With the emerging science of nanotechnology’s application rapidly widening, it is also raising new thoughts among the environmentalists on both its future threat and potential help for the environment, when the nanoparticle-used gadgets are disposed off only to be dumped to the landfills.
In the lines of this concern, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia will examine the effects of ‘silver nanoparticles’ on human health and ecological systems. They will be studying, specifically, the potential affects of silver nanoparticles on wastewater treatment systems.
Zhiqiang Hu, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering along with Baolin Deng will be working on it. For the project, the National Science Foundation have grunted $84,000.
Starting with the study in June, the scientists will be determining silver nanoparticles’ interaction with bacteria that are generally used for wastewater treatment.
The study will find out if the silver nanoparticles, popularly known for their bacteria-fighting ability, can defend against the treatment plants-bacteria effectively, as the nitrifying bacteria is also found to be extremely sensitive to metal toxins.
Thus, once the queries of the researchers are met nano-particles might serve as a potential environmental health savior.
Photo: wastewater.gr