POP contaminated soils in in the South-Caucasus Region (POPcont)
Environmental Health Risks of POP contaminated Soils in the South-Caucasus Region: Monitoring and Mitigation (POPcont)
Project: Health risks of POP contaminated soils in the South Caucasus: monitoring and mitigation
Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Rolf-Alexander Düring
Person in charge: Prof. Dr. Rolf-Alexander Düring, Dipl.-Geoök. Marcel P. Simon
Duration: 2017-2019
Summary:
In the South Caucasus the risks to human health and food safety are high due to the presence of organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in large areas of agricultural soils. There is currently no procedure that leads - in situ - to a substantial reduction in the concentrations of pollutants in soils. The project consortium (University of Giessen, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, University of Tiblisi, Georgia, Academy of Sciences of Baku, Azerbaijan) covers agricultural and contaminated areas in Georgia and Azerbaijan that can be sustainably remediated. The objectives are the development and application of an analytical OCP-screening method for the area-wide assessment of the pollution situation and the establishment of a phytoremediation method for the remediation of OCP contaminated arable soils in the South Caucasus region, based on research into the sorption properties/bioavailability of pollutants in the regional soils under the influence of auxiliary substances for the remobilisation of OCPs and their transformation products. The proposed analytical device would be very helpful in the investigation of distribution and transformation (up to water soluble transformation products) of pesticides in soils and plants.
Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Project partner:
Dr. Elbai Babeav, Academy of Sciences, Baku Azerbaijan
Prof. Dr. Besik Kalandadze, Institute of Geography, Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia
Prof. Dr. Daniela Lud, Institute for Communication and Environment, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Prof. Dr. Philipp Weller, Institute for Instrumental Analytics, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Germany