Chemistry International
Vol. 22, No.2, March 2000

2000, Vol. 22
No. 2 (March)
..News from IUPAC
..West Africa Chemical Society
..Reports from Symposia

..Awards and Prizes
..New Books
..Reports from Commissions
..Conference Announcements
..Conferences

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Chemistry International
Vol. 22, No. 2
March 2000

Reports from Commissions

Commission on Soil and Water Chemistry (VI.3)

Summary of Minutes of Commission Meeting at IUPAC General Assembly, Berlin, Germany, 8-10 August 1999

In addition to the regular meeting of Commission VI.3, joint meetings with representatives from Commissions VI.1, VI.2, and VI.4 were organized.

The major achievement of the meetings was the restructuring of the Commissionsí projects to focus on a limited number of projects that in the future will be carried out by project teams of varying composition. The Commission will be terminated on 31 December 2001, and a project-driven structure will replace it. The link of titular membership to funding will be broken, and funding for participation in each project will be determined on an ad hoc basis. For the biennium 2000-2001, the current Commission and the current project and funding systems will continue largely unchanged. However, intensive planning must take place to ensure a smooth changeover for 2002.

In light of these changes, the incoming President of the Division on Chemistry and the Environment (DCE), Prof. Dr. Werner Klein, made a strong appeal to focus on interdivisional projects that are likely to obtain more funding. Examples of interdivisional projects that are potentially of interest to Commission VI.3 may be found in the area of green/sustainable chemistry. Commission VI.3 was challenged to take up part of the work to be done within this new IUPAC initiative. It was noted that under the new structure, it is quite possible to solicit and include participation of other organizations in the field.

In anticipation of the new IUPAC structure, Commission VI.3 has already installed one Task Force, headed by Dr. J. Lintelmann. A draft report from this Task Force was prepared and discussed during the Commission VI.3 meeting. In addition, proposals for three new Task Forces were prepared in advance of the meeting and evaluated according to the new IUPAC reviewing system. During the Berlin meeting, Commission VI.3 decided to propose to DCE that two additional new Task Forces be initiated in the following areas:

In situ treatment of polluted soil and water, with emphasis on the use of genetically engineered microorganisms (proposed project leader: Dr. R. Mandelbaum)

Airborne and remote monitoring of water quality: Evaluation of remote sensing techniques for real-time control of water quality in surface water bodies (proposed project leader: Dr. A. Dekker)

Interdivisional cooperation will be sought for projects on quality chemical data and reporting practices and on biosensors.

To facilitate these interdivisional projects, Commission VI.3 members will contribute to the following projects of other DCE Commissions:

Atmospheric deposition in drinking water reservoirs (VI.2)

Soil sorption (VI.4)

Pesticide residues (VI.4)

Bioavailability (VI.4)

Another major achievement of Commission VI.3 was the organization of the IUPAC-sponsored conference on Environmental Degradation Processes held 24-28 May 1998 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Approximately 100 participants from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies attended this very successful conference. Manuscripts from the seven invited speakers were published in the July 1998 issue of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PAC), and contributions from the remaining speakers were published as a special volume of Chemosphere (January 1999 issue). A final report, containing the main findings and recommendations for further followup, will be prepared by Dr. A. Sabljic and Dr. W. J. G. M Peijnenburg before the end of 1999. The following items were identified as possible future projects:

Impact of environmental characteristics on biodegradation

Long-term stability: How to measure very long half-lives (> 1 year) of persistent chemicals

Persistence of chemicals in deep groundwaters, with focus on fate of pesticides in relation to impact on top underground layer

Use of Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSARs) and Quantitative Structure-Biodegradation Relationships (QSBRs) in wastewater treatment. Prof. Y. Wang will prepare an outline for possible future activities in this field.

> Link to Commission

W. J. G. M. Peijnenburg
Secretary, IUPAC Commission VI.3

 

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