SUSPECT AND NON-TARGET SCREENING IN SOLID WASTE-RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES. STATUS, CHALLENGES AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

ALTAMIRANO, JORGELINA C.; SHANSHAN, YIN; POMA, GIULIA; COVACI, ADRIAN

2022-01-17/2022-08-23

Química

Sanidad ambiental

Solid waste is an inevitable consequence of urbanization. It can be safely managed within municipal landfills and processing plants to reduce its volume or reuse the materials, including organic solid waste. However, solid waste can also accumulate in dumping sites or unintentionally spread in the environment. Legacy and emerging contaminants can lixiviate from solid waste; thus, it is a possible route to enter the environment. The simultaneous analysis of a wide range of chemical compounds by non-target screening (NTS) and/or suspected screening approaches (SSA) has become an advanced tool in the field of environmental sciences. However, up to now, the application of these analytical approaches to environmental samples associated with raw or processed solid waste (RPSW) has been largely overlooked. In this perspective review, we explored the potential of NTS and/or SSA for the waste management sector and policy makers. We addressed the hurdles associated with the safety of solid waste accumulation, processing, and reuse; and with issues related to landfills´ traceability. Current applications of NTS and/or SSA for the analysis of environmental samples associated with RPSW are presented. We also proposed the plausible application of NTS and SSA previously developed and applied in closely related areas, such as oil field and metabolomics, to the solid waste sector. Even if the broad applicability of NTS and/or SSA approaches is still hampered by technical challenges, we show their high potential when implemented in the processing and managing of the solid waste industry and related scientific areas, as well as a tool to assist regulatory bodies