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Abstract
Abstract: Currently, thousands of commercially available products contain engineered nanoparticles (ENPs). Because numerous nanoparticles (NPs) are being used in products that will be in contact with water or directly used in water treatment processes, these materials will undoubtedly reside, at least temporarily, in bodies of water. Given the widespread use of NPs and ENPs in consumer goods, a large portion of these materials will soon go into the waste stream, potentially to soil and sediments or added directly to agricultural lands via biosolids. Possible impacts of ENPs on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are of great concern. Preliminary data from several research groups have shown that ENPs may have a direct impact on food safety and the food chain. However, our knowledge about detection and characterization of NPs in the environment, especially aquatic environments, is still in its infancy. This review includes the most recent literature about the methods applied to the measurement of NPs and ENPs in the environment. The review covers methods to determine size distribution, shape, structure, surface charge, chemical composition, surface area, agglomeration, surface chemistry, porosity, and solubility.
Acknowledgment
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Cooperative Agreement Number DBI-0830117. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or the EPA. This work has not been subjected to EPA review and no official endorsement should be inferred. The authors also acknowledge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant numbers 2008-38422-19138 and 2011-38422-30835 and the NSF Grant #CHE-0840525. J. L. Gardea-Torresdey acknowledges the Dudley family for the Endowed Research Professorship in Chemistry. J. A. Hernandez-Viezcas acknowledges the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia of Mexico (CONACyT) for its financial support (Grant No. 131996).