Environmental and Analytical Chemistry: the future revisited
Armando da Costa Duarte
The environmental and health protection issues have led
to several impacts in Science, namely, on the role of Analytical Chemistry to understanding the fundamentals of
measurement processes in complex environmental matrices. Analytical and Environmental Chemistry is considered as an
informative and practical science, which entails the application of analytical
methodologies to obtain information fundamental to establishing and
implementing technical policies and regulatory processes for protecting public
health and the environment. However, Analytical
and Environmental Chemistry is more than an information gatherer, and it
has evolved into an integrated concept whose main objective is answering to the global challenges of contemporary society. In this integrated
view (Figure 1) the various steps of the analytical process includes the problem
definition, selection of analytical method, sampling and sample preparation,
data collection (signal measurements, validation of the analytical method by suitable standards and instrument calibration), validation
and interpretation of data (statistical analysis, assessing and employing
databases), reporting, conclusions and useful recommendations for
policy-making.
Figure 1. Analytical and
Environmental Chemistry as defined by the different components involved in
dealing with a specific issue.
The
perception, the assessment and a rapid response to wide societal concerns are
certainly the most important keywords in the frame of the analytical
process. In this context, our research has aimed at understanding a
plethora of aspects concerning natural and polluted environments (water, soil,
and atmosphere). Since these are complex systems,
studies of both organic and inorganic species of natural and anthropogenic
origin are based on the use and development of analytical methods “fit for
purpose”. Our research work is also focused on the
implementation of innovative research strategies and modelling methods to
identify a wide number of cross-cutting issues related to emerging European
environmental policies.
Two invited reviews1,2 and the participation
in large multidisciplinary European research projects such as “ELME - European
Lifestyles and Marine Ecosystems” 3 (Figure 2), are
excellent examples of such emerging
research work that is taking place in our laboratory.
Figure 2. ELME - European Lifestyles and Marine Ecosystems project, www.elme-eu.org.
ELME is a project involving 28 research groups from 15
European countries, with the following objectives: the assessment of the
consequences of current human lifestyles on Europe’s regional seas; the
construction of a predictive model of key environmental problems such as
destruction of habitats and species, eutrophication, chemical pollution, and
unsustainable extraction of living resources; and the generation of and
integrated vision of the future state of European sea catchments following the
EU enlargement and other large scale policy options.
The development and improvement of analytical
methodologies allowed us to provide new and up-to-date information on the role
of natural nonliving organic matter in airborne particulate matter 2.
This topic constitutes one of our research highlights since organic aerosols have been linked to many important
atmospheric processes, including visibility reduction, cloud
formation, direct radiative forcing, and
also to a range of serious respiratory and cardiovascular health problems. The application of statistical methods to
the design and selection of optimal experimental procedures, calibration of
analytical instrumentation, and interpretation of chemical data1 has
also become an important issue within our research activities, being this
considered as a critical tool for the modern Analytical Chemistry.
Other researchers involved in this work: Mª Eduarda
Pereira, Regina Duarte, Sónia Rodrigues & Sónia Capelo.
Selected publications:
1.
A. C. Duarte and S. Capelo, “Application
of Chemometrics in Separation Science”, J. Liq. Chromatogr. & Rel. Technol.
2006, 29, 1143.
2.
A. C. Duarte and R. M. B. O. Duarte, “Natural Organic Matter in Atmospheric Particles”, Biophysico-Chemical
Processes in Environmental Systems, 2nd Volume, IUPAC-Sponsored
Wiley Book Series, P.M. Huang and N. Senesi Eds.,
3.
ELME - European
Lifestyles and Marine Ecosystems, www.elme-eu.org, last accessed December
2007.
Armando Duarte was born in 1952, obtained a degree in Chemical Engineering at
the University of Oporto (1976) and a PhD in Public Health Engineering at the
University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1981). He has over 20 years of
internationally recognised experience on environmental quality studies from the
point of view of an analytical and environmental chemist (author of over 200
SCI papers with more than 500 citations). He integrated several relevant
Portuguese and European research projects, such as “MORENA” (1993-1996), “BIOGEST”
(1996-1999), “URBSOIL” (2002-2005), “ELME” (2004-2006) and “SWIFT-WFD -
Screening methods for water data Information in support of the implementation
of the Water Framework Directive” (2004-2006). In 2006, he was awarded the
Portuguese Science Foundation prize for Scientific Excellence.