SARIB

Partner No. 1 Co-ordinator: JSI

The Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI, founded 1949) is a research organisation for pure and applied research in the natural sciences and technology. Both are closely interconnected in research departments composed of different task teams. Emphasis in basic research is given to the growth and education of young scientists, while applied research and development serve for the transfer of advanced knowledge, contributing to the development of the national economy and society in general. In view of its activities and status, Jožef Stafan Institute plays the role of a kind of national Institute, complementing the role of the universities and bridging the gap between science and application. A particularly useful form of knowledge transfer is the inclusion of industrial engineers into research groups, resulting in, beside the development of the projects or processes, the specific expert training for the respective industrial activity. The Institute devotes a considerable amount of effort to transferring the results of its research and knowledge to productive applications and to the market. In this context the Institute’s Technology Park has been established to foster synergies and promotes joint ventures between university bodies and production industry, to act as an incubator for high-tech initiatives, and to accelerate the developing cycle of innovative products. The Department of Environmental Sciences has three main areas of work: the development and application of analytical methods for determining trace elements and their physical and chemical forms (speciation), natural and man-made radionuclides, and persistent organic contaminants in environmental and biological samples. The results obtained are used for implementing complex environmental studies such as environmental modelling and impact assessments, radioecology, biogeochemical cycling of trace elements and their metabolism in biological systems, biomonitoring, and evaluation of nutritional values of foods and feedstuff. The Ecological Laboratory, with its mobile unit, also play an important role in the Department’s activities.

Previous EU Projects:

- EMECAP QLRT – 2000 – 00489 European Mercury Emission from Chlor-alkali Plants
- BIOFAQs Q5RS-2000-30305 Biofiltration and Acquaculture: An Evaluation of Hard Substrate Deployment Performance within Mariculture Developments
- INCO-COPERNICUS, FORECO Forest ecosystems
- COST 99, Food consumption and composition data
- COST D87001498 Aluminium neurotoxicity
- Leonardo da Vinci, Development of Education Modules for Environmental Chemistry
- EUROCAT EVK1-CT-2000-00044 European Catchments Catchment Changes and their Impact on the Coast
- METROPOLIS G6RT-CT-2002-05095 METROlogy in support to precautionary sciences and sustainable development POLIcieS
- MERCYMS EVK3-CT-2002-00070 An Integrated Approach to Assess the Mercury Cyclyng in the Medeterranean Basin
- EVISA G7RT-CT-2002-05112 - European Virtual Institute for Speciation Analysis for Improvement of health, food, industry and environment

Department of Environmental Sciences, Institut "Jožef Stefan", 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Phone +386 1 4773900, Fax: +386 1 2519385
http://www2.ijs.si/~des/
No of Participants in the Group: 6
Dr. Radmila Milačič
Dr. Milena Horvat
Dr. Janez Ščančar
Dr. Ester Heath
Dr. Nives Ogrinc
Dr. Kotnik Jože

E-mail:
radmila.milacic@ijs.si
milena.horvat@ijs.si
janez.scancar@ijs.si
ester.heath@ijs.si
joze.kotnik@ijs.si
nives.ogrinc@ijs.si

Role and Contribution
This group will contribute to SARIB as follows

- Coordination
- Introduction of analytical tools for evaluation of the extent of pollution in the sediments of the Sava River. Total element concentrations will be determined (Cd, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cr, Cu, Hg, As, P) and the content of nitrates. The BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure will be applied for the partitioning of Cd, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cr and Cu between easily and sparingly soluble sediment fractions. The normalisation procedure (aluminium, iron) will be used for the identification of the natural and antrophogenic sources of contamination.
- Quantification of organotin, atrazine and desethylatrazine pollution in sediments as a consequence of the intensive agricultural activities.
- Quantification of pollution of the Sava River sediments with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated phenyles (PCBs), which are mainly of anthropogenic origin and are on the EPA list of priority pollutants.
- Application of a more detailed hydrogeochemical and stable isotope study on the Sava river and compared our finding with those already performed in the upper Danube river. The weathering of the Danube river represent one of the largest carbon fluxes in the world. The chemical composition od d18O, dD, d34Ssulfate, d13CDIC and 87Sr/86Sr will be used to determining the impact of geological, biological, and anthropogenic factors on the downstream chemical evolution of the river.
- Dissimenation

This research would serve as a model for other river catchments.

