Fate, Transport, Exposure, and Life Cycle Assessment - Theme 3 (FT)
Leader: Arturo Keller
The overarching goal of Theme 3 is to generate the experimental data to predict the concentration of nanoparticles (NPs) at which organisms will be exposed to in different environmental compartments, and the NP physicochemical processes that may have environmental implications, such as NP reactivity and its effect on environmental conditions. As with other themes, we have focused our studies on the metal, metal oxide, silica and carbon nanotube (CNT) nanomaterials that have been acquired, synthesized and characterized by Theme 1. To achieve this, we have in the first three years focused on experimental studies to correlate the key parameters that control NP fate and transport processes, such as aggregation, dissolution, attachment to mineral and biological surfaces, persistence, reactivity, and bioaccumulation and bioprocessing, with NP characteristics (measured by Theme 1) and environmental conditions (such as the soil and water chemistry in Theme 4 and 5 studies). As we move forward into year four, we will initiate the generation of life cycle assessments for a few NPs in different applications, beginning with CNTs. In these next two years we also plan to develop methods to measure environmental concentrations of NPs, which will serve to evaluate the predictions made using the Environmental Multimedia Distribution model, developed by Theme 6 using data from Theme 3 and other literature.
1. Role of Material Properties and Environmental Conditions on Nanoparticle Aggregation & Dissolution
2. Attachment of Nanoparticles to Mineral Surfaces Under Different Aqueous Solution Chemistries
3. Quantitative Determination of Fate and Transport of Nanoparticles in Porous Media
4. Effect of Wettability on the Transport and Fate of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles
5. Photoactivity of Nanomaterials in Natural Waters
6. Physicochemical Nano-Bio Interactions at Different Scales that Influence Fate & Transport of Nanoparticles
7. Life-Cycle Assessment of Carbon Nanotubes
