The nature of different pollutants and their distribution and fate in the environment is complex, requiring an understanding of the physical environment and the best available methodology for monitoring and analyses of all environmental compartments. There is a clear coupling between chemical and biological monitoring and the use and development of modeling tools for predictive assessment of fate and effects of pollutants in the environment.
Our key areas are;
- Experimental biology and ecotoxicology
- Freshwater and marine ecotoxicity and biodegradation testing according to international guidelines and regulations (e.g. REACH, OSPARCOM)
- Use of metabolomics for studying responses to pollutants in organisms
- Microbial conversion and metabolite identification of crude oil and other organic pollutants
- Biodegradation, sediment adsorption, photooxidation and hydrolysis studies of organic pollutants in freshwater and marine environments
- Fate and effects studies of globally and socially important environmental pollutants:
- Crude oil and related hydrocarbon products
- Nanomaterials (including dispersability, aggregation/agglomeration, sedimentation, interaction with other pollutants)
- Chemicals and degradation products from CO2 capture technologies
- Advanced environmental sample extraction and preparation techniques (SPME, nd-SPME)
- Expertise in a wide range of analytical techniques (LC/GC-MS, NMR, FT-IR and particle measurements) for the quantification of environmental pollutants
- Linking fate and ecotoxicology data to the development of predictive environmental models
- Environmental risk assessment and development of environmental impact factors (EIFs)