During 01-04 September 2021, the 17th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology (CEST2021) was successfully held in Athens as a hybrid event. Organized by the Global Network of Environmental Science and Technology jointly with the University of the Aegean (Greece) and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece) and academically supported by the University of Salerno (Italy), University of Cincinnati (USA) and Imperial College London (UK), this year the conference included 58 sessions conducted either physically at the central building of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Propylaia) or virtually. The sessions covered 28 unique scientific topics with around 700 oral, flash and poster presentations.

Besides co-organizing and attending the conference, TrAMS group participated in 6 sessions with 22 presentations. Scientific results of several environmental research projects of the group in collaboration with national and European institutes and universities were displayed in the conference.

The TrAMS group leader Professor Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, as a core member of CEST Organizing Committee, introduced “The role of Analytical Sciences and wastewater-based epidemiology under COVID-19 pandemic” at the Conference Opening Ceremony and was a co-convener of ‘Wastewater-Based Epidemiology to Monitor COVID-19 Outbreak: Present and Future Diagnostic Methods to be in Your Radar’ workshop. Moreover, Professor Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika and Dr. Pablo Gago-Ferrero (a former member of our group) chaired the three sessions of ‘Emerging Pollutants’.

TrAMS group post-doctoral researchers, Ph.D. candidates, M.Sc. students or other collaborators presented the following research projects:

Session: Wastewater-Based Epidemiology to Monitor COVID-19 Outbreak: Present and Future Diagnostic Methods to be in Your Radar

  • SARS-Cov-2 in wastewater: a seven-month period of monitoring infection dynamic in Athens (flash & poster presentation, CEST ID: 842)

Ms. Aikaterini Kontou, Ms. Aikaterini Galani, Dr. Marios Kostakis, Dr. Athina Markou, Prof. Evi Lianidou, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Determination of SARS-Cov-2 in wastewater: Approaches, gaps and future perspectives (oral presentation)

Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

 

Session: Emerging Pollutants

 

  • Development and validation of a novel analytical protocol for the simultaneous determination of organic micropollutants in biota specimens by GC-APCI-QToF MS (oral presentation, CEST ID: 826)

Ms. Anastasia Orfanioti, Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Dr. Maria Christina Nika, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Investigation of the influence of environmentally relevant pH values in the toxicity of the b-blocker Metoprolol in zebrafish (Danio Rerio) embryos through toxicokinetic approaches (uptake, bioaccumulation, and biotransformation) (oral presentation, CEST ID: 828)

Ms. Vasiliki Tzepkinli, Ms. Eleni Panagopoulou, Mr. Dimitrios E. Damalas , Dr. Reza Aalizadeh, Dr. Mona Schweizer, Dr. Heinz-R Kohler, Dr. Peter C. Von der Ohe, Dr. Rita Triebskorn, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Assessment of the pH-effect on the toxicity, uptake & biotransformation of Fluoxetine in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos by LC-ESI-QTOFMS (flash & poster presentation, CEST ID: 827)

Ms. Eleni Panagopoulou, Ms. Vasiliki Tzepkinli, Mr. Dimitrios E. Damalas, Dr. Reza Aalizadeh, Dr. Mona Schweizer, Dr. Heinz-R Kohler, Dr. Peter C. Von der Ohe, Dr. Rita Triebskorn, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Water quality monitoring in the Dnieper River Basin using advanced analytical methodologies (flash & poster presentation, CEST ID: 832)

Ms. Konstantina Diamanti, Dr. Maria Christina Nika, Dr. Nikiforos Alygizakis, Dr. Marios Kostakis, Mrs. Anastasia Koupa, Dr. Peter Oswald, Prof. Lubos Cirka, Dr. Jaroslav Slobodnik, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Revealing the presence of >2,400 emerging contaminants in raptor egg specimens from Germany employing a novel analytical HRMS methodology (oral presentation, CEST ID: 855)

Ms. Antonia Athanasopoulou, Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Mr. Konstantinos Vasilatos, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Dr. Raphaela Osterauer, Prof Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Occurrence and potential accumulation of pharmaceuticals in agricultural soils treated with wastewater under real-world environmental conditions in Cyprus (flash & poster presentation, CEST ID: 250)

Ms. Vasiliki G. Beretsou, Mr. Iakovos Iakovides, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Dr. Anastasis Christou, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Dr. Despo Fatta-Kassinos

  • High Resolution Mass Spectrometric non-target screening and wide-scope target analysis of emerging contaminants and target analysis of legacy contaminants in adult black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa in the Netherlands (flash & poster presentation, CEST ID: 634)

Dr. Paola Movalli, Prof. Theunis Piersma, Dr. Jos Hooijmeijer, Dr. Anne Dekinga, Dr. Ruth Howison, Dr. Rene Dekker, Dr. Nikiforos Alygizakis, Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Dr. Marios Kostakis, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Current challenges and future perspectives on the use of contaminant data from apex predators for chemicals hazard prioritization (flash & poster presentation, CEST ID: 609)

Mr. Kevin Bauer, Dr. Nikiforos Alygizakis, Mr. Alexander Badry, Dr. Alessandra Cincinelli, Dr. Daniela Claßen, Dr. Rene Dekker, Dr. Wiebke Drost, Dr. Guy Duke, Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Dr. Natalia Glowacka, Dr. Burkhard Knopf, Mr. Jan Koschorreck, Dr. Tania Martellini, Dr. Paola Movalli, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Ms. Varvara Nikolopoulou, Dr. Heinz Rüdel, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Dr. Lee Walker, Dr. Jaroslav Slobodnik

