Abstract
In spite of the still increasing number of engineered nanomaterial (ENM) applications, large knowledge gaps exist with respect to their environmental fate, especially after release into air. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge of emissions and behavior of airborne engineered nanomaterials. The whole ENM lifecycle is considered from the perspective of possible releases into the atmosphere. Although in general, emissions during use phase and end-of-life seem to play a minor role compared to entry into soil and water, accidental and continuous emissions into air can occur especially during production and some use cases such as spray application. Implications of ENMs on the atmosphere as e.g., photo-catalytic properties or the production of reactive oxygen species are reviewed as well as the influence of physical processes and chemical reactions on the ENMs. Experimental studies and different modeling approaches regarding atmospheric transformation and removal are summarized. Some information exists especially for ENMs, but many issues can only be addressed by using data from ultrafine particles as a substitute and research on the specific implications of ENMs in the atmosphere is still needed.
Highlights
Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are one of the subgroups of “nanomaterials” comprising natural and unintentionally produced nanomaterials [1]
Only a small portion of ENMs is assumed to be released into ambient air compared to the other compartments, increasing use of ENMs might result in atmospheric concentrations relevant for climate, health and water, soil or biota after ENM transformation in the atmosphere
Their implications on the atmosphere have to be investigated, as well as transformations occurring in the atmospheric reactor and influencing ENM environmental fate
Summary
Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are one of the subgroups of “nanomaterials” comprising natural and unintentionally produced nanomaterials [1]. Concentrating on properties differing from those of bulk samples rather than on a generalized size range [4], have been proposed These unique properties are inter alia caused by the large percentage of atoms at the surface and an increasing number of crystalline defects with decreasing particle size [4]. This may lead to increased reactivity, high conductivity and exceptional optical properties [5,6,7] making them valuable for numerous applications.
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