Abstract
Wastewater treatment is one of the main end-of-life scenarios, as well as a possible reentry point into the environment, for anthropogenic nanoparticles (NP). These can be released from consumer products such as sunscreen or antibacterial clothing, from health-related applications or from manufacturing processes such as the use of polishing materials (nCeO2) or paints (nTiO2). The use of NP has dramatically increased over recent years and initial studies have examined the possibility of toxic or environmentally hazardous effects of these particles, as well as their behavior when released. This study focuses on the fate of nTiO2 and nCeO2 during the wastewater treatment process using lab scale wastewater treatment systems to simulate the NP mass flow in the wastewater treatment process. The feasibility of single particle mass spectroscopy (sp-ICP-MS) was tested to determine the NP load. The results show that nTiO2 and nCeO2 are adsorbed to at least 90 percent of the sludge. Furthermore, the results indicate that there are processes during the passage of the treatment system that lead to a modification of the NP shape in the effluent, as NP are observed to be partially smaller in effluent than in the added solution. This observation was made particularly for nCeO2 and might be due to dissolution processes or sedimentation of larger particles during the passage of the treatment system.
Highlights
Recent global challenges, such as climate change adaptation and the transition to green energy, can only be overcome using innovative new technologies such as nanotechnology
In sp-ICP-MS, the solution is diluted to such a degree and the dwell time of the measurements is reduced, such that only a single particle is measured at each step
Since the background level of cerium is negligible in contrast to that of titanium, this comparison
Summary
Recent global challenges, such as climate change adaptation and the transition to green energy, can only be overcome using innovative new technologies such as nanotechnology. NP are materials in which 50 percent or more of the particles have one or more dimensions between 1 nm and 100 nm, often exhibiting vastly different properties than bulk materials. There are carbon NPs (fullerenes, carbon nanotubes), metal NPs (Ag, Au), metal oxide NPs (TiO2 , CeO2 ), and polymeric NPs [1]. Because of their special antibacterial, photocatalytic, mechanical, electronic and biological properties, NPs made of silver (nAg), titanium dioxide (nTiO2 ), zinc oxide (nZnO) and cerium oxide (nCeO2 ) are used as substantial components of personal care products, pharmaceuticals, paints, electronic devices, energy storage, coatings and new environmental engineering technologies [2,3,4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
