An ecological perspective on nanomaterial impacts in the environment

Growing concerns over the potential for unintended, adverse consequences of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the environment have generated new research initiatives focused on understanding the ecological effects of ENPs. Almost nothing is currently known about the fate and transport of ENPs in environmental waters, soils, and sediments or about the biological impacts of ENPs in natural environments, and the bulk of modern nanotoxicogical research is focused on highly controlled laboratory studies with single species in simple media. In this paper, we provide an ecological perspective on the current state of knowledge regarding the likely environmental impacts of nanomaterials and propose a strategy for making rapid progress in new research in ecological nanoscience.     

PERFORMANCE AND PERSISTENCE OF GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN （gfp） MARKED AZOTOBACTER CHROOCOCCUM IN STERILIZED AND UNSTERILIZED WHEAT RHIZOSPHERIC SOIL

ThepracticaluseofAzotobacterchroococcumasbiofertilizer hasbeenincreasinglyidentifiedinrecentyears.Oftentheefficacy ofthesebacteriaisassessedonthebasisofcropresponseswithout knowingthesurvival,persistenceandcompetitiveabilityofthein troducedstrain.Inoculat…     

A non-motorized dye ejector for visualization of flow in situ and its use with coral reef crinoids

We describe a portable, non-motorized device for delivering a tracer dye into seawater under field conditions. Dye is ejected at a constant flow rate over a period of tens of minutes. The ejector works in a wide range of ambient pressures without external energy requirements. The flow rate is adjusted simply by varying the length of the delivery tube. The dye streams permitted observations of the upcurrent and downcurrent flow regimes for a filter-feeding crinoid (Comanthus bennetti) living at a depth of 8 m on a coral reef. The results indicate that the crinoid may enhance the rate of particle capture by changing the scale of turbulence in the water passing through the mesh of the filtration fan.     

Understanding and eliminating iron interference in colorimetric nitrate and nitrite analysis

Across many environments, nitrate ( $\mbox{NO}_{3}^-$ ) is an important form of N available for microorganisms and photosynthetic organisms. Accurate $\mbox{NO}_{3}^-$ measurements are important for examining N cycling and retention in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, but a common method of $\mbox{NO}_{3}^-$ analysis can underestimate $\mbox{NO}_{3}^-$ concentrations when soluble iron is present (iron > 10 mg L^???1). The basic method is robust, using copperized cadmium to reduce $\mbox{NO}_{3}^-$ and then diazotizing the resulting $\mbox{NO}_{2}^-$ in a two-step process to form an easily measured colored product. We show that iron interference is unique to using an NH₄Cl and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) buffer. We hypothesize that interference is through iron-catalyzed reduction of the intermediate color product, a diazonium ion. We examine three historical buffers as alternatives to NH₄Cl/EDTA and recommend replacement of EDTA with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, which chelates metals much like EDTA, but unlike EDTA, it does not cause interference in the presence of iron.     

GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF STREAMBED SEDIMENT IN THE UPPER ILLINOIS RWER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: Geochemistry of fine-fraction streambed sediments collected from the upper illinois River basin was surveyed in the fall of 1987 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment pilot projects. The survey included 567 samples analyzed for 46 elements. Three distinctive distribution patterns were found for seven U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutants surveyed, as well as for boron and phosphorus: (1) enrichment of elements in the Chicago urban area and in streams draining the urban area relative to rural areas, (2) enrichment in main stems relative to tributaries, and (3) enrichment in low-order streams at high-population-density sites relative to low-population-density sites. Significant differences in background concentrations, as measured by samples from low-order streams, were observed among five subbasins in the study area. Uncertain geochemical correspondence between low-order, background sites and high-order, generally metal enriched sites prevented determination of background levels that would be appropriate for high-order sites. The within-sample ratio of enriched elements was variable within the Chicago area but was constant in the Illinois River downstream from Chicago. Element ratios imply a composite fine-fraction sediment in the Illinois River of 35–40 percent Des Plaines River origin and 60–65 percent Kankakee River origin.     

Characterization and environmental implications of nano- and larger TiO(2) particles in sewage sludge, and soils amended with sewage sludge

Titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) is the most extensively used engineered nanoparticle to date, yet its fate in the soil environment has been investigated only rarely and is poorly understood. In the present study, we conducted two field-scale investigations to better describe TiO(2) nano- and larger particles in their most likely route of entry into the environment, i.e., the application of biosolids to soils. We particularly concentrated on the particles in the nano-size regime due to their novel and commercially useful properties. First, we analyzed three sewage sludge products from the US EPA TNSSS sampling inventory for the occurrence, qualitative abundance, and nature of TiO(2) nano- and larger particles by using analytical scanning electron microscopy and analytical (scanning) transmission electron microscopy. Nano- and larger particles of TiO(2) were repeatedly identified across the sewage sludge types tested, providing strong evidence of their likely concentration in sewage sludge products. The TiO(2) particles identified were as small as 40 nm, and as large as 300 nm, having faceted shapes with the rutile crystal structure, and they typically formed small, loosely packed aggregates. Second, we examined surface soils in mesocosms that had been amended with Ag nanoparticle-spiked biosolids for the occurrence of TiO(2) particles. An aggregate of TiO(2) nanoparticles with the rutile structure was again identified, but this time TiO(2) nanoparticles were found to contain Ag on their surfaces. This suggests that TiO(2) nanoparticles from biosolids can interact with toxic trace metals that would then enter the environment as a soil amendment. Therefore, the long-term behavior of TiO(2) nano- and larger particles in sewage sludge materials as well as their impacts in the soil environment need to be carefully considered.