Chapter 5 - Biophysicochemical transformations of ENMs in water

Abstract

Ongoing advances, applications, and discharge of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) into the environment have resulted in the development of nano environmental and nanotoxicological research areas. This research is driven by uncertainties regarding the environmental impact and risk of the ENMs. Specifically, aqueous bodies are the ultimate discharge point where ENMs accumulate. Their fate in aquatic environments depends on numerous factors, including: the parameters of the water matrix, the concentration and properties of the ENMs, and the type of aquatic organisms that get in contact with the ENMs. The understanding of their risk and toxicity for aquatic life continues to grow as new ENMs are designed, applied, and discharged into aqueous systems. The present chapter covers the release, fate, bioavailability, and the chemical and physical transformations of common ENMs found in water matrices. The objective of this chapter is to compile some of the existing results in these research areas in order to shed some light into the life cycle of developed ENMs all the way into their end point.