华南师范大学环境研究院

Talk1: Organic contaminants in the environment: occurrence, fate, and impact

Speaker: Prof. Silvia Lacorte, IDAEA-CSIC, Spain

Silvia Lacorte is Research Professor at the Department of Environmental Chemistry (IDAEA-CSIC) based in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). Research interests include the disciplines of environmental analytical chemistry and environmental pollution related to the study of the occurrence and impact of organic contaminants in freshwater and coastal ecosystems. Her work includes the analysis of legacy Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) as well as modern contaminants such as phthalates, perfluorinated substances, brominated and organophosphorus flame retardants, pesticides, bisphenol A and pharmaceuticals. Studies include (i) development and validation of analytical methods for the determination of priority and emerging organic pollutants including their degradation products in water, sediment and biota using massspectrometric based methods; (ii) field tests to evaluate the sources,  distribution and fate of organic compounds in the aquatic ecosystem and (iii) integration of chemical and toxicological parameters to evaluate the potential effects of organic compounds and degradation products in relevant environmental compartments. Her research group has a high publication record and promotes interdisciplinary knowledge and international collaboration.

Talk2：Key parameters governing the mobility of perfluoroalkyl substances in the terrestrial environment

Speaker：Asso. Prof. Anna Rigol, University of Barcelona，Spain

Anna Rigol is Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry of the University of Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). Her early research was focused on the elucidation of parameters governing radionuclide mobility in soils affected by the Chernobyl accident, the parametrization of the processes involved in radionuclide soil-to-plant transfer, and the remediation of soils affected by radioactive contamination. The expertise acquired allowed her to face up environmental problems dealing with other type of contaminants such as heavy metals or persistent organic pollutants. Nowadays, her research work aims at to determine sorption and desorption parameters of pollutants, either inorganic (radionuclides, heavy metals, lanthanides) or organic (alkylphenols, perfluoroalkyl substances), in soils and other materials of environmental interest; to parametrize the processes that govern pollutant interaction in soils in order to predict its mobility in the terrestrial environment and to improve input data in risk assessment models; and to assess the viability of using recycled non-hazardous residues, such as biochar, as alternative sorbents for the treatment of contaminated water or the immobilization of pollutants in the management of contaminated soils. These studies have been carried out in an interdisciplinary context in collaboration with international research groups, agencies or enterprises, and in the frame of competitive research projects.

All welcome!