ISOSOIL

"Contaminant-specific isotope analyses as sharp environmental-forensics tools for site characterisation, monitoring and source apportionment of pollutants in soil"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Conventional remediation-monitoring programmes, i.e. analysis of contaminant and metabolite concentrations over time and space, often provide inconclusive assessments due to inability to resolve among mixing of several contaminant sources, degradation, dispersion and other redistribution processes. The isoSoil objective is to firmly establish concentration-independent contaminant-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) as a novel, user-friendly and powerful tool for both degradation monitoring and source apportionment of organic contaminants in soil. The balanced isoSoil consortium with world-leading CSIA research groups, progressive remediation-focused and analytical services companies and experienced software enterprises will enable a) applications of multiple CSIA systems (13C/12C, 2H/1H, 15N/14N and 37Cl/35Cl) for improved site-specific characterization and monitoring of microbial and abiotic degradation, b) applications of CSIA “isotopic fingerprinting” (14C/12C, 2H/1H, 37Cl/35Cl, and 81Br/79Br) for source apportionment of both regional diffuse and locally mixed contamination scenarios (i.e., environmental forensics) and, c) emphasis on development and demonstration of web-based commercial software to aid soil managers in sampling and interpretation of CSIA results. The CSIA concept provides a well-defined and improved tool to for assessment and monitoring of the 3.5 mill contaminated soil sites in EU. Application of multi-element CSIA enables enhanced power to resolve between the many co-occurring processes. CSIA-based DEGRADATION MONITORING answers to Call Topic “improved tools for site characterization and monitoring of contaminated soils including chemical analysis”. CSIA-based SOURCE APPORTIONMENT answers to Call Topic “development of tools for detection of local, primary, or secondary sources”.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Scientists have expanded the repertoire of analytical techniques for soil monitoring. With a user-friendly web interface and interpretation of results, environmental consultants can now do their jobs easier, better and faster.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Soil remediation monitoring programmes analyse contaminants and metabolite concentrations at three and a half million sites throughout Europe. However, conventional techniques to evaluate both changes in time and in area are often inconclusive due to inability to resolve various contaminants and identify their sources.

Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) is an emerging analytical technique that measures the ratios of naturally occurring stable isotopes in environmental samples. These ratios can change in systematic ways during the course of biodegradation. Thus, CSIA can be used to gain information about potential contaminant sources, extent of degradation and co-mingling of contaminant plumes. Scientists initiated the EU-funded project Isosoil to firmly establish concentration-independent CSIA as a user-friendly and powerful tool for soil remediation monitoring.

During the first project phase, field and experimental data were generated, methodology for analyses was defined and first samples were analysed. The second and final period of Isosoil witnessed the development of novel extensions to CSIA with ground-breaking methods. New analytical protocols were developed for efficient and reliable extraction of a family of compounds (nitrotoluenes) used to produce dyes, agricultural substances and photographic chemicals for CSIA. Partners are now developing a promising new method for hydrogen isotope analysis of chlorinated and non-chlorinated organic compounds, thus filling an important gap in CSIA. Complementary work led to development of multi-dimensional CSIA for source apportionment and degradation monitoring of chlorinated solvents and nitrotoluenes.

The final version of the Isosoil software was made available free of charge for one year. It covers the entire chain from planning and sampling to sample analysis and interpretation of data. Specifically, the user-friendly web interface contains statistical code for optimisation of sampling, an expandable database, a kinetics calculator for reactions and isotope data, and an interpretation framework.

Isosoil has demonstrated the ability of concentration-independent CSIA to complement standard concentration monitoring for deeper insight into site-specific processes. Environmental consultants and commercial enterprises offering analytical services will now have a web-based tool for sampling and interpretation of CSIA results.