The Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), through its service platform, the Scientific and Technical Services (SCT), presented a proposal for the acquisition of equipment in the competitive call “CERCA GINYS III” approved on December 29, 2023, aimed at the co-financing of scientific infrastructures for cooperative use of CERCA centers, which was successfully successful (resolution 03/05/2024). The selected project corresponded to an Ion Chromatograph with multiple detection: High Resolution Mass Spectrometry, Conductivity and Ultraviolet Visible (IC-HRMS-CD-UV/Vis), which was led by ICRA and endorsed by the Institute of Biomedical Research of Girona (IDIBGI) and the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), thus demonstrating the versatility of the proposal.

The monitoring of polar, persistent and mobile compounds represents an analytical challenge, which often requires intensive sample treatment steps and involves the use of toxic reagents, which extend the analysis process, often provide little quantitative results and move away from the standards of green and more sustainable chemistry. Predominantly, these are emerging pollutants included in current environmental research and monitoring strategies (pesticides, poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), water disinfection by-products such as haloacetic acids, etc.) but at the same time are of interest in other areas of application, such as the clinical (metabolomics). The IC-HRMS-CD-UV/VIS constitutes a crucial tool for the development of these methodologies through a single infrastructure, thus maximizing the return on investment.

The acquisition procedure for the IC-HRMS-CD-UV/VIS is formalized, being Thermo Fisher Scientific, S.L.U. the company awarded the equipment tender, and the service is expected to be operational in the course of 2025.

In short, the new infrastructure will represent an analytical opportunity with a proven uniqueness and impact at both a regional and national level, the shared access to which will make technologically advanced instrumentation available to the research community and the business community.