Koen Parmentier

Koen Parmentier is a senior scientist and the national expert for marine pollution. He has experience in analytical chemistry in water, biota, sediment and passive samplers for metals and organic contaminants. He is familiar with ocean acidification and eutrophication parameters. Moreover, he has worked on fisheries genetics and seawater microbiology.

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Function

Koen Parmentier is the Head of the laboratory ECOCHEM, ISO1702:2017 certified for especially marine chemistry, and mandated to provide Belgian monitoring data for the international reporting under WFD, MSFD and OSPAR. Organic analysis focuses on PCBs, PBDEs, PAHs and especially organotin and TNT-like compounds. Inorganic analysis focuses on all nutrients and physico-chemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, salinity, SPM)and chlorophylls, for all the lab is state-of-the-art. Recent developments allow Ocean Acidification (OA) parameters (pH, Total Alkalinity and Dissolved Inorganic Carbon) to be measured up to high standards with an automated method.

Research team: ECOCHEM
Research theme: Science for a sustainable marine management

Current Project(s)

The project Paardenmarkt studies the release of explosives on the WWI ammunition dumping site "Paardenmarkt", just in front of the coast of Knokke and Heist and measures them in the top sediment layer, porewater and seawater, the partner DLD focuses on Chemical Warfare agents (CWA).

In the FSR project DISARM, ECOCHEM has the same task, but the project is larger, looking at corrosion, explosion risk, microbiological degradation of ammunition compounds, groundwater intrusion and modelling.
The EU Interreg project REMARCO focuses on the risk of UXO present in wrecks in the North Sea, and has German and Dutch partners as well as a Danish interest. The risk for the food chain, posed by these compounhds, will be studued.

The ICOS.BE project is a Belspo funded ESFRI, focussing on the continuous follow-up of OA parameters onboard of the R.V. Belgica, to classify it as a Class II and ev. Class II ICOS station.
In collaboration with UGent C-MET, a Fed-tWIN researcher started to study microbiological degration in the marine environment, to identify microorganisms responsible for the process and how they can be stimulated, to discover the pathways of degradation and if these offers extra environmental tisk and thus require more intensive follow-up.

Area of Expertise

Koen Parmentier has expertise in a variety of different methodologies: HPLC-UVF, GC-ECD, GC-MS for organics analysis, several electrodes for selective measurements, CFA and EA for nutrient analysis and OA parameters, (ultra)filtration technology, NASBA, PCR and RT-PCR for genetics analysis and species identification, AAS, GF-AAS, ICP-OES and ICP-MS for metal analysis. The research interest is mainly in, but not restricted to, coastal and shelf sea areas and the estuarine transition zone.

External activities

Koen Parmentier has been chairing the ICES Marine Chemistry Working Group since 2015, an expert reviewing the state-of-the-art in marine monitoring in seawater, sediment, biota and passive samplers, with emphasis on Quality Assurance of the results, follow-up of compounds of emerging concern, trophic distribution and the impact of human activities at sea. He is Head of Delegation for Belgium's participation in OSPAR HASEC (Hazardous Substances and Eutrophication Committee), Working Group on Monitoring and on Trends and Effects of Substances in the Marine Environment (MIME) and other Intersessional Correspondence groups. These groups greatly authored the chemical impact section of the QSR2023.

Professional Experience

Koen Parmentier accomplished a PhD in biogeochemistry of trace metals in the Scheldt estuary and the Belgian Part of the North Sea, reoriented towards monitoring of biota and sediment for organics and the effects on fish quality, and is now focusing on all compartments (seawater, sediment, biota and passive samplers) for a variety of compounds, both organic and inorganic. He has contributed to several major project, was coordinator of the Belspo project NewSTHEPS that investigated alternative monitoring techniques. After regularly participating in "Paardenmarkt" studies and functioning as a subcontractor to the Interreg project "North Sea wrecks", he leads the partnership of the Institute in the FWO-SBO project DISARM and the Interreg project REMARCO, all focussing on ultra-trace analysis of ammunition in the marine environment, and their effects. Recently, the potential of microbiota in beating marine pollution was added.

At the inorganic chemistry side, he leads a state-of-the-art lab in analysis of nutrients and OA parameters, where he acts as the lead of the Belspo ESFRI project ICOS.BE.

Dissemination activities

The OSPAR QSR 2023

European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Tornero, V., Hanke, G., Haber, A., et al., Guidance on potential exclusion of certain WFD priority substances from MSFD monitoring beyond coastal and territorial waters : a pragmatic and qualitative approach for the open sea, Publications Office, 2021

Dwiyitno D, Hoffman S, Parmentier K, Keer CV. (2021). Universal primer design for crustacean and bivalve-mollusc authenticity based on cytochrome-b gene. Biodiversitas 23: 17-24.

Parmentier, K., Adamopoulou, A., Roose, P., Baetens, K., Lacroix G., Moeris, S., Hansul, S., De Schamphelaere, K., Vanryckeghem, F., Demeestere, K., Van Langenhove, H., Vanhaecke, L., Huysman, S., Gaulier, C., Guo, W., Baeyens, W., Gao Y., Smedes, F. (2020). New Strategies for monitoring and risk assessment of Hazardous chemicals in the marine Environment with Passive Samplers. Final Report. Brussels : Belgian Science Policy Office 2020 – 136 p. (BRAIN-be - (Belgian Research Action through Interdisciplinary Networks))

Hassellöv, I.M., Koski, M., Broeg, K., Marin-Enriquez, O., Tronczynski, J., Dulière, V., Murray, C., Bailey, S., Redfern, J., de Jong, K., Ponzevera, E., Belzunce-Segarra, M.J., Mason, C., Iacarella, J.C., Lyons, B., Fernandes, J.A. and Parmentier, K. 2020. ICES Viewpoint background document: Impact from exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers) on the marine environment (Ad hoc). ICES Scientific Reports. 2:86. 40 pp.

Publication highlights

Kundu K., Van Landuyt J., Mattelin V., Martin B., Neyts M., Parmentier K., Boon N. (2023). Enhanced removal of warfare agent tri-nitro-toluene by a Methylophaga-dominated microbiome, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Vol. 190, 114866, ISSN 0025-326X.

De Witte B., Coleman B., Bekaert K., Boitsov S., Botelho M. J., Castro-Jiménez J., et al. (2022). Threshold values on environmental chemical contaminants in seafood in the European economic area. Food Control 138, 108978.

Parmentier, K., Verhaegen Y., De Witte, B., Hoffman, S., Delbare, D., Roose, P., Hylland, K., Burgeot, T., Smagghe G., Cooreman K. (2019). Tributyltin: A Bottom–Up Regulator of the Crangon crangon Population? Front. Mar. Sci. 6: 633 (2019).

Verhaegen Y., Monteyne E., Neudecker T., Tulp I., Smagghe G., Cooreman K., Roose P. and Parmentier K., 2012. Organotins in North Sea brown shrimp (Crangon crangon L.) after implementation of the TBT ban. Chemosphere, 86: 979-984.

Larsen M., Sondergaard J., Asmund G., Parmentier K., Vermaercke P., 2011. Chapter IV: Trace Elements. In: Quevauvillier Ph., Roose P., Verreet G., (Ed.). Chemical Marine Monitoring: Policy Framework and Analytical Trends, Wiley Publications (ISBN 978-0-470-74765-0), 2011: 71-99.