This document summarizes research on the contamination of the environment by nanoparticles. It discusses how various nanoparticles like zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, silver and silica can end up in water, soil and air. Studies show these nanoparticles can inhibit plant growth, reduce phytoplankton populations, impact aquatic life like zebrafish embryos, and reduce microbial activity in soil. Long term exposure of soil to low doses of silver nanoparticles was found to decrease the biomass of some plant species and change the soil microbe community. More research is still needed to understand the ecological effects of nanoparticle pollution and develop monitoring schemes.

1. TINYTHINGS FOR BIG PROBLEMS
NANOMATERIAL’S INTHE ENVIRONMENT (WATER AIR AND SOIL) CONTAMINATION
King F.Wong 14817
Rhein Waal University of Applied Sciences
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2. NATURAL NANOPARTICLES
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Photograph courtesy NASA Earth Observatory

3. 3source: http://www.futuretimeline.net/subject/nanotechnology.htm

4. 4
Source: http://sustainable-nano.com/2014/05/13/nano-contaminants-how-nanoparticles-get-into-the-environment/

5. POSSIBLE FATE OF NEP
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6. 6
Ball-and-stick model of part of the crystal structure of rutile, one of the mineral forms of titanium dioxide,TiO2. Oxygen atoms are coloured red,
titaniums are grey. X-ray crystallographic data from: R.W. G.Wyckoff (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, NewYork, NewYork. Crystal
Structures 1, 239-444 CIF retrieved fromThe American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. See R.T. Downs, M. Hall-Wallace, "The American
Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database.",American Mineralogist (2003) 88, 247-250 for details. Image generated in Accelrys DSVisualizer.
Nano-silica made by chrispotocki in lab
Nano-silver, taken from http://www.mining.com/silver-nano-particles-used-
to-make-hiv-resistant-super-prophylactic-81331/

7. NANO ZINC-OXIDE IN SOIL
Light microscopic observation of longitudinal sections of ryegrass
primary root tips under treatments of control (A); 1000 mg/L ZnO
nanoparticles (B); 1000 mg/L Zn2+(C). rc: rootcap; ep: epidermis; ct:
cortex; vs: vascular cylinder. (Reprinted with permission from American
Chemical Society)
• Inhibition of germination
of corn
• adverse effects on root
growth in 5 different
plants
(Lopez-Moreno M. et al. , 2010; de la Rosa G. et al. In
Press; Lin D. 2007)
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8. 8 Jacquin, N.J. von, Icones plantarum
rariorum, vol. 1: t. 145 (1781-1786)
mesquite (Prosopis juliflora?) 1880-1883
edition of F.M. Blanco's Flora de Filipinas
Photo of Cercidium floridum (blue palo verde) at the Springs
Preserve garden in LasVegas, Nevada, Stan Shebs May 1,
2005
KaliTragus, taken from http://www.fireflyforest.com/
flowers/2291/salsola-tragus-prickly-russian-thistle/, visited
on 13/05/2015

9. NANO ZINC-OXIDE/TITANIUM
DIOXIDE IN WATER 1
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10. ZINC-OXIDE/TITANIUM
DIOXIDE IN WATER 2
• dissolution of ZnO triggers sublethal and
cytotoxic effects
• reduction in phytoplankton population
growth rate at concentrations at 223︎-428 ︎g/L
• low photoactivity ofTiO2 in fresh/seawater,
due to
• 1. high ionic strength of seawater
• 2. coating of NOM competes for
photons
(Miller R. et al. 2010; Bennett, S. et al. In Press)
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11. Courtesy of Prof. Bridgette Clarkston 11

12. 12
Zebrafish (Photo: Lynn Ketchum)

13. NANO SILICA EFFECTS ON
AQUATIC LIFE
• zebrafish embryos were treated with SiNPs
(25, 50, 100, 200 µg/mL) during 4–96 hours
post fertilization
• decrease hatching rate with increase
exposure dosage
• increase mortality and cell deaths
• caused embryonic malformations, including
pericardial edema, yolk sac edema, tail and
head malformation
(Duan, J. et al. 2013)
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(A) Representative optical images of deformed zebrafish. (B)
Pericardial and tail malformation were mainly typically malformation
of embryos induced by silica nanoparticles. (C) Time-course
variations of zebrafish embryos malformations induced by silica
nanoparticles. Scale bar: 500 µm

14. FATE OF DISCHARGED
NANOSILVER
• 8.8 tonnes per year of AgNPs are
released from consumer
products to wastewater in UK
• A yearly increase of AgNP
concentration in agriculture land
of 36 µg per kg per year
(Whiteley, C et al. 2013)
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15. NANO-SILVER’S EFFECT ON
LIFE
• inhibits seedling growth of common
grass, Lolium multiflorum
• Nanosilver’s toxicity is influenced by its
surface area, smaller surface area(6nm)
affects more than bigger surface
area(25nm)
(Yin, L. et al. 2011)
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16. ECOSYSTEM’S RESPONSETO NANO-
SILVER UNDER REALISTIC FIELD
SCENARIO
• a low dose, (0.14 mg Ag kg−1) of soil is
applied in long term
• one of plant species, Microstegium
vimeneum decrease 32% in biomass
• a significantly different microorganisms
community composition, with much
lower enzyme activity compare to
normal
• 35% lower in total microbial biomass
compare to normal
(Benjamin P. Colman et al. 2013)
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Figure 1.Terrestrial mesocosms in the Duke Forest, Durham, NC, USA.
Mesocosms A on the day of planting, and B 63 days later (Day 0 of the
experiment) mesocosms being amended with biosolid slurry
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057189.g001

