Monitoring of engineered nanoparticles in soil-plant system: A review

Abstract

Soil and water are the ultimate natural sink for the engineered nanoparticles (ENPs). One of the most significant factors which control the mobility and stability of colloidal suspension in soil along with the absorption, aggregation, and deposition depends on the surface properties of particular ENPs. The size and shape of the ENPs ultimately determine the degree of toxicology. Therefore, monitoring of nanoparticles in soil plant system is not merely essential, but more information is needed on their size allocation and physical properties. Various techniques have been found to be pertinent for ENPs characterization in toxicological and ecotoxicological studies. Information generated from these studies can be helpful in exact risk assessment which can then only be synchronized or used in standard testing. However, there exists a fair amount of demand for development of the newer and sophisticated technologies that can allow simultaneous determination of physical as well as chemical properties of nanoparticles present in the soil and plant samples. In this review, we have highlighted existing as well as promising developments in the area of ENPs detection and quantifications in soil-plant system. Further improvements in the analytical tools will be beneficial to understand the fate and transport of ENPs in soil plant system and nurture awareness of nanoparticle toxicology, their associated benefits and interrelated issues.