Development of a method for determining the average weighted concentrations of organic pollutants for monitoring the atmospheric air of Almaty city

Project of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan
AP09058606

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Relevance of the project:

Air pollution in cities is one of the most pressing issues of modern society, leading to ecosystem disruption, economic and social damage, and an increase in COVID-19 cases. Monitoring is one of the steps to reduce atmospheric air pollution. The air quality monitoring conducted in Kazakhstan covers only suspended particles and a limited number of compounds (SO2, CO, NO2, H2S, phenol, formaldehyde, and ammonia), whereas concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are not measured. For monitoring pollutants in the atmospheric air, determining time-weighted average concentrations (TWAC) is of utmost importance. TWAC allows for determining the true concentration of pollutants in the air, excluding the influence of their short-term changes. Additionally, TWAC is used to assess the total intake of pollutants, overall health risks, and pollution level trends. The developed methodology will be based on the collection of TWAC of VOCs on sorption fiber for solid-phase microextraction (SPME), located inside a protective needle, followed by analysis using gas chromatography.
The project aims to develop a new, efficient, and reliable method for monitoring atmospheric air. The developed methodology will allow for the first-time determination of time-weighted average concentrations of volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Almaty and conduct long-term atmospheric air monitoring. The obtained data will be processed using statistical methods, and the magnitude of the association (risk) of cancer development in the population of Almaty and its connection with specific air pollutants will be established. Also, within the framework of the project, a contribution will be made to the theory of determining time-weighted average concentrations of volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by the solid-phase microextraction method.

Project goal:

Development of a method for determining the average weighted concentrations of organic pollutants in the atmospheric air of Almaty city for monitoring and assessing the risk of cancer. The method will be based on the collection of analytes on a fiber for solid-phase microextraction followed by analysis using gas chromatography. To determine the risk of cancer, concentrations of volatile organic compounds will be determined.

Project participants:​

Used methods:

Expected results:
Publications:

  • three publications in peer-reviewed international scientific journals indexed by Web of Science (Q1-Q3);
  • one invention patent in the Kazakhstan patent office.

A method will be developed for determining the average weighted concentrations of organic pollutants in the atmospheric air of the city of Almaty for monitoring and assessing the risk of cancer. The developed method for determining the average weighted concentrations of organic pollutants in the atmospheric air will be certified.
Improving the theory of determining average weighted concentrations of VOCs by the SPME method will increase the accuracy of "green" analytical methods for determining organic pollutants in the air. The developed method will allow for expanded study of air quality in cities of Kazakhstan and organize an inexpensive, simple, and reliable program for monitoring concentrations of organic pollutants in the air.
Successful implementation of the proposed project will be a breakthrough in the field of "green" analytical chemistry and will allow for the first-time monitoring of organic pollutants in the air of Almaty. Monitoring data will allow for the first-time determination of the correlation between the level of atmospheric air pollution and public health.

Achieved results:

Organic pollutants were selected for atmospheric air monitoring, and a numerical model of a sampler with alternative geometry was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics simulation. A method for determining the time-weighted average concentrations of organic pollutants was developed, and a sampler with alternative geometry for solid-phase microextraction based on a glass capillary was manufactured.
Work has begun on a patent for a sampler with alternative geometry. As part of the project, a patent application was filed for an invention titled "Sampler for improving the accuracy of determining time-weighted average concentrations of volatile organic compounds in atmospheric air using solid-phase microextraction."

Publications on the project:
Articles in international journals:

  1. Omarova A., Baizhan A., Baimatova N., Kenessov B., Kazemian H., 2021. New in situ solvothermally synthesized metal-organic framework MOF-199 coating for solid-phase microextraction of volatile organic compounds from air samples. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 328, 111493 (IF=5.455, first quartile in the "Chemistry, Applied" category)
  2. Ibragimova, O.P.; Omarova, A.; Bukenov, B.; Zhakupbekova, A.; Baimatova, N. 2021. Seasonal and Spatial Variation of Volatile Organic Compounds in Ambient Air of Almaty City, Kazakhstan. Atmosphere 2021, 12, 1592. (IF=2.686, third quartile in the "Environmental Sciences" category)
  3. Omarova A., Bakaikina N.V., Muratuly A., Kazemian H., Baimatova N., 2022. A review on preparation methods and applications of metal–organic framework-based solid-phase microextraction coatings. Michrochemical Journal 175, 107147. (IF=4.821, first quartile in the "Chemistry, Analytical" category)

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