Environmental Implications of Emerging Technologies

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NSF Directorate for Engineering Division
of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and
Transport Systems (CBET) Environmental
Engineering and Sustainability Cluster Environmen
tal Implications of Emerging Technologies
(1179) Program Director - Cindy Ekstein -
cekstein _at_ nsf.gov

• ? Program Scope
• ? Current Areas of Support
• ? Selected Current Awards

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Program Scope
? Program 1179 provides support to develop
and test the environmental effects
of nanotechnology
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Current Areas of Support
? Understanding and mitigating how new
developments in nanotechnology will
interact with the environment ? Nanotechnology
environmental, health, and safety
implications and applications ? Predictive
methodology for the interaction of nanoparticles
with the environment and with the human
body, including predictive approaches for
toxicity ? Fate and transport of natural,
engineered, and incidental (by-product)
nanoparticles ? Risk assessment and management
of the effect of nanomaterials in the
environment ? Sensor and sensor network
technologies as they relate to the
measurement of environmental implications
specific to nanotechnology
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Selected Current Awards
? C60 biotransformation and bioaccumulation
environmental impact implications ? Carbon
nanotubes in soils transport, filtration
and impact on soil microbial community ? Fate
of nanoparticles in urban atmosphere ?
Nitrification inhibition by silver nanoparticles
? CAREER Understanding carbon nanoassembly
in biological and environmental systems ?
SGER Carbon nanomaterial translocation and
transfer
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C60 Biotransformation and Bioaccumulation
Environmental Impact Implications
Pedro Alvarez - Rice University
Objective Evaluate the susceptibility of
fullerene species to biochemical transformations
and their biological significance. Approach
Use 14C60 to study biotransformations determine
how biotransformation affects C60 toxicity
quantify bioavailability and bioaccumulation of
C60 in earthworms Impact Microbial-mediated tra
nsformations of fullerenes could significantly
influence their mobility, bioavailability,
reactivity, toxicity and overall environmental
impact.
Degree of Polar Derivatization
Estimated Organic Phase Partitioning Coefficient
Molecular Aqueous Availability
Biological Response
BES 0829158
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Carbon Nanotubes in Soils Transport,
Filtrationand Impact on Soil Microbial Community
Menachem Elimelech - Yale University
Objective Assess the extent of transport and
retention of CNTs in soils and the impact of
retained CNTs on the soil microbial
community. Approach Transport experiments in
packed columns will be carried out to quantify
the transport and filtration behavior of CNTs in
soils and model sand retained CNTs will be
enumerated filtration/deposition rate of SWNTs
and the associated filtration mechanisms will be
evaluated and effects of soil perturbations on
mobilization of retained CNTs will be evaluated.
Application of real-time PCR and the terminal
restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP)
analysis will be used to quantify and verify the
changes of microbial population in environmental
samples.
Number of stress genes induced or repressed more
than 2-fold for cells exposed to SWNTs and MWNTs
compared to Control without CNTs
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CBET 0828795
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Fate of Nanoparticles in Urban Atmosphere
Sandeep Agnihotri - University of Tennessee

• Objective Explore whether ozone, present in
  concentrations as low as
• those found in the clean to slightly polluted
  atmosphere, can chemically
• react with nanocarbons single-walled and
  multi-walled carbon
• nanotubes, and fullerenes
• Approach Measured quantities of nanocarbons
  will be exposed to
• laboratory-generated ozone in an experimental
  chamber in the
• concentrations of 10s to 100s ppb. Samples of
  nanocarbons will be
• exposed to a steady flow of ozone containing air
  streams for periods
• of up to two to three months. The samples
  surface chemistry and
• the structure of the nanotubes and their chemical
  properties will be
• analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray
  Photospectroscopy before
• and after long-term exposure to
  diluted-concentrations of ozone
• Impact This study will help to determine the
  fate of nanocarbons after
• being released into the air. It will reveal if
  the atmosphere is capable of
• Partially Oxidizing these nanomaterials or
  degrading them completely
• into common, less Harmful pollutants, such as CO
  and CO2

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CBET 0836365
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A Simple Strategy for Quantum Dot Assisted
Selective Detection of Cadmium Ions
Swadeshmukul Santra - University of Central
Florida
Scheme showing synthesis of Cd ion selective
ligand conjugated Qdots
? Qdots were synthesized using AOT/heptane/water
water-in-oil micro-emulsion ? Cd2 ion
selective MCCL (i.e. 1,10-diaza-18-crown-6) were
directly attached to the Qdot surface via
zero-length covalent coupling using CS2 ? MCCL
quenched Qdot luminescence via electron transfer
process ? MCCL to Qdot electron transfer
process is reversible
CBET 0651976
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Nitrification Inhibition by Silver Nanoparticles
Zhiqiang Hu University of Missouri-Columbia
PI Hu is studying the inhibitory effects of
silver nanoparticles on biological
nitrification. Silver nanoparticles can
originate from many sources and can inhibit
nitrification.
CBET 0651976
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CAREER Understanding Carbon Nanoassembly in
Biological and Environmental Systems SGER
Carbon Nanomaterial Translocation Transfer
Pu-Chun Ke - Clemson University-Columbia
PI Ke is studying the uptake, translocation and
transmission of carbon nanomaterials in plants.
This image, resembling a guitar finger board,
displays the uptake of multi-walled carbon
nanotubes (bright agglomerates) by the vascular
system (tubular structure) of a rice plant. It
shows first-hand evidence of nanomaterials
discharged into the food chain and illustrates
the potential impact of nanotechnology on human
health.
CBET 0651976
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