The mechanisms and environmental implications of engineered nanoparticles dispersion

Di Zhang; Junke Qiu; Lin Shi; Yang Liu; Bo Pan; Baoshan Xing

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137781

The mechanisms and environmental implications of engineered nanoparticles dispersion

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Jun 20:722:137781. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137781. Epub 2020 Mar 13.

Authors

Di Zhang¹, Junke Qiu¹, Lin Shi¹, Yang Liu¹, Bo Pan², Baoshan Xing³

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan Key Lab of Soil Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control, Kunming 650500, China.
² Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan Key Lab of Soil Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control, Kunming 650500, China. Electronic address: panbocai@aliyun.com.
³ Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, United States. Electronic address: bx@umass.edu.

PMID: 32199363
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137781

Abstract

Dispersion of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) has drawn special research attentions because the environmental behavior, risks, and applications of ENPs are greatly dependent on their dispersing status. This review summarizes the latest research progress of dispersion mechanisms, environmental applications in contaminants adsorption, and toxicity of ENPs dispersed in liquid and in solid matrix (3D-ENPs). Dispersion mechanisms of ENPs, including steric hindrance, electrostatic repulsion and "micelle wrapping" are well understood in single dispersing agent, however, the prediction of ENPs dispersion in real environments is not straightforward because of the diversity of structures, components, and properties of natural organic molecule mixtures. The adsorption characteristics, depending on the exposed surface areas in liquid, are significantly different between dispersed and aggregated ENPs. Comparing with the aggregated ENPs, the toxicity of dispersed ENPs is generally enhanced due to the increased uptake, released metal ions, carried contaminants, and induced ROS. 3D-ENPs not only inherit the excellent adsorption performance of ENPs dispersed in liquid, but also are beneficial to the separation and recycle from aqueous solutions due to their 3D rigid structures. However, the adsorption mechanisms as affected by environmental conditions are still unclear. Additionally, the potential risks of 3D-ENPs should be paid more attentions, with an emphasis on free radicals and stability of 3D structure.

Keywords: Adsorption; Application; Dispersion; Engineered nanoparticles; Toxicity.

Publication types

Review