Experience of the group

The at the Department of Environmental Sciences of Jožef Stefan Institute comprises of 6 scientist. The group has more than 15 years experience in the field of development of the analytical procedures for the speciation of metals in the environmental and biological samples. Investigations on oxidation-reduction processes of chromium in various tannery waste and sewage sludge treated soils have been performed. The uptake and transformation of various chromium and aluminium species to plants was studied. Investigations on the partitioning of different elements in contaminated sediments, soils, sewage sludge and sludge treated with quicklime were carried out. The group has also been active in developement of analytical procedures for determination of organic pollutants (polyaromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, polichlorinated biphenyls, polichlorinated alkanes) in air, soil, sludge, sediment and biological samples for over 15 years. Biological degradation of presistant organic compounds (polyaromatic hydrocarbons, polichlorinated alkanes) and study of their breakdown products has been studied in our group for over 10 years. The group of stable isotope geochemistry has more than 10 years experience in different research activities using stable isotope techniques. The research activities include carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycling in different aquatic environments (lacustrine, marine, freshwater, groundwater), study of stable isotopes in precipitations and modelling of diagentic processes.
The group is actively involved also in the research of the extent of pollution with heavy metals and organic pollutants in the sediments of the Sava River in Slovenia.
The group has all the necessary instrumentation and well equipped laboratories for the performance of the proposed research activities: Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer, High Resolution Mass Spectrometers, Gas Chromatographs with variety of detectors (Mass Spectrometry Detector, Flame Ionization Detector, Electrone Capture Detector, Pulsed Flame Photometric Detector), Liquid Chromatographs with Diode Array Detector, various digestion / extraction techniques (Microwave Assisted Digestion / Extraction, Supercritical Fluid Extraction), clean room class 10000, CF-IRMS (Continuous Flow Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer) EUROPA 20-20 with trace gas (ANCA-TG) and solid, liquid (ANCA-SL) preparation modules, Varian MAT 250, vacuum lines for preparation.

Dr. Radmila Milačič, coordinator is senior researcher and the Head of the Group for Environmental and Analytical Chemistry of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the Jožef Stefan Institute. She coordinated several national and international projects related to health and to the transformantion and cyclying of metals and their species in the environment. She is involved in the development of analytical techniques for speciation of metals in biological and environmental samples by combination of chromatographic and spectrometric techniques. She has published over 95 papers in the peer-reviewed literature and proceedings of international conferences. She has supervised several diploma, master and PhD thesis.
Dr. Milena Horvat is senior researcher and the Head of the Department of Environmental Studies at the Jožef Stefan Institute. She coordinates a number of project related to mercury research including development of analytical methods, biogeochemical cycling and modelling in the environment and collaborating in health related studies. She is a coordinator of several projects in China, Portugal, Japan, France, and Croatia. She has published over 120 papers in the peer-reviewed literature and proceedings of international conferences and books, mainly related to Hg research. She has supervised a number of master and PhD thesis. She has been appointed as the chairperson for the organization of the 7th International Conference on Mercury as Global Pollutant, Ljubljana, 2004.
Dr. Janez Ščančar is a researcher involved in the development of analytical techniques for speciation of metals in biological and environmental samples using hyphenated chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. He finished his post-doc as Marie Curie fellow at CNRS, Pau France on the use of speciated isotope dilution ICP-MS for determiantion of organotin and organomercury compounds in the environment. He is supervising diploma and master thesis. He has published 35 scientific papers in the peer-reviewed literature and proceedings of international conferences.
Dr. Ester Heath is a researcher, an organic analytical chemist. She obtained M.Sc. (1994) and Ph.D. (1998) in Chemistry – Environmental Organic Analysis at University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. She spent 15 months at University of Plymouth, Plymouth (1993-1994), UK and 2 years at McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada on NATO-NSERC post-doctoral fellowship (2000-2002). Currently she is involved in biological degradation of organic compounds and monitoring of POP pollution (PAHs, PCBs, pesticides, halogenated paraffins and pharmaceutical product) in the Slovenian environment. She has published 12 scientific papers in the peer-reviewed literature and proceedings of international conferences.
Dr. Nives Ogrinc is a researcher, a marine geochemist. She has obtained her PhD in environmental sciences. She has been a postdoctoral fellow (2000/2002) at Trent University in Canada, where she joined the project METALICUS, which is currently the biggest Hg research project in the Northern USA. She has been responsible for the coupling of nutrient cycle and Hg cycle in the aquatic environment. She has published 61 scientific papers in the peer-reviewed literature and proceedings of international conferences.
Dr. Jože Kotnik is a researcher, an environmental scientist. He was a postdoctoral fellow at University of British Columbia. Currently he is research assistant at Department of Environmental Sciences and postdoctoral fellow at University of Trieste. His main research activities involved modelling of geochemistry of Hg. He has published 14 papers in the peer-reviewed literature and proceedings of international conferences.

