Much research on the use of nanomaterials in different applications is being conducted in areas such as water treatment, catalysis, oil processing, medicine, food, sensors, energy storage, building materials, constructions, and others. Nanoparticles are ultra-small particles with exceptional properties, but some nanoparticles and nanomaterials may exhibit harmful properties when leaked into the environment

Humans are nowadays exposed to numerous chemicals in our day-to-day life, including parabens, UV filters, phosphorous flame retardants/plasticizers, bisphenols, phthalates and alternative plasticizers, which can have different adverse effects to human health. Estimating human’s exposure to these potentially harmful substances is, therefore, of paramount importance. Human biomonitoring (HBM) is the

The number of chemicals with potential to reach the environment is still largely unknown, which poses great challenges for both environmental scientists and analytical chemists. Liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) is currently the instrumentation of choice for identification of wide-scope polar chemicals of concern (CECs) in water. This review critically evaluates

Compound annotation using MS/MS data is the major bottleneck in interpretation of mass spectrometry data during non-targeted screening and suspect screening exposomics studies. Apart from compound identification using available databases or mass spectral libraries, the true challenge comes when completely new compounds have to be identified. Along with recent advances in MS instrumentation that set

Ammonium (NH4+) and ammonia (NH3) in aquatic ecosystems are of great interest to environmental scientists because they can be used to study the nitrogen cycle and as water quality indicators. Analytical separation methods developed in recent decades have been used widely to determine NH4+ and NH3 in aqueous solutions. This review presents an overview of state-of-the-art separation methods and analytical

Despite the increasing number of articles on trace elemental speciation with magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE), there are no dedicated reviews that cover the group of elements with most related literature, and hence the need for this one. This article provides a comprehensive review of the relevant literature related to Cr, Hg, As, Se, and other metals and metalloids with a special focus on the

The presence of polar pesticides in environmental waters is a growing problem. After application their migration into the aqueous phase is promoted by their high water solubility. Transport processes are usually complex and inputs are generally stochastic; this makes monitoring of this class of pesticides challenging using low volume spot samples of water. Recently there has been a trend to use passive

The agro-industry uses large quantities of chiral pesticides to mitigate the detrimental effects of pests on crops. Pesticides play a very important role of insuring food security in the world but this benefit may be eroded if principles of green chemistry are not embraced during their synthesis, application and analysis. Commercial chiral pesticide formulations are, usually, synthesised and sold as

Selenium was the first reported element that could be converted into its volatile compounds via photochemical vapor generation (photo-CVG) process before its atomic spectrometric detection. Photo-CVG is a newly emerging vapor generation technique, offering its inherent advantages of matrix interferences eliminated and high vapor efficiency etc., photo-CVG has been combined with various methods for

In a constantly evolving world, where the rising population and increased social awareness have led to a higher concern for the environment, research in this field (most notably in Environmental Analytical Chemistry) should take advantage of the great opportunities offered by new technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Cloud-based services. Both of them are especially suitable when chemical

The so-called marine litter, and in particular microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs), are ubiquitously distributed and recognised as an emerging risk for the environment and human health. It is known that marine environments are one of the most impacted areas and among them; coastal zones are the most contaminated ones. They are subjected to population pressure, tourism, harbours, desalination

Nutrient over-enrichment in freshwater environments, together with the on-going climate change, favour the toxin-producing cyanobacteria bloom. Human health hazard may arise from drinking contaminated water. Additionally, cyanobacterial blooms affect other economic areas such as tourism, recreation, commercial fishery, water management and monitoring. Nowadays there is a scarcity of information on

Defense sites are contaminated with explosives, which are released during manufacturing, firing, testing and training operations; loading, assembly and packing activities; and demilitarization operations. Explosive chemicals are hazardous in nature. Contamination of the soil and the underlying groundwater by explosives pose serious threat to human and animal health and the eco-system. Bioremediation

Functional polymers have attached attention in recent years due to their wide applications and unique properties such as sound sensitivity, electrical, catalytic activity, etc for analysis pollutants. The synthesis of functionalized polymers can be affected by several factors, such as the polymerization process, the composition of polymers, and functionalization. However, the scaling-up process from

Sulfur-containing compounds are the most abundant compounds in crude oil. Sulfur in liquid fuel oil leads to the emission of sulfur oxides and sulfate particulate matter which not only endangers health and community property but also reduces the life of the catalysts and engines due to corrosion. Various methods, with a high level of precision and sensitivity, have been developed to analyze sulfur-containing

Water bodies cover approximately 70 % of the earth´s surface, making them ecosystems with a high environmental value and the habitat for numerous species of flora and fauna. Emerging pollutants (EPs) are ubiquitous anthropogenic compounds of environmental concern that can be found at different concentration levels in matrices such as sediment, water and aquatic biota. In addition, EPs can be bioaccumulated

In this article, we have critically overviewed some interesting articles published in 2015–2019 about the use of the nanosorbents for the extraction of emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) from various environmental samples. Properties, advantages, disadvantages, and the applicability of different categories of nanosorbents used for the extraction of EOCs are evaluated and discussed. The potential

