Water Analysis – News and Features

To remove micropollutants such as pesticides and trace chemicals from the environment, you need something equally small and cunning. One potential method is photocatalysis.

A newly engineered type of soil can capture water out of thin air to keep plants hydrated and manage controlled release of fertilizer for a constant supply of nutrients.

As we navigate through the complexities of contemporary pollution challenges, the need for innovative approaches to ocean environmental monitoring is becoming increasingly apparent.

Many municipal landfills “burp” gas from decomposing organic matter rather than letting it build up. And burps from buried waste containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can release these “forever chemicals” into the air.

Using analytical chemistry techniques, researchers screened 16 samples of biosolids from wastewater treatment facilities and have created a new list of possibly toxic contaminants commonly found in biosolids nationwide.

Researchers examined the health, resilience and a mix of climate and human factors of 1,049 of the world’s largest and most important lakes. Nearly half of the studied lakes worldwide significantly lost resilience over the study period.

New research has found that nitrate from plant sources is associated with a lower risk of mortality while nitrate from other sources such as animal-based foods, processed meat and tap water, is linked to a higher risk of mortality.

New research proves for the first time that a wide range of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl substances) – chemicals which do not break down in nature – can permeate the skin barrier and reach the body’s bloodstream.

According to research, melamine sponges shed microplastic fibers when worn down and could release over a trillion of these pollutants every month.

Wastewater systems designed to keep harmful pollutants out of storm drainage are aging and deteriorating, sending contaminants into local bodies of water. Caffeine levels could help find the source of the leaks.