ABSTRACT

The behavior and effects of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) in the environment have received a lot of attention in recent years. A variety of different ENM enter the environment from a multitude of sources either directly, e.g., during a groundwater remediation, or indirectly, e.g. by release from products and through wastewater treatment plants. This chapter gives an overview on the occurrence, the behavior and effects of ENM in the environment. The first ENM have been detected in environmental samples (wastewater treatment plant effluent and urban drainage), indicating that ENM indeed do end up in the environment. However, as quantitative, ENM-specific trace analytical methods are not yet available, only modeling can give us any indications as to where and at which concentrations ENM can be expected in the environment. It is also discussed how ENM behave during waste incineration and wastewater treatment, two important entry points for ENM into the environment. An overview is given of how ENM are altered by environmental factors and how aggregation affects their behavior. The effects of ENM on organisms

Advances in Nanotechnology and the Environment Edited by Juyoung Kim Copyright © 2012 by Pan Stanford Publishing Pte. Ltd. www.panstanford.com

are also summarized, highlighting the importance of distinguishing between the effects of ENM themselves and the solubilized metals.