Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry最新文献

Microplastics have become a rising concern in recent years. A lot of research motivation has been triggered towards the detection and sensing of microplastics in various environments. This review focuses on surveying the conventional, contemporary analytical expertize demonstrated for microplastic detection. The key objective of this review is to assess the utility of portable analytical devices for the onsite monitoring and detection of microplastics. The portable devices for microplastic analysis that are currently in use have been listed and their contributions towards the detection of microplastics in various environments have been comprehensively presented. The limitations of portable hand-held analytics have been discussed and the challenges in terms of limit of detection, contamination, resolution and reproducibility have been highlighted. The need for the conversion of more advanced technologies well established for their reputation for microplastic analysis, to their corresponding portables has been emphasized. The lack of data on the use of portable analytical devices for nanoplastic detection has been projected. This is a state-of-the-art review combining all these synergistic aspects of portable analytical devices related to microplastic detection in environmental samples.

Pesticides, employed in agriculture to boost harvests and control pests, harm the ecosystem. Surface runoff from their widespread use pollutes water and soil. Pesticides deplete beneficial insect populations, upset ecological equilibrium, and contaminate food chains, posing health concerns through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Moreover, heavy metals from industry, mining, and inappropriate waste disposal are persistent, harmful environmental pollutants. Lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic in soils and sediments pollute water supplies and endanger aquatic life, wildlife, and humans. Heavy metal exposure can cause neurological issues, reproductive abnormalities, and cancer, making cleanup necessary. Also, industrial activities, wastewater discharge, and agricultural runoff produce phenolic compounds, another harmful environmental contaminant. Bisphenol A, phenol, and chlorophenols poison aquatic species, limit plant photosynthesis, and alter microbial populations. Additionally, phenolic chemicals can stay in the environment for lengthy durations, causing long-term ecological damage and health concerns from tainted drinking water and food. As a result, environmental monitoring is becoming increasingly important for sensitively detecting and quantifying pesticides, phenolic compounds, and heavy metals. Electrochemical sensors and modification materials are prepared for specific pollutant detection, providing selectivity and sensitivity, thus enabling the detection of the target molecule down to the nanomolar or even picomolar range. In this respect, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) materials attract attention in electrochemical sensing applications due to their numerous advantages. OMCs are promising for catalysis and sensing applications due to their well-ordered pore structure, high specific surface area, and tunable pore sizes in the mesopore range. The unique properties of these materials could open a new approach to studying the electrochemical determination of other environmental pollutants. This review covers the properties, advantages, synthesis procedures, and characterization processes of OMCs and focuses on the role of OMCs in the electrochemical detection of environmental pollutants. Moreover, this study examines OMC-based research carried out in recent years in depth.

High resolution mass spectrometry has long been employed in environmental research to identify and quantify contaminants, biological metabolites, and abiotic sample constituents with high selectivity afforded by mass-based detection. Many mass spectrometry-based techniques require that the sample be homogenized prior to analysis, thereby eliminating the possibility of assessing the spatial distribution of analytes and preventing information regarding pollutant fate and uptake in various matrices. High-resolution mass-spectrometry imaging provides the unique opportunity to obtain two-dimensional information of unlabeled analytes of interest to identify their presence or absence, assess their fate and uptake within biotic and abiotic samples, and visualize the relative changes of endogenous compounds following pollutant exposure. Some researchers have begun demonstrating the power of HR-MSI for environmental applications, although the technique is still new and yet to be fully actualized. This review will highlight the current status of HR-MSI in environmental research through discussions of non-target analysis and suspect screening, assessment of wastewater treatment plant constituents, and PFAS toxicology, and an introduction to emerging applications.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a complex mixture of organic compounds, which is of significant relevance in the context of drinking water treatment. This importance stems from its well-established role as the primary precursor of potentially harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs) when subjected to chemical disinfection processes. Characterizing DOM in drinking water is a challenging task due to its inherent heterogeneity and the wide range of organic compounds it contains. Additionally, the composition of DOM can vary based on the source water quality and the specific treatment processes employed. Advanced analytical techniques, such as non-targeted analyses using ultrahigh- or high-resolution mass spectrometry [(U-)HRMS], are improving our understanding of the nature of specific organic compounds present in DOM and their potential to form DBPs. In this review, the most commonly used non-targeted (U-)HRMS approaches for analyzing DOM in raw and treated waters are reported, and their application as a monitoring tool to track changes in DOM and the formation of DBPs in drinking waters is assessed. Moreover, recommendations for achieving a common and comparable DOM fingerprint approach for drinking water among different laboratories and instruments are provided. The non-targeted (U-)HRMS results reviewed here provide DOM indexes and ranges that can assist in tracking the various effects of drinking water treatment processes. Overall, DOM characterization using non-targeted (U-)HRMS is presented as an effective tool for evaluating treatment processes, predicting DBP formation, and the assessment of drinking water quality for human consumption.

