1. Set-up of on-line instrumental methods for the determination
of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by membrane inlet mass
spectrometry (MIMS). Applications to drinking waters and industrial
waters.
2. Gaschromatography/mass spectrometry applied to the
determination of endocrine disrupters and pollutants in water
(farmaceuticals, nitrosamines, by-products of disinfection
processes).
3. Quality assesment of polyethylene tubes by PY/GC/MS.
1.Volatile Organic Compouns (VOCs) are a very important class of
water pollutants because of their persistence and suspect
carcinogenicity for many of them. As of the Italian law DL
31/01, the maximum allowable concentration for the sum of
trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in drinking water is 10
ppb, whereas 30 ppb is the treshold for a set of eight halogenated
compounds, namely chloroform, bromoform, bromodichloromethane,
chlorodibromomethane, carbontetrachloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane,
trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. A real-time, on-line,
continuous monitoring of such compounds would allow prompt actions
in order to avoid the diffusion of pollutants in the water system
or to take appropriate countermeasures, thus restoring safe
conditions in case of accidental contamination. MIMS allows the
introduction of VOCs in the mass spectrometer through a thin (some
tenths of millimeter) hollow-fiber polymeric membrane, which is
selective towards organic compounds. When the membrane is in
contact with the sample and an ion trap mass spectrometer is used
as detector, such as in the present instance, VOCs are extracted in
the membrane, concentrated in its small volume, and swept into the
mass spectrometer by a gentle stream of helium carrier gas.
2. Gaschromatography/mass spectrometry of emerging
contaminants in waters. Pharmaceuticals, hormones and
endocrine disrupting compounds are important emerging contaminants
due to their presence in environmental waters and drinking waters
and due to concern about possible estrogenic effects on humans and
wildlife. The aim of the project is the set-up of new
rapid and sensitive methods for the detection of emerging
contaminants and pollutants (mainly pharmaceuticals and water
disinfection by-products such as nitrosammines) in drinking water,
waste waters and sludge.
3. One of the most critical aspects in managing the distribution
of drinking water is pipeline failure. Water losses are aggravated
by the amount of water needed to wash the pipelines after repair or
replacement. Pipe failures and related repair work have serious
financial and social consequences in terms of higher costs and
inconveniences for citizens. In Italy, the losses of drinking water
during distribution amount to the 37%. Old pipes used to supply
drinking water are often replaced with pipes manufactured from
polymer materials and polyethylene (PE) is one of the most used
polymeric materials. The ability to predict pipe lifetime before of
its use in the distribution line is very important to avoid the
losses of drinking water. The aim of this work is the developing of
a rapid method to predict PE pipe quality on the basis of molecular
data as obtained by a number of chemical analyses (such as
pyrolysis/gaschromatography/mass spectrometry and chemical
analyses of organic compounds released from pipes into drinking
water) thus providing water companies a relatively simple mean of
assessing chemical differences among PE pipes of differing
manufacturer or differing lots.
