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