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PhD thesis defence by Maria Vittoria Barbieri

28 January 2021 @ 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

The PhD student Maria Vittoria Barbieri from Water, Enviromental and Food Chemistry group (ENFOCHEM), will defend her thesis next 28th January at 11:00h. If you want to attend to the online defence, send an email to vd.quimica.recerca@ub.edu.

Title: Pesticides in environment: analysis, occurrence, impact and recommendations for their attenuation.

Directors: Miren López de Alda, Cristina Postigo Rebollo and Francisco Javier Santos Vicente.

Thesis Comittee: Ana Maria García Campaña, Isaac Rodríguez Pereiro and Mercè Granados Juan.

Abstract:

The assessment of pesticide occurrence in different environmental compartments has become a matter of outstanding importance since its effects on exposed organisms may be considered a warning on the potential risk these substances may pose to human health. In this context, and in the framework of this doctoral thesis, the presence and fate of 52 pesticides and transformation products were evaluated in surface water, groundwater, and sediments from four river basins, and the associated environmental risk was assessed. In addition, the performance of a fungi-based bioremediation technique for the removal of pesticides was evaluated. The methods developed are based on the use of advanced extraction techniques such as on-line solid-phase extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, and QuEChERS extraction, and analyte determination with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The use of an isotope-dilution approach ensured the reliability of the results and the satisfactory performance of the methodologies in terms of accuracy, precision, linearity, sensitivity and matrix effect. The most relevant pesticides detected in agricultural areas (Ebro River Delta, Ter River) were the herbicides widely used in rice cultivation bentazone, MCPA and propanil, while in urban and industrial areas like the lower Llobregat River basin, the most relevant pesticides were bromoxynil, diuron, linuron and terbutryn, used for both agricultural and non-agricultural purposes. In the sediments of the Llobregat River and the fish samples collected from the Adige River, most of the pesticides found are currently banned, which suggests their persistence in the environment. The assessment of the environmental risk highlighted the role of pesticides as relevant stressors in the aquatic environment. The degradation of selected pesticides by the fungus T. versicolor point at this organism as an efficient, green and economic alternative for pesticide removal during water treatment. Further pesticide pollution attenuation was attempted by contributing to the design of participatory multi-actor events to increase the awareness of farmers and stakeholders on the issue of environmental pollution by pesticides, involving them in the decision-making processes for the implementation of mitigation measures and best management practices aimed at reducing pesticide release into the environment.

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Details

Date:
28 January 2021
Time:
11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Event Category:
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