  • Determination of 56 perfluoroalkyl acids and precursors in top predators and their prey from Northern Europe by LC-MS/MS (oral presentation, CEST ID: 712)

Mr. Andreas F. Androulakakis, Dr. Nikiforos Alygizakis, Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Ms. Varvara Nikolopoulou, Ms. Erasmia Bizani A., Prof. E. Chadwick, Dr. Alessandra Cincinelli, Dr. Daniela Claßen, Dr. S. Danielsson, Dr. Rene Dekker, Dr. Guy Duke, Dr. Natalia Glowacka, Dr. H. Jansman, Dr. O. Krone, Dr. Tania Martellini, Dr. Paola Movalli, Dr. S. Persson, Dr. A. Roos, Dr. E. O’Rourk, Prof. U. Siebert, Mrs. Gabriele Treu, Mr. N. van den Brink, Dr. L. Walker, Dr. Jaroslav Slobodnik, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Investigating the accumulation of 115 pharmaceutical compounds in the water-soil-plant continuum and the leaching potential using lysimeters irrigated with wastewater from a CAS and MBR system, under real-field conditions (oral presentation, CEST ID: 217)

Mr. Iakovos Iakovides, Ms. Vasiliki Beretsou G., Dr. Anastasis Christou, Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Dr. Despo Fatta-Kassinos

  • Quantitative target screening and soil bioavailability assessment as tools to assess risks associated with wastewater reuse for irrigation (oral presentation, CEST ID: 259)

Ms. Vasiliki G. Beretsou, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Dr. Kyriakos Manoli, Prof. Lian Lundy, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Prof. Mike Revitt D., Dr. Despo Fatta-Kassinos

  • Investigation of the presence of organic micropollutants in biota specimens from the Antarctica ecosystem using state-of-the-art wide-scope target and suspect HRMS methodologies (poster presentation, CEST ID: 825)

Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Dr. Maria Christina Nika, Mr. Konstantinos Vasilatos, Ms. Anastasia Orfanioti, Ms. Antonia Athanasopoulou, Dr. Nikiforos Alygizakis, Dr. Peter Oswald, Dr. Jaroslav Slobodnik, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Patterns of drug use and chemical exposure in Athens (Greece) during COVID-19 pandemic using wastewater-based epidemiology (poster presentation, CEST ID: 841)

Mrs. Eleni Aleiferi, Mrs. Aikaterini Galani, Mrs. Aikaterini Kontou, Ms. Aglaia Gkogkou, Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Dr. Nikiforos Alygizakis, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Investigating the impact of landfill leachates in groundwater quality through the monitoring of multiclass emerging contaminants by LC-HRMS (poster presentation, CEST ID: 822)

Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Mr. Georgios Gkotsis, Mr. Konstantinos Vasilatos, Ms. Aglaia Gkogkou, Prof. Athanasios Stasinakis S, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

  • Toxicity, uptake, and biotransformation assessment of zebrafish embryos exposed to tetracaine, under different pH values, utilizing embryotoxicity and LC-HRMS (poster presentation, CEST ID: 845)

Mr. Dimitrios E. Damalas, Mrs. Eleni Panagopoulou, Mrs. Eleni Aleiferi, Mrs. Vasiliki Tzepkinli, Dr. Reza Aalizadeh, Dr. Mona Schweizer, Mrs. Julia Kuttler, Dr. Heinz-R Kohler, Dr. Peter C. Von der Ohe, Dr. Rita Triebskorn, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

Session: Advanced Oxidation Processes

  • Sonolytic and hybrid-sonolytic degradation of 6-hydroxy-methyl uracil, a model compound for the study of cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin (flash & poster presentation, CEST ID: 824)

Ms. Maria Voumvouraki, Mr. Evangelos Synefakis, Dr. Christophoros E. Christophoridis, Dr. Erasmia A. Bizani, Dr. Anastasia Hiskia, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

Session: Environmental Health

  • Evaluation of the human exposure to a broad spectrum of organic chemicals and the potential use of sewage sludge to prioritize hazardous substances (oral presentation, CEST ID: 201)

Mr. Rubén Gil-Solsona, Dr. Maria-Christina Nika, Dr. Nikiforos Alygizakis, Mr. Mariona Bustamante, Mr. Cristina M. Villanueva, Mr. Maria Foraster, Mr. Maria Dolores Gómez-Roig, Mr. Elisa Llurba-Olive, Mr. Jordi Sunyer, Mr. Payam Dadvand, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Mr. Pablo Gago-Ferrero.

Session: Innovative Environmental Solutions

  • Advanced Screening Methodologies for the Comprehensive Monitoring of Intentionally & Non-Intentionally Added Substances in Next Generation Food Contact Materials (oral presentation, CEST ID: 700)

Dr. Chrysoula Kanakaki, Ms. Eleftheria Mermingi, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis

Session: Environmental Biotechnology and Bioenergy

  • Production and characterization of microalgal biomass from dairy wastewater (flash & poster presentation, CEST ID: 228)

Ms. Athanasia Iliopoulou, Dr. Eirini Zkeri, Dr. Maria Aloupi, Dr. Marilena Dasenaki, Prof. Michalis S. Fountoulakis S, Prof. Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Prof. Athanasios Stasinakis S, Ms. Anthi Panara