Department for physical-chemical research

Dr. Elizabeta Veljanoska-Sarafiloska Senior Fellow

Silvana Vasilevska Junior Research Assistant

The Department for physical-chemical research studies the physical and chemical characteristics of inland water ecosystems (natural waters, rivers, reservoirs), fisheries, water systems and more. From its beginning, the Department conducted the following physicochemical parameters: temperature, smell, taste, color, transparency, amount of dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, acidity and basicity of the water, the water hardness, the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus chlorides and sulfates, iron and manganese, suspended solids of organic and inorganic origin and others. Chemical indicators provide consistent information about the quality of natural waters so in practice the most widely used. Recently, with the development of the industry and climate changes, there is a need for analysis of various other toxic compounds and radioactive substances, such as resistant organic contaminants (organochlorine pesticides) and heavy metals present in the water, sediment, soil, flora and fauna.

Today, in their determination to monitor and protect the environment, the Department introduced new parameters and modern methods. For analysis of different samples, the Department possesses sophisticated equipment, such as: instrument for gas chromatography, liquid chromatography instrument, instrument for total organic carbon, instrument for atomic emission spectrometry and others. Nutrient load of the water is determined with spectrophotometry (spectrophotometer UV-VIS model SP-8001 and SPECORD 10 (Zeiss)). Much of the work of the Department takes place on the field with automated field devices.

The Department currently employs Dr. Elizabeta Veljanoska-Sarafiloska, Senior Fellow and Silvana Vasilevska, Junior Research Assistant.