al.), and a new concept of a stir bar RTL-CGC-MS technique (Ch.17, P. Sandra et al.). Two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC GC) can probably be also included here, in spite of the fact that the authors (Ch.6, T. Górecki et al.) use the multiplication sign in its acronym. Assorted analytical techniques occupy another five chapters. They embrace nuclear techniques (Ch.1, P. Bode), membrane techniques with their applications for sampling and speciation stressed (Ch.7, J. A. Jönsson et. al), AAS and wet digestion methods (Chs.12 and 13, H. Matusiewicz), and a new type of stationary phases for HPLC (Ch.16, J. Nawrocki et al.), a subject especially close to one of us (W.Ch.), who considered employing such phases in GC in the mid 1980s. To these, one can add also chapters on flow methods of analysis (Ch.20, M. Trojanowicz et al.) and on chemical sensors (Ch.3, Z. Brzózka et al.) which include also other important elements, such as miniaturization and mechanization of analytical instruments. Methods serving analyses of specific samples or matrices, or devoted to the very process of sample collection are also represented. One can find here an analysis of water disinfection by-products (Ch.15, J. Nawrocki), monitoring of air and exhaust III

4 gases (Ch.22, W. Wardencki et al.), and a new type of passive samplers for liquid samples (Ch.24, A. Paschke et. al). Inviting the lecturers and contributors, we encouraged them to present in their lectures and papers a little bit more than may be found in regular review articles. What we had in mind was to attempt forecasting or predicting future developments in the field, a touch of prophecy without actually moving into the realm of science-fiction. We understand that this kind of writing goes against the most basic instincts of any scientist; numerous examples of false prophesies attempted by personalities reaching the Nobel Prize level have become famous or rather notorious in the history of science. As we see it, there are some elements included which, sometimes indirectly, indicate what may be expected in environmental analysis and monitoring in the nearest two decades. We hope that this element will find its share of discussion time during the meeting and will be reflected in short proceedings we plan to publish and distribute, perhaps less lavishly than this volume, most probably on the web, initiating in this way a kind of ecoanalytical discussion forum. Jacek Namieśnik and Wojciech Chrzanowski Gdańsk, August 4, IV

5 Acknowledgements First of all, acknowledgements are due to the European Commission, Research Directorate General, for making the workshop and this book possible by accepting its inclusion in Work Package 1 of the CEEAM project and providing generous financial support. We would also like to acknowledge here the tenacious efforts of our numerous collaborators, who made the publication of this book possible against all imaginable obstacles: short deadlines, summer holiday season, computer failures and a dozen others. First of all we thank our efficient assistant/secretary, Ms. Patrycja Żmijewska, M.Sc., who spared neither time nor talents aiding and supporting us. Efficient coordination of the technical side of printing the book Mr. Witold Olszewski, manager of the GUT Printing Plant and the aid of his team helped in achieving the task in less than two weeks time unheard of just a few years ago. We should not forget to express our gratitude to Professor Bogusław Buszewski from the Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and Professor Maciej Jarosz from Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, for agreeing to host the second part of our workshop, i.e., study visits at their respective departments. Many members of their groups also deserve our gratitude for helping in the organization of the visits and accompanying events. We also wish to thank the MERCK company for inviting us for a visit at their Warsaw location. Our colleagues from CEEAM and our Ph.D. students also helped a lot in the preparations for the event. Members of our International Scientific Advisory Board kept aiding us with sound advice and helpful comments. All the people and institutions mentioned on the technical page of this book are also worth mentioning. They earned not only their money but performed extraordinarily under most pressing deadlines and in the middle of the summer season. It was a job well done! Last but not least, encouragement and support we enjoyed from His Magnificence the Rector of the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Dean of the Chemical Faculty should also be acknowledged. The Editors V