The emerging field of nanotechnology has tremendous potential to improve our social and economic well-being, but there are still uncertainties about the human health and ecological risks associated with engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the environment. Although the benefits of ENPs to various products and processes are well characterized, there are no specific regulations to deal with these novel substances and their potential environmental and health risks are not well understood.
This course provides a solid foundation in current methods for structural and chemical characterization of ENPs in environmental media, with a focus on aquatic environments. The fate and transport of ENPs is examined from colloid science and surface chemistry perspectives, considering factors that may be important at the nanoscale in determining ENP stability, mobility, and reactivity in natural or engineered aquatic systems. The course will discuss the ability of some ENPs to photocatalytically produce reactive oxygen species that may be desirable for removal of contaminants or undesirable as a potential toxicity risk. Technologies that use nanomaterials in water treatment processes and in situ groundwater remediation for removal of pollutants will be discussed. The last portion of the course will focus on methods for assessing ENP toxicity and recent research developments in the area of nanoecotoxicology.