15 - Analytical techniques for detection of nanomaterials in soil–plant system

Abstract

In recent years, the production and widespread use of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) have raised widespread concerns about the risks associated with their environmental exposure. The uptake, translocation, transformation, and fate of NMs in the environment are gradually becoming the field of interest for most scholars. In order to obtain objective knowledge, the comprehensive information, such as the size distribution, concentration, speciation, and locations of NMs in soil-plant system, is needed, and this presents an unprecedented challenge to analytical techniques. This chapter will summarize the traditional and state-of-the-art techniques/methods that have been used for detection and quantification of NMs in soil–plant system. The current applications of analytical techniques for the detection and quantification of NMs in soil–plant system are addressed. In addition, the limitations and challenges of qualitative and quantitative analysis for complicated environmental samples are discussed, and future research are proposed.