Journal
WATER RESEARCH
Volume 46, Issue 4, Pages 1273-1285Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2011.12.033
Keywords
Titanium dioxide; Zinc oxide; Nanoparticle; Transport; Nanoparticle tracking analysis; Transmission electron microscopy
Funding
- NSERC
- Canada Research Chairs (CRC)
- Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
- McGill University
- McGill Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE)
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The growing use of nanosized titanium dioxide (nTiO(2)) and zinc oxide (nZnO) in a large number of commercial products raises concerns regarding their release and subsequent mobility in natural aquatic environments. Laboratory-scale sand-packed column experiments were conducted with bare and polymer-coated nTiO(2) and nZnO to improve our understanding of the mobility of these nanoparticles in natural or engineered water saturated granular systems. The nanoparticles are characterized over a range of environmentally relevant water chemistries using multiple complimentary techniques: dynamic light scattering, nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Overall, bare (uncoated) nanoparticles exhibit high retention within the water saturated granular matrix at solution ionic strengths (IS) as low as 0.1 mM NaNO3 for bare nTiO(2) and 0.01 mM NaNO3 for bare nZnO. Bare nTiO(2) and nZnO also display dynamic (time-dependent) deposition behaviors under selected conditions. In contrast, the polymer-coated nanoparticles are much less likely to aggregate and exhibit significant transport potential at IS as high as 100 mM NaNO3 or 3 mM CaCl2. These findings illustrate the importance of considering the extent and type of surface modification when evaluating metal oxide contamination potential in granular aquatic environments. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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