Recent & relevant publications

1. MILAČIČ, Radmila, ŠTUPAR, Janez. Fractionation and oxidation of chromium in tannery waste-and sewage sludge-amended soils. Environ. sci. technol., 1995, vol. 29, str. 506-514.
2. MITROVIĆ, Bojan, MILAČIČ, Radmila, PIHLAR, Boris. Speciation of aluminium in soil extracts by employing cation-exchange fast protein liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Analyst (Lond.), 1996, vol. 121, str. 627-634.
3. MITROVIĆ, Bojan, MILAČIČ, Radmila, PIHLAR, Boris, SIMONČIČ, Primož. Speciation of trace amounts of aluminium in environmental samples by cation-exchange FPLC-ETAAS. Analusis (Paris), 1998, vol. 26, str. 381-388.
4. MILAČIČ, Radmila, KOŽUH, Nevenka, MITROVIĆ, Bojan. Combination of three analytical techniques for speciation of Al in environmental samples. Mikrochim. acta (1966). [Print ed.], 1998, vol. 129, str. 139-145.
5. MILAČIČ, Radmila, ŠČANČAR, Janez. Determination of hexavalent chromium in lime-treated sewage sludge by anion-exchange fast protein liquid chromatography with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry detection. Analyst (Lond.), 2000, vol. 125, str. 1938-1942.
6. SVETE, Peter, MILAČIČ, Radmila, PIHLAR, Boris. Optimisation of an extraction procedure for determination of total water-soluble Zn, Pb and Cd and their species in soils from a mining area. Ann. chim., 2000, vol. 90, str. 323-334.
7. ŠČANČAR, Janez, MILAČIČ, Radmila, STRAŽAR, Marjeta, BURICA, Olga. Total metal concentrations and partitioning of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni and Zn in sewage sludge. Sci. total environ.. [Print ed.], 2000, vol. 250, str. 9-19.
8. MITROVIĆ, Bojan, MILAČIČ, Radmila. Speciation of aluminium in forest soil extracts by size exclusion chromatography with UV and ICP-AES detection and cation exchange fast protein liquid chromatography with ETAAS detection. Sci. total environ.. [Print ed.], 2000, vol. 258, str. 183-194.
9. ŠČANČAR, Janez, MILAČIČ, Radmila, HORVAT, Milena. Comparison of various digestion and extraction procedures in analysis of heavy metals in sediments. Water air soil pollut., 2000, vol. 118, str. 87-99.
10. SVETE, Peter, MILAČIČ, Radmila, MITROVIĆ, Bojan, PIHLAR, Boris. Potential for the speciation of Zn using fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) and convective interaction media (CIM) fast monolithic chromatography with FAAS and electrospray (ES)-MS-MS detection. Analyst (Lond.), 2001, vol. 126, str. 1346-1354.
11. ŠČANČAR, Janez, MILAČIČ, Radmila, BURICA, Olga, STRAŽAR, Marjeta. Water and acetic acid leachable Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn in lime-treated sewage sludge. Ann. chim., 2001, vol. 91, str. 375-379.
12. ŠČANČAR, Janez, MILAČIČ, Radmila, STRAŽAR, Marjeta, BURICA, Olga, BUKOVEC, Peter. Environmentally safe sewage sludge disposal: the impact of liming on the behaviour of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn. J. environ. monit. (Print), 2001, vol. 3, str. 226-231.
