Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Measuring ZnO nanoparticles available concentrations in contaminated soils using the diffusive gradient in thin-films (DGT) technique
AU - Pouran, H.
AU - Alkasbi, M.
AU - Lahive, E.
AU - Lofts, S.
AU - Zhang, H.
PY - 2021/11/1
Y1 - 2021/11/1
N2 - A major gap in understanding nanomaterials behaviour in the environment is a lack of reliable tools to measure their available concentrations. In this research we use diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) for measuring concentrations of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZNO NPs) in soils. Available nanoparticle concentrations were assessed by difference, using paired DGT devices with and without 1000 MWCO dialysis membranes to exclude NPs. We used ZnO because its toxic effects are accelerated through dissolution to Zn2+. Our test soils had different pH and organic matter (OM) contents, which both affect the dissolution rate of ZnO NPs. Woburn (pH ≈ 6.9, OM ≈ 1.8%) and Lufa (pH ≈ 5.9, OM ≈ 4.2%) soils were spiked to a single concentration of 500 mg of ZnO NPs per 1 kg of soil and the available concentrations of ZnO NPs and dissolved zinc were evaluated in 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 day intervals using DGT. The results showed that the dissolution of ZnO NPs, as well as the available concentrations of both dissolved and nanoparticulate Zn, was much higher in Lufa soil than in Woburn. This work demonstrates that DGT can be used as a simple yet reliable technique for determining concentrations of ZnO NPs in soils and probing its dissolution kinetics. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.
AB - A major gap in understanding nanomaterials behaviour in the environment is a lack of reliable tools to measure their available concentrations. In this research we use diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) for measuring concentrations of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZNO NPs) in soils. Available nanoparticle concentrations were assessed by difference, using paired DGT devices with and without 1000 MWCO dialysis membranes to exclude NPs. We used ZnO because its toxic effects are accelerated through dissolution to Zn2+. Our test soils had different pH and organic matter (OM) contents, which both affect the dissolution rate of ZnO NPs. Woburn (pH ≈ 6.9, OM ≈ 1.8%) and Lufa (pH ≈ 5.9, OM ≈ 4.2%) soils were spiked to a single concentration of 500 mg of ZnO NPs per 1 kg of soil and the available concentrations of ZnO NPs and dissolved zinc were evaluated in 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 day intervals using DGT. The results showed that the dissolution of ZnO NPs, as well as the available concentrations of both dissolved and nanoparticulate Zn, was much higher in Lufa soil than in Woburn. This work demonstrates that DGT can be used as a simple yet reliable technique for determining concentrations of ZnO NPs in soils and probing its dissolution kinetics. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.
KW - Chelex
KW - Contaminated soils
KW - DGT
KW - Dialysis membrane
KW - Diffusive gradients in thin-films
KW - Nanoparticles
KW - Zinc oxide dissolution
KW - ZnO NPs
KW - Dialysis
KW - Diffusion in solids
KW - Dissolution
KW - Oxide films
KW - Soil pollution
KW - Soils
KW - Thin films
KW - ZnO nanoparticles
KW - Diffusive gradients in thin film techniques
KW - Diffusive gradients in thin films
KW - Organics
KW - ZnO
KW - ZnO NP
KW - II-VI semiconductors
KW - concentration (composition)
KW - contaminated land
KW - diffusion
KW - dissolution
KW - membrane
KW - nanoparticle
KW - oxide
KW - reaction kinetics
KW - soil pollution
KW - zinc
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148654
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148654
M3 - Journal article
VL - 793
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
M1 - 148654
ER -