Dr. Frank Menger
Dr. Frank Menger
Organic Environmental Chemistry
ScientistPhone: +49 (0) 4152 87-2211
Fax: +49 (0) 4152 87-2332
My research focuses on the identification of unknown organic pollutants in the aquatic environment using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Previously, I have developed screening approaches for pesticide transformation products, halogenated pollutants, bioaccumulating chemicals and persistent and mobile organic chemicals. In my current PostDoc position, I became part of the P-LEACH project investigating plastic-leaching chemicals and their effects under real-life conditions. My role is the characterization of the water phase, which includes target analysis as well as the identification of unknown chemicals like UV-degradation products.
My expertise covers the following areas:
- Trace analysis of organic pollutants in the aquatic environment
- High-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-(IM-)QTof, LC-Orbitrap)
- Development of suspect and non-target screening workflows
‘The Unknown’… I keep wondering, what It is… I know, however, that I find It fascinating (and sometimes scary).
Think chemicals, for example - according to the most recent estimates, there are >350,000(!) of them on the global market. Do we know, how many of these thousands and thousands of human-made chemicals end up in the environment? We do not…
That’s where my curiosity kicks in. I want to change that, and I want us to better understand the world of chemicals; where do they come from, what are their effects, should we be concerned and, starting at the beginning, what do they look like?
It is a thrilling feeling to discover new chemicals!
2022
- Conference Poster: Odense (DNK); 29.11.2022 - 30.11.2022The complex PFAS world - Recent discoveries and novel HRMS-based screening toolsMenger, F.; Joerss, H. (2022)
In: NTS workshop on analytical techniques and implementation, Odense (DNK), 29.11.2022 - 30.11.2022,
2021
- Conference Object: Virtual; 03.05.2021 - 06.05.2021Suspect screening of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in German and Chinese river water affected by point sourcesJoerss, H.; Menger, F.; Tang, J.; Ebinghaus, R.; Ahrens, L. (2021)
In: SETAC Europe 31st Annual Meeting, Virtual, 03.05.2021 - 06.05.2021, 
ArticleWhat's in the water? – Target and suspect screening of contaminants of emerging concern in raw water and drinking water from Europe and AsiaTröger, R.; Ren, H.; Yin, D.; Postigo, C.; Nguyen, P.; Baduel, C.; Golovko, O.; Been, F.; Joerss, H.; Boleda, M.; Polesello, S.; Roncoroni, M.; Taniyasu, S.; Menger, F.; Ahrens, L.; Lai, F.; Wiberg, K. (2021)
In: Water Research, Vol. 198, 117099.
Link to publisher Publications of previous work
- Menger, F.; Celma, A.; Schymanski, E. L.; Lai, F. Y.; Bijlsma, L.; Wiberg, K.; Hernández, F.; Sancho, J. V.; Ahrens, L. Enhancing Spectral Quality in Complex Environmental Matrices: Supporting Suspect and Non-Target Screening in Zebra Mussels with Ion Mobility. Environment International 2022, 170, 107585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107585.
- Joerss, H.; Menger, F.; Tang, J.; Ebinghaus, R.; Ahrens, L. Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg: Suspect Screening Reveals Point Source-Specific Patterns of Emerging and Novel Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in German and Chinese Rivers. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 56 (9), 5456–5465. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c07987.
- Dürig, W.; Alygizakis, N. A.; Menger, F.; Golovko, O.; Wiberg, K.; Ahrens, L. Novel Prioritisation Strategies for Evaluation of Temporal Trends in Archived White-Tailed Sea Eagle Muscle Tissue in Non-Target Screening. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2022, 424, 127331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127331.
- Celma, A.; Gago-Ferrero, P.; Golovko, O.; Hernández, F.; Lai, F. Y.; Lundqvist, J.; Menger, F.; Sancho, J. V.; Wiberg, K.; Ahrens, L.; Bijlsma, L. Are Preserved Coastal Water Bodies in Spanish Mediterranean Basin Impacted by Human Activity? Water Quality Evaluation Using Chemical and Biological Analyses. Environment International 2022, 165, 107326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107326.