13. SVETE, Peter, MILAČIČ, Radmila, PIHLAR, Boris. Partitioning of Zn, Pb and Cd in river sediments from a lead and zinc mining area using the BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure. J. environ. monit. (Print), 2001, vol. 3, str. 586-590.
14. PUSTIŠEK, Nuša, MILAČIČ, Radmila, VEBER, Marjan. Use of the BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure for the study of the partitioning of Cd, Pb and Zn in various soil samples. Journal of soils and sediments, 2001, vol. 1, no. 1, str. 25-29.
15. ŠEPIČ, Ester, Leskovšek, Hermina, Trier, Colin. Aerobic Bacterial Degradation of Selected PAHs and n-alkanes Found in Petroleum, J. Chromatography A, 697, 1995, 515-523.
16. ŠEPIČ, Ester, Trier, Colin, Leskovšek, Hermina. Biodegradation Studies of Selected Hydrocarbons from Diesel Oil. Analyst, 121, 1996, 1451-1456.
17. ŠEPIČ, Ester, Leskovšek, Hermina. In vitro Biodegradation Studies of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and Polychlorinated Biphenyls. Proceedings for "10th International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Symposium", Hamburg, Germany (September 1996).
18. ŠEPIČ, Ester, Bricelj, Mihael , Leskovšek, Hermina. Biodegradation Studies of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in Aqueous Media. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 83, 1997, 561-568.
19. ŠEPIČ, Ester, Bricelj, Mihael, Leskovšek, Hermina. Degradation of Fluoranthene by Pasteurella sp. IFA and Mycobacterium sp. PYR-1: Isolation and Identification of Metabolites. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 85, 1998, 746-754.
20. ŠEPIČ, Ester, Leskovšek, Hermina. Isolation and Identification of Fluoranthene Biodegradation Products. Analyst, 124, 1999, 1765-1769.
21. ŠEPIČ, Ester, Bricelj, Mihael, Leskovšek, Hermina. Toxicity of Fluoranthene and its Biodegradation Metabolites to Aquatic Organisms. Chemosphere (accepted for publication, March 2003).
22. HINES, M. E., HORVAT, Milena, FAGANELI, Jadran. Mercury biogeochemistry in the Idrija river, Slovenia from above the mine into the Gulf Trieste. Environ. res. (N.Y. N.Y.), 2000, vol. 83, sec. A, str. 129-139.
23. LOGAR, Martina, HORVAT, Milena, FALNOGA, Ingrid, STIBILJ, Vekoslava. A methodological study of mercury speciation using dogfish liver CRM (DOLT-2). Fresenius' j. anal. chem., 2000, vol. 366, str. 453-460.
24. COQUERY, M., CARVALHO, F. P., AZEMARD, S., BACHELEZ, M., HORVAT, Milena. Certification of trace and major elements and methylmercury concentrations in a macroalgae (Fucus sp.) reference materials, IAEA-140. Fresenius' j. anal. chem., 2000, vol. 366, str. 792-801.
25. ODŽAK, N., ZVONARIĆ, T., KLJAKOVIĆ GAŠPIĆ, Z., HORVAT, Milena, BARIĆ, A. Biomonitoring of mercury in the Kaštela Bay using transplanted mussels. Sci. total environ. 2000, vol. 261, str. 61-68.
26. QUEVAUVILLER, Philippe, FILIPPELLI, Marco, HORVAT, Milena. Method performance evaluation for methylmercury determination in fish and sediment. TrAC, Trends anal. chem. (Regul. ed.), 2000, vol. 19, str. 157-166.