17. PLANT EXPOSESTO
ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES
• an assay is done with Zucchini (Cucurbita
pepo ssp pepo) and Squash (Cucurbita
pepo ssp ovifera), which germinated from
seeds
• both plants are exposed with Carbon, Silver,
Gold, Copper and Silicon nanoparticles at
various concentrations along with elements
in bulk form for 14-16 days
(Dimitrios Stampoulis et al. 2009)
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Stam
(200
of N
Env
Env

18. RESULT (NANO-CARBON)
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• Effect of activated carbon, MWCNTs
or Fullerenes on zucchini biomass under
hydroponic conditions; all present at
1000 mg/L

19. 19
Zucchini
dose-uptake
study
(0-1000mg/
L) assessing
effect of NP
or bulk form
of silver on
biomass and
transpiration

20. 20
Silver (Ag) content of zucchini shoots grown in silver nanoparticle or bulk
solutions (1-1000mg/L)
Elemental content of plant tissue was determined using Inductively
Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS)

21. Squash biomass and transpiration upon exposure to 500 mg/L
bulk or nanoparticle silver (Ag) in the presence or absence of
50 mg/L humic acid
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22. Squash biomass and transpiration upon exposure to 500 mg/L bulk or
nanoparticle copper (Cu) in the presence or absence of 50 mg/L humic acid
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23. Squash biomass and transpiration upon exposure to 100 mg/L bulk or
nanoparticle copper (Cu) in the presence or absence of 50 mg/L humic acid
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24. CONCLUSION
• Nano-pollution is an imminent
situation
• an limited knowledge of ecological
fate of NEPs
• a scheme for monitoring NEPs is
needed
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Photo: NASA

25. REFERENCES
Slide 7
Lopez-Moreno, M. L.; de La Rosa, G.; Hernandez-Viezcas, J. A.; Castillo-Michel, H.; Botez, C. E.; Peralta-Videa, J. R.; Gardea-Torresdey, J. L. Evidence of the Differential Biotransformation and
Genotoxicity of ZnO and CeO2 Nanoparticles on Soybean (Glycine max) Plants. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2010, 44, 7315–7320.
de la Rosa, G.; Lopez-Moreno, M. L.; Hernandez-Viezcas, J.; Peralta-Videa,
J. R.; Gardea-Torresdey, J. L. Toxicity and Biotransformation of ZnO Nanoparticles in the Desert Plants Prosopis juliflora- velutina, Salsola tragus and Parkinsonia florida. Int. J. Nanotechnol. In press.
Lin, D.; Xing, B. Phytotoxicity of Nanoparticles: Inhibition of Seed Germination and Root Growth. Environ.
Pollut. 2007, 150, 243–250.
Slide 10
Miller, R.; Lenihan, H.; Muller, E.; Tseng, N.; Keller, A. A. Impacts of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles on Marine Phytoplankton. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2010, 44, 7329–7334.
Slide 13
Duan, J., Yu, Y., Shi, H., Tian, L., Guo, C., Huang, P., . . . Sun, Z. (2013). Toxic Effects of Silica Nanoparticles on Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae. PLoS ONE.
Slide 14
Whiteley, C., Valle, M., Jones, K., & Sweetman, A. (n.d.). Challenges in assessing release, exposure and fate of silver nanoparticles within the UK environment. Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts
Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 2050-2050.
Slide 15
Yin, L., Cheng, Y., Espinasse, B., Colman, B., Auffan, M., Wiesner, M., . . . Bernhardt, E. (2011). More than the Ions: The Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Lolium multiflorum. Environmental Science &
Technology Environ. Sci. Technol., 2360-2367.
Slide 16
Low Concentrations of Silver Nanoparticles in Biosolids Cause Adverse Ecosystem Responses under Realistic Field Scenario; Benjamin P. Colman , Christina L. Arnaout, Sarah Anciaux, Claudia K.
Gunsch, Michael F. Hochella Jr, Bojeong Kim, Gregory V. Lowry, Bonnie M. McGill, Brian C. Reinsch, Curtis J. Richardson, Jason M. Unrine, Justin P. Wright, Liyan Yin, Emily S. Bernhardt; Published:
February 27, 2013DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057189
Slide 17
Stampoulis, D., Sinha, S., & White, J. (2009). Assay-Dependent Phytotoxicity of Nanoparticles to Plants. Environmental Science & Technology Environ. Sci. Technol., 9473-9479.
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