Safety & Fire Technology (Dec 2019)
Transformations of Metal Nanoparticles in the Aquatic Environment and Threat to Environmental Safety
Abstract
Aim: The aim of the article is to provide information on the transformation and interaction of metal nanoparticles in the aquatic environment. Introduction: Nanotechnology is one of the leading fields of science, combining knowledge in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, computer science and engineering. Nanoparticles of heavy metals, due to their structure and size, exhibit new important biological, chemical and physical properties, which are impossible to achieve at the level of macro- and microscopic structures. Nanoparticles of metal and metal oxides (NPMOs) are promising substances with a wide spectrum of applications in many areas. The increasing number of products based on (NPMOs) leads to the emission of an increasing amount of these substances in various forms to the environment. The presence of NPMOs in industrial and municipal sewage affects their further migration to surface waters and soils, which in turn also leads to their introduction into the food chain. Therefore, understanding the properties and behaviour of these substances in aqueous solutions is becoming a priority in the field of safety, environmental protection and human health. Methodology: The article was prepared on the basis of a review of the literature on the subject. Conclusions: Nanoparticles of metals and metal oxides are widely used in various areas of human life, which means that they constitute an increasingly important group of compounds released to the environment, including to surface waters. Nanoparticles of metal and metal oxides play an important role in the aquatic environment, affecting numerous biophysicochemical processes. However, it should be noted that many of the processes that NPMOs undergo are determined by the size of the grains and surfaces of nanoparticles, and the metals that form the basis of these nanosubstances. Processes such as agglomeration, sedimentation, sorption on the surface of organisms, oxidation and catalysis are conditioned by numerous parameters such as the presence of other substances, the acidification/alkalization of the aquatic environment, and the presence of plant and animal organisms. In order to assess the actual or potential threat to the environment or human exposure, it is necessary to explore the mechanisms and kinetics of processes occurring in the aquatic environment with respect to nanoparticles of metals and metal oxides. Knowledge of NPMOs processes in the aquatic environment is necessary to create or enhance environmental migration models.
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