27. COVELLI, Stefano, FAGANELI, Jadran, HORVAT, Milena, BRAMBATI, Antonio. Mercury contamination of coastal sediments as the result of long-term cinnabar mining activity (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic sea). Appl. geochem., 2001, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 541-558.
28. TUTSCHKU, S., SCHANTS, M. M., HORVAT, Milena, LOGAR, Martina, AKAGI, H., EMONS, H., LEVENSON, M., WISE, S. A. Certification of the methylmercury content in SRM 2977 mussel tissue (organic contaminants and trace elements) and SRM 1566b oyster tissue. Fresenius' j. anal. chem., 2001, vol. 369, str. 364-369.
29. HORVAT, Milena, JEREB, Vesna, FAJON, Vesna, LOGAR, Martina, BONZONGO, Jean-Claude, FAGANELI, Jadran, HINES, Mark E.... Mercury distribution in water, sediment and soil in the Idrijca and Soča river system. RMZ-mater. geoenviron., 2001, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 65-78.
30. LOGAR, Martina, HORVAT, Milena, AKAGI, Hirokatsu, PIHLAR, Boris. Simultaneous determination of inorganic mercury and methylmercury compounds in natural waters. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry, 2002, vol. 374, str. 1015-1021.
31. HORVAT, Milena, JEREB, Vesna, FAJON, Vesna, LOGAR, Martina, KOTNIK, Jože, FAGANELI, Jadran, HINES, M. E., BONZONGO, J.-C. Mercury distribution in water, sediment and soil in the Idrijca and Soča river systems. Geochem., explor. environ. anal., 2002, vol. 2, str. 287-296.
32. BONZONGO, J.-C., LYONS, W. B., HINES, M. E., WARWICK, J. J., FAGANELI, Jadran, HORVAT, Milena, LECHNER, P. J., MILLER, J. R. Mercury in surface waters of three mine-dominated river systems : Idrija river, Slovenia, Carson river, Nevada and Madeira river, Brazilian Amazon. Geochem., explor. environ. anal., 2002, vol. 120, str. 111-120.
33. ARRIBÉRE, M. A., FAJON, Vesna, HORVAT, Milena. Heavy metals in the vicinity of a chlor-alkali factory in the upper Negro River ecosystem, Northern Patagonia, Argentina. Sci. total environ., 2002, vol. 301, str. 187-203.
34. KOTNIK, Jože, HORVAT, Milena, FAJON, Vesna, LOGAR, Martina. Mercury in small freshwater lakes : a case study; Lake Velenje, Slovenia. Water air soil pollut., 2002, vol. 134, str. 319-339.
35. LOJEN, Sonja, OGRINC, Nives, DOLENEC, Tadej. Decomposition of sedimentary organic matter and methane formation in the recent sediment of Lake Bled (Slovenia). Chem. geol., 1999, vol. 159, str. 223-240.
36. ČERMELJ, Branko, OGRINC, Nives, FAGANELI, Jadran. Anoxic mineralization of biogenic debris in near-shore marine sediments (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic). Sci. total environ., 2001, vol. 266, no. 1-3, str. 143-152.
37. OGRINC, Nives, LOJEN, Sonja, FAGANELI, Jadran. A mass balance of carbon stable isotopes in an organic-rich methane-producting lacustrine sediment (Lake Bled, Slovenia). Glob. planet. change., 2002, vol. 33, str. 57-72.
38. OGRINC, Nives, FAGANELI, Jadran. Sources of the dissolved inorganic carbon in shallow coastal waters, Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta, 2002, vol. 66, no. 15A, str. A568.