Ultraviolet filters (UV Filters) are compounds that are widely employed in personal care products such as sunscreens to protect the skin from sun damage, but they are also added to other products, such as food packaging, plastics, paints, textiles, detergents, etc. The continuous use of these products causes the release of a substantial amount of these products into the marine environment through direct

Persistent and Mobile Organic Compounds (PMOCs) are emerging pollutants in the environment that have only been rarely detected in previous years due to the lack of analytical techniques available for their analysis. These compounds, being very polar, are able to spread through the surface waters, and reach groundwaters and drinking water sources. The challenges in the analysis of these compounds in

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) was primarily applied as the ion source for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS). While APCI started to be used in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) in 1970s, GC-APCI-MS was not widely used until recently. As a soft ionization technique, APCI provides highly diagnostic molecular ions, which is favored for the wide-scope screening

Off-target deposition is one of the major routes of pesticide entry into the environment. Several studies have been carried out employing different tracers in an attempt to estimate pesticide deposition in the environment. This paper, in contrast, reviews different off-target sampling methods using the pesticide active ingredient. A critical analysis has been conducted on the sampling methods as applied

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large category of ubiquitous persistent environmental pollutants, some of them have strong carcinogenicity to human and animals. These pollutants can easily enter the river through multiple ways including rainfall, dry deposition and water washout, and deposit in the sediment. However, it is easy for them to re-enter the river water and pollute water sources

This paper offers a critical review from classical to new perspectives of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) coupled to two- and multi-way calibration strategies based on multivariate curve resolution – alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) and parallel factory analysis (PARAFAC) with various analytical techniques to monitor the degradation of contaminants in environmental samples. It focuses on the

Ammonia nitrogen, consisting of un-ionized ammonia and ammonium, is a key parameter for studying the nitrogen cycle and indicating water quality. The measurement of these parameter concentrations is vital for the adequate monitoring of aquatic environments. Here, we review studies that focus on analytical methods for determining ammonia nitrogen in natural waters that were published between 2014 to

Antiviral drugs are a therapeutic class of medicines that have garnered interest among the public around the globe. High prescription and consumption rates, seasonal peak emissions due to frequent outbreaks of influenza, and important spatial distribution in areas where a large part of the population suffers from HIV are reported. The environmental impact of several antiviral drugs, may be worrisome

In this review, we focus on the status of the monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air as well as in living (indoor) and working environments in Africa from 2000 to 2018. This is important as PAHs are ubiquitous in the environment and are known to be potentially carcinogenic. Aspects of sampling such as collection media for particle bound and gaseous PAHs are discussed.

Pollution of coastal areas play an important role in anthropocentric issues. Thus, several analytical tools were developed and optimized in recent years aiming to improve the acquisition of good quality chemical data. Despite these efforts, assessments of the environmental occurrence of hazardous chemicals in coastal regions are often biased by poorly planned sampling campaigns. In coastal zones, the

The application of nanotechnology has become inevitable in almost all sectors such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, electronics, transport, etc. The continuous development in the area has led to the emergence of the polymer nanocomposites. The polymer nanocomposites due to their improved mechanical, thermal, electrical, optical, and magnetic properties are widely used in various fields and slowly

The persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) raise concerns for environmental and human health. This has led to the gradual phase-out from production and commerce of some legacy PFAS. Fluoroalkylether compounds (ether-PFAS) are among the fluorinated alternative chemicals that are beginning to be reported in impacted and background environments

Vacuum-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction (Vac-HSSPME) is an emerging analytical technique, which further advances HSSPME by providing lower detection limits of analytes with poor volatility at shorter extraction times. This review discusses the theoretical aspects and possibilities of the Vac-HSSPME technique for analysis of environmental samples. Optimization of key parameters, currently

Excessive consumption of substances such as food colorants, exposure to doses of metal ions, antibiotic residues and pesticides residues above maximum tolerance limit have a detrimental effect on human health. Hence in detecting these harmful substances, the development of sensitive, selective and convenient analytical tools is an essential step. Graphene and graphene like 2D graphitic carbon nitride

In multi-residue pesticide analysis, the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction method has replaced less efficient traditional extraction methods due to its many advantages. In addition to pesticide analysis, this method has been widely used for the detection and analysis of pharmaceuticals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and several persistent organic pollutants

Potentially toxic organic and inorganic compounds have been released into the environment by different sources. Due to this detrimental problem, the modern analytical chemistry has increasingly acted in the interface of knowledge in terms of developing methods which are robust, efficient, sensitive, inexpensive, and aim at meeting green chemistry principles. From an electroanalytical standpoint, the

Surface active agents (SAAs) are a class of compounds, which is used in variety of products such as detergents, fabric softeners, soaps, paints, adhesives, inks and anti-fogs. After the use of these products containing surfactants are disposed in water reservoirs. The separation and determination of surfactants from complex matrices become challenging for analytical chemists. The fundamentals on separation

Opioids are a class of controlled and illicit drugs (narcotics) that act on the nervous system to relieve pain or to create euphoria. Currently, the abuse and addiction to opioids is an epidemic, which is reflected by an exponential increase in deaths by overdose. The occurrence of opioids in the environment may be used both as a tool to estimate human consumption and for making regulatory decisions