An understanding of global environmental pollution requires sensitive high-resolution analytical methods to detect contaminants at trace level concentrations (≤ppb), to accurately assess potential effects associated with chronic low-level exposure. Additionally, the focus of environmental risk assessments has evolved to consider not only total concentrations but also bioavailable fractions. Diffusive gradient in thin-film passive samplers (DGTs) can be deployed in a variety of matrices to accumulate contaminants through diffusion. Due to their simple design, DGTs can be manipulated and adjusted to fit the experimental or monitoring purpose and contaminant of interest. Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous trace element of global concern that accumulates in biota and concentrates through the food chain as organic methylmercury. Existing reviews on environmental Hg research mention DGTs as a promising and successful tool to quantify the flux of labile species over a broad range of environmental matrices. This is the first comprehensive review of current literature describing the development and environmental deployment of mercury specific DGTs. Given the multi-facetted nature of this research, this review discusses the impact of DGT configuration and Hg speciation on the interpretation of analytical data and addresses the application of DGT passive samplers in bioavailability studies.

High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has become an important tool in environmental and food safety analysis. This review highlights how HRMS has been used to analyze chemical contaminants in fish. Measuring and documenting chemical contaminants in fish serves not only as an indicator of environmental conditions but can also monitor the health of these animals and help protect an important source of human food. The incidence and significance of contaminants including veterinary drugs, human drugs and personal care products, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, per- and poly fluorinated substances, and marine toxins will be reviewed. The advantage of HRMS over traditional MS is its ability to expand the number of compounds that can be detected and identified. This is true whether HRMS is used for targeted analytes, or more broadly for suspect screening and nontargeted analyses. The classes of compounds, types of fish or seafood, options for data acquisition and analysis, and reports of unexpected findings from recent HMRS methods for chemical contaminants in fish are summarized.

Pollution is a global concern with important impacts on ecosystems and human well-being. To assess its ecological consequences and environmental health effects, understanding the interactions between pollutants and living organisms is crucial. Biomarkers, measurable indicators that change upon pollutant exposure, offer insights into ecological quality. Omics techniques provide extensive molecular information for toxicity pathways, while mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) additionally allows the spatial resolution of the biomolecular analyses. This review explores the potential of this technique for revolutionizing environmental analysis, enabling the identification, distribution, and persistence of pollutants, and assessing their biological molecular effects. MSI shows a great potential in improving environmental monitoring, assessing risks, and promoting sustainable solutions for remediation.

Advances in nanofabrication, instrumentation, miniaturization, and particularly the increased interdisciplinary dialogue between spectroscopists and their subscribers (biologists, environmentalists, and clinicians) have accelerated the application of surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) to biochemical analysis. This review outlines the basic principles of SEIRAS and its application to biochemical analysis in recent years. The review also comprehensively describes how SEIRAS can identify and quantify the biochemical activities of small molecules, biomacromolecules, and microorganisms, and summarizes the application trends of SEIRAS-based analytics and the value of SEIRAS information in modern biochemical applications and processes. Finally, it discusses the current challenges in SEIRAS-based biochemical analysis and proposes perspectives for further research in this field. Ultimately, the review aims to bridge the knowledge gap and promote further progress in SEIRAS-based biochemical analysis.

This review article focuses on various fabrication strategies that utilize amino acids (AAs) in the creation of electrochemical sensors designed for the detection of heavy metals (HMs). AAs possess unique characteristics that make them valuable materials for sensing heavy metal ions (HMIs). The article delves into how AAs are incorporated into sensor designs and their interactions with HMIs. It places particular emphasis on a range of electrode modification methods, including drop casting, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), electropolymerization, and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). The article provides a comprehensive discussion of the preparation procedures, mechanisms, as well as the advantages and disadvantages associated with each approach. Furthermore, it explores the emerging insights into combining AAs with both organic and inorganic materials, highlighting their synergistic effects in sensing applications. Throughout the review, the challenges and opportunities in the development of electrochemical sensors are spotlighted, with the ultimate goal of advancing next-generation sensors that can make a meaningful impact on modern society.

Per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of ubiquitous environmental contaminants associated with several adverse health effects in humans and animals. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has traditionally been used to provide targeted quantitation of PFASs in biological samples. The analyte lists covered by targeted LC-MS/MS methods have grown rapidly as more PFASs have been discovered, though not all organofluorine is amenable to this technique. Integrative techniques measuring total organofluorine (TOF) coupled with LC-MS/MS analysis demonstrate that a significant fraction of TOF in biological samples is not captured by LC-MS/MS. This missing organofluorine may be contributed by PFASs that are not amenable to typical PFAS analytical conditions. Here, we review recent progress in quantifying total PFAS burden and identifying the compounds that comprise the unidentified organofluorine fraction (UOF), with a focus on human biological samples. While LC coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) has identified several novel PFASs in biological samples, these efforts do not appear to fully explain UOF content. Closing the UOF gap will necessitate the development of additional analytical approaches to broaden the chemical space captured by PFAS analysis. We highlight the use of additional chromatographic methods, advanced separation approaches such as ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), and continued improvement of HRMS semi-quantitation methods as promising paths forward to close the UOF gap.