Core B: Natural and Incidental Nanomaterials in the Environment

Natural and incidental nanomaterials are ubiquitous in the environment and their impacts must be considered relative to manufactured nanomaterials.

Goals: 

The goals of Core B are to 1) determine characteristics of natural and incidental nanomaterials in the environment, 2) to identify the principal nanometer-scale structural and reactivity differences between natural and synthetic nanomaterials of the same chemical composition, and 3) to refine methods for measuring NPs in the environment. Using asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF4) and SEC with in-line DLS, QELS, and ICP-MS detectors in addition to analytical TEM, and x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy the abundance of natural NPs in various environments are characterized and methods developed to trace NPs in the environment to their most likely origin.

Selected Publications

B. P. Espinasse, Geitner, N. K. , Schierz, A. , Therezien, M. , Richardson, C. J. , Lowry, G. V. , Ferguson, L. , and Wiesner, M. R. , “Comparative Persistence of Engineered Nanoparticles in a Complex Aquatic Ecosystem”, Environmental Science & Technology, 2018.
M. E. Vance, Pegues, V. , Van Montfrans, S. , Leng, W. , and Marr, L. C. , “Aerosol emissions from fuse-deposition modeling 3D printers in a chamber and in real indoor environments”, Environmental Science and TechnologyEnvironmental Science and Technology, vol. 51, pp. 9516-9523, 2017.
J. G. Dale, Cox, S. S. , Vance, M. E. , Marr, L. C. , and Hochella, M. F. , “Transformation of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles from a Diesel Fuel Additive during Combustion in a Diesel Engine”, Environmental Science & TechnologyEnvironmental Science & Technology, 2017.
J. Xu, Murayama, M. , Roco, C. M. , Veeramani, H. , F Michel, M. , J Rimstidt, D. , Winkler, C. , and Hochella, M. F. , “Highly-defective nanocrystals of ZnS formed via dissimilatory bacterial sulfate reduction: A comparative study with their abiogenic analogues”, Geochimica et Cosmochimica ActaGeochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 180, pp. 1-14, 2016.
Y. Yang, Vance, M. , Tou, F. , Tiwari, A. , Liu, M. , and Hochella, M. F. , “Nanoparticles in road dust from impervious urban surfaces: distribution, identification, and environmental implications”, Environmental Science: NanoEnvironmental Science: Nano, vol. 3, pp. 534-544, 2016.
M. Schindler and Hochella, M. F. , “Nanomineralogy as a new dimension in understanding elusive geochemical processes in soils: The case of low-solubility-index elements”, GeologyGeology, vol. 44, no. 7, pp. 515-518, 2016.
M. Baalousha, Yang, Y. , Vance, M. E. , Colman, B. P. , McNeal, S. , Xu, J. , Blaszczak, J. , Steele, M. , Bernhardt, E. , and Hochella, M. F. , “Outdoor urban nanomaterials: The emergence of a new, integrated, and critical field of study”, Science of The Total EnvironmentScience of The Total Environment, vol. 557, pp. 740-753, 2016.
M. Schindler, Lanteigne, S. , McDonald, A. M. , and Hochella, M. F. , “Evidence of Cu-and Ni-bearing surface precipitates and adsorption complexes In remediated soils at the nanoscale: A TEM micro-Raman, and laser-ablation ICP-MS study of mineral surface coatings”, The Canadian MineralogistThe Canadian Mineralogist, vol. 54, pp. 285-309, 2016.
B. Kim, Miller, J. H. , Monsegue, N. , Levard, C. , Hong, Y. , Hull, M. S. , Murayama, M. , Jr, G. E. Brown, Vikesland, P. J. , and Knocke, W. R. , “Silver sulfidation in thermophilic anaerobic digesters and effects on antibiotic resistance genes”, Environmental Engineering ScienceEnvironmental Engineering Science, vol. 33, pp. 1-10, 2016.
C. O. Hendren, Lowry, G. V. , Unrine, J. M. , and Wiesner, M. R. , “A functional assay-based strategy for nanomaterial risk forecasting”, Science of The Total Environment, 2015.

Highlights