TecEUS is completed: Final project report submitted

As TecEUS officially concluded in March, the final project report was submitted to the FWF in the end of June. This report provided an opportunity to reflect on the main outcomes of the project, including scientific achievements, career development of the participants, and public outreach. TecEUS produced eight peer-reviewed research articles, with two more currently under review after major revisions and one in preparation. Additionally, the project resulted in two completed Habilitation theses, one Habilitation thesis under review, one completed PhD thesis, two PhD theses under review, one ongoing PhD thesis, four MSc theses (one more ongoing), and three BSc theses.

The project demonstrated the presence of TCEs in urban dust associated with human activities, underscoring the need to include TCEs in environmental monitoring plans. Material flow analysis linked TCE stocks in vehicles and renewable energy technologies to environmental and human health concerns, highlighting the importance of circular economy strategies in reducing TCE demand and dissipation. Significant methodological innovations were achieved, including the development of a rapid and robust procedure for measuring TCEs in plant samples and the creation of a mobile wind tunnel module for real-condition experiments on particulate matter accumulation on green infrastructures. These advancements have laid the groundwork for future research on TCE emissions.

Public outreach was a key component of TecEUS, with the project featured at Kinderuni, the Vienna Research Festival, and Biotope City lectures. The project engaged regional stakeholders and promoted public health by sharing food safety findings with urban gardeners. It also identified gaps in current methodologies, emphasizing the need for certified reference materials and better datasets for background TCE levels in pristine sites.

In summary, TecEUS has significantly advanced the scientific understanding of TCE dynamics in urban environments, impacted the careers of its participants, and engaged the public through extensive outreach activities. The project’s outcomes provide a solid foundation for future research in the field of environmental TCE analysis.