- Mohammed Taha, H.; Aalizadeh, R.; Alygizakis, N.; Antignac, J.-P.; Arp, H. P. H.; Bade, R.; Baker, N.; Belova, L.; Bijlsma, L.; Bolton, E. E.; Brack, W.; Celma, A.; Chen, W.-L.; Cheng, T.; Chirsir, P.; Čirka, Ľ.; D’Agostino, L. A.; Djoumbou Feunang, Y.; Dulio, V.; Fischer, S.; Gago-Ferrero, P.; Galani, A.; Geueke, B.; Głowacka, N.; Glüge, J.; Groh, K.; Grosse, S.; Haglund, P.; Hakkinen, P. J.; Hale, S. E.; Hernandez, F.; Janssen, E. M.-L.; Jonkers, T.; Kiefer, K.; Kirchner, M.; Koschorreck, J.; Krauss, M.; Krier, J.; Lamoree, M. H.; Letzel, M.; Letzel, T.; Li, Q.; Little, J.; Liu, Y.; Lunderberg, D. M.; Martin, J. W.; McEachran, A. D.; McLean, J. A.; Meier, C.; Meijer, J.; Menger, F.; Merino, C.; Muncke, J.; Muschket, M.; Neumann, M.; Neveu, V.; Ng, K.; Oberacher, H.; O’Brien, J.; Oswald, P.; Oswaldova, M.; Picache, J. A.; Postigo, C.; Ramirez, N.; Reemtsma, T.; Renaud, J.; Rostkowski, P.; Rüdel, H.; Salek, R. M.; Samanipour, S.; Scheringer, M.; Schliebner, I.; Schulz, W.; Schulze, T.; Sengl, M.; Shoemaker, B. A.; Sims, K.; Singer, H.; Singh, R. R.; Sumarah, M.; Thiessen, P. A.; Thomas, K. V.; Torres, S.; Trier, X.; van Wezel, A. P.; Vermeulen, R. C. H.; Vlaanderen, J. J.; von der Ohe, P. C.; Wang, Z.; Williams, A. J.; Willighagen, E. L.; Wishart, D. S.; Zhang, J.; Thomaidis, N. S.; Hollender, J.; Slobodnik, J.; Schymanski, E. L. The NORMAN Suspect List Exchange (NORMAN-SLE): Facilitating European and Worldwide Collaboration on Suspect Screening in High Resolution Mass Spectrometry. Environ Sci Eur 2022, 34 (1), 104. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-022-00680-6.
- Menger, F.; Boström, G.; Jonsson, O.; Ahrens, L.; Wiberg, K.; Kreuger, J.; Gago-Ferrero, P. Identification of Pesticide Transformation Products in Surface Water Using Suspect Screening Combined with National Monitoring Data. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2021, 55 (15), 10343–10353. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c00466.
- Menger, F.; Ahrens, L.; Wiberg, K.; Gago-Ferrero, P. Suspect Screening Based on Market Data of Polar Halogenated Micropollutants in River Water Affected by Wastewater. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2021, 401, 123377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123377.
- Tröger, R.; Ren, H.; Yin, D.; Postigo, C.; Nguyen, P. D.; Baduel, C.; Golovko, O.; Been, F.; Joerss, H.; Boleda, M. R.; Polesello, S.; Roncoroni, M.; Taniyasu, S.; Menger, F.; Ahrens, L.; Yin Lai, F.; Wiberg, K. What’s in the Water? – Target and Suspect Screening of Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Raw Water and Drinking Water from Europe and Asia. Water Research 2021, 198, 117099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117099.
- Schulze, B.; van Herwerden, D.; Allan, I.; Bijlsma, L.; Etxebarria, N.; Hansen, M.; Merel, S.; Vrana, B.; Aalizadeh, R.; Bajema, B.; Dubocq, F.; Coppola, G.; Fildier, A.; Fialová, P.; Frøkjær, E.; Grabic, R.; Gago-Ferrero, P.; Gravert, T.; Hollender, J.; Huynh, N.; Jacobs, G.; Jonkers, T.; Kaserzon, S.; Lamoree, M.; Le Roux, J.; Mairinger, T.; Margoum, C.; Mascolo, G.; Mebold, E.; Menger, F.; Miège, C.; Meijer, J.; Moilleron, R.; Murgolo, S.; Peruzzo, M.; Pijnappels, M.; Reid, M.; Roscioli, C.; Soulier, C.; Valsecchi, S.; Thomaidis, N.; Vulliet, E.; Young, R.; Samanipour, S. Inter-Laboratory Mass Spectrometry Dataset Based on Passive Sampling of Drinking Water for Non-Target Analysis. Sci Data 2021, 8 (1), 223. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-01002-w.
- Menger, F.; Gago-Ferrero, P.; Wiberg, K.; Ahrens, L. Wide-Scope Screening of Polar Contaminants of Concern in Water: A Critical Review of Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry-Based Strategies. Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry 2020, 28, e00102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teac.2020.e00102.
- Menger, F.; Pohl, J.; Ahrens, L.; Carlsson, G.; Örn, S. Behavioural Effects and Bioconcentration of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Embryos. Chemosphere 2020, 245, 125573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125573.