Microextraction-based sample preparation techniques have exhibited remarkable importance in analytical chemistry since they were first developed in the 1980s. The application of these techniques involves efficient and, at the same time, environmentally-friendly analytical methodologies. They are also generally faster when compared with classical sample preparation techniques, requiring low solvent

Technical advances in the development of field-deployable capillary and microchip electrophoretic instruments and reports of their deployment between 2013 and 2017 were reviewed. Strategies and considerations in the design of the injection, separation and detection hardware, chemistry and associated infrastructure were discussed from an in-field perspective, with portability, robustness and automation/“ease

Passive sampling technique is an important supplementary tool in pollution monitoring. In recent years, samplers designed for the hydrophilic organic pollutants, including polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS), Chemcatcher®, and diffusive gradients in thin film technology (DGT), have been successfully applied in both laboratory experiments and field studies. This review gives an overview

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are smart materials that are designed for the purpose of pre-concentration and enhancing selectivity in the extraction and quantification of organic and inorganic analytes from many complex matrices such as blood, urine and wastewater. The properties of MIPs that include re-usability, chemical and mechanical stability are in line with green chemistry concepts.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment have generated great interest within the scientific community due to their toxic effect to animal, human health, and the environment. This review encompasses the historical presence of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in the world-wide environment. Information on exposure indicated that the main route of exposure

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are getting considerable attention as electrode modifiers in electrochemical sensing applications. They are unique materials because of their two-dimensional structures, highly tunable interior architecture, excellent ion exchange capabilities, reasonable interlayer spaces, and high porosities. They are easy to synthesize from commonly available inorganic precursors

The abused antibiotic residue either in natural environment or food is a serious issue for both public health and ecological environment. Therefore, various techniques have been developed for the qualitative and quantitative of trace antibiotics in food, drinking water and human body fluid. Among them, Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a developing technique, which outstands itself with

The literature on adsorption of heavy metals such thallium (Tl), tellurium (Te), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) using carbon based adsorbents such as activated carbon (AC), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and carbon composites has been reviewed. The adsorption capacities for the above mentioned by AC, CNFs, CNTs and carbon composites operated under different conditions are

Flowback and produced waters are extremely complex matrices composed of geogenic water and chemical additives. The geogenic fraction may contain large amounts of total dissolved solids as well as various hydrocarbons, organic acids, alcohols, radionuclides, and metals. The additives may include surfactants, gels, scale inhibitors, biocides, and friction reducers. Recently, it has been suggested that

Continuous pollution issues with increasing types of contaminants have emerged in recent years and attracted global attention. Fast, precise, and reliable analytical methods for screening and determination of targeted and unknown pollutants are desired to evaluate the changing pollution situations and potential environmental effects. The rapid development of ambient ionization mass spectrometry (AIMS)

Water contamination is a globally important environmental concern, with chemical oxygen demand (COD) being a criteria in water quality assessment, providing information on the availability of chemically degradable fractions of organic pollutants. However, the standard method for COD analysis is time-consuming and results may vary between laboratories. Efforts to resolve these problems have mostly focussed

The design of advanced electrochemical sensors and biosensors is of significant importance due to the growing of environmental pollution through the increasing globalization and unregulated discharged compounds from industry, human, animal and nature. The state-of-the-art gold (Au) nanomaterials based electrode materials enable the major advances on sensor research and industries for environmental

The potential occurrence of nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBPs) in drinking water raises concerns because of their high genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and carcinogenicity compared to those of carbonaceous DBPs. To meet water quality indexes, drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) adopt a shift from chlorination to chloramination during disinfection to control the formation of regulated DBPs

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) have been explored by analytical chemists, as confirmed by the increasing number of published papers on the topic. In this overview, advances in DLLME for the extraction of pesticides and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) from environmental samples is presented. A varied group of DLLME protocols that made possibly the expansion of DLLME

A wide range of toxic chemicals is currently released into the environmental in terms of airborne, aquatic and solid wastes due to the rapid international globalization and industrialization. Thus, a sensitive, reliable and cost-effective sensor platform for emerging environmental pollutants is of great importance. The considerable advancements have been made on the successful electrochemical sensor

Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5) is the main air pollutant in many countries. PM2.5 levels vary substantially over time and short distances, which directly affects the interpretation of data collected from reference stations. Although such data are usually accurate for one location at a certain time, they cannot be extrapolated to carry out complete spatial

In recent years, there are growing concerns of emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) owing to their potential adverse impacts on human health. Lots of EOCs are used in civilian products and considered as primary contaminants in indoor environment. Developing efficient air sampling techniques are prerequisite to evaluate EOC contaminations in indoor environment. This article aims to review the temporal

Natural organic matter (NOM) is present in source water worldwide, and it is composed of numerous organic compounds produced in natural processes. NOM has been drawing increasing concerns because it not only affects drinking water treatment on many aspects (e.g., the performance of treatment techniques, necessity of advanced treatment, the dose of treatment chemicals, etc.), but also acts as the main