Detection of Trace Concentrations of Chemical Contaminants in Urban Water Systems

Project Member(s): Lim, R., Vigneswaran, S.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Australian Research Council (ARC Linkage Infrastructure)

Start year: 2008

Summary: Water is a critical resource in Australia and as pressures on water resources increase, water recycling is becoming more prevalent. The presence of chemical contaminants such as low concentrations (ng/L) of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), endocrine disrupters (EDCs) and other organic micropollutants in the aquatic environment has received much attention around the world including Australia due to their potential biological impact in urban water systems. The proposed equipment aims to establish analytical techniques and instrumental capacity for the selective analysis of chemical contaminants in order to improve our understanding of the fate of these compounds through different urban water systems.