Microdevices for monitoring emerging contaminants in environmental waters

Access to quality drinking water is increasingly difficult today, a situation exacerbated in areas where there is an imbalance between water availability and demand, such as islands with high tourist traffic like Tenerife. To address this imbalance, drinking water must be obtained from unconventional sources, such as desalination or wastewater reuse. One of the problems this presents is the presence of emerging contaminants, which can have chronic effects with prolonged exposure. These include personal care products (ingredients in cosmetics, shampoos, sunscreens, toothpaste, etc.) and medications, including analgesics, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and even illegal drugs. The objective of this project is the design, preparation, and characterization of novel microdevices that allow for the quantitative identification of these contaminants using minimal sample volume and minimal amounts of materials and solvents for extraction, making this process environmentally sustainable. These microdevices will be based on a new type of material called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which have high porosity and can be designed in advance for a specific application.

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ULL Team

• Jorge Pasan García
• Catalina Ruiz Pérez