Project Portugal 2030

Summary

NanoSEIRA seeks to develop reusable nanostructures for sensing organic micropollutants in aquatic environments. The main objective is to prepare practical, accurate, sensible, and reusable sensors based on surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA), to identify and quantify organic pollutants in surface and wastewater samples, particularly pharmaceuticals (especially antibiotics like amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim) and pesticides (such as the fungicides famoxadone and dimoxystrobin) listed in the EU Water Watch List, at very low concentrations commonly found in aquatic environments (ng/L to ug/L). To accomplish the main goal, the research team has outlined the following specific objectives: - Develop novel environmentally friendly and cost-effective methodologies for preparing silver and copper-based quantum dots (QDs), according to the Green Chemistry principles, since the ones currently used apply high temperatures and harmful reagents; - Functionalize Ag- and Cu-based QDs (f-QDs) by either attaching macromolecules or coating them with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), in order to achieve SEIRA sensors with enhanced performance and specificity; - Study the efficiency and selectivity of Ag- and Cu-based QDs and f-QDs in SEIRA detection of antibiotics and pesticides, and select the most promising nanosystems; - Incorporate Ag- and Cu-based QDs in magnetic activated carbon (MAC) matrices, to explore the use of sustainable materials with high adsorption properties as sensing platforms, producing novel and reusable sensors for SEIRA; - Attach the Ag- and Cu-based QDs to silicon ATR waveguide substrates by covalent bonds (QDs-Si), yielding innovative reusable SEIRA sampler holders; - Study the efficiency and reusability of QDs-MAC and QDs-Si as sensors for SEIRA, to identify and quantify organic micropollutants in surface and wastewater samples; - Validate the effectiveness of the developed sensors by established analytical methods, such as high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (HPLC-MS), to ensure accuracy and reliability. By pursuing these objectives, NanoSEIRA will significantly contribute to the field of environmental monitoring while addressing critical challenges related to water quality and pollution management, decoupling trace analysis from highly expensive equipment and highly trained personnel to enable large-scale screening at reasonable time and resource investments. This aligns with CESAM's strategic plan and will have significant environmental, social, and economic benefits by enabling large-scale monitoring of organic micropollutants according to EU guidelines. Moreover, the achievement of NanoSEIRA goals can contribute to the advancement of water resources management and wastewater reuse for agricultural, urban, or industrial purposes.