Fate of Nanoparticles in Waste

Bojeong Kim is first author on a recent CEINT-sponsored research paper published in Environmental Science and Technology titled, "Discovery and Characterization of Silver Sulfide Nanoparticles in Final Sewage Sludge Products" (DOI: 10.1021/es101565j). This paper represents research conducted by Dr. Kim, a postdoctoral researcher, in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Hochella, and is the latest publication in CEINT's research on nanomaterial environmental fate and transport.

Due to the unique antibacterial activity of silver, manufacturers are incorporating silver nanoparticles into hundreds of widely available consumer products, such as food storage containers, detergents, clothing, cosmetics and medical appliances. Kim, Hochella, and collaborators have provided evidence that silver leaching from these products transforms into silver sulfide nanoparticles in wastewater treatment plants. Their findings are the first to detect nanoparticle in a field-scale study and are important in understanding the life-cycle of silver nanoparticles.

Read more about the impacts of this research online:

• 10 trends for 2010: Nonstop networking, Public Works | 12.2010
• Transformation of Silver Nanoparticles in Sewage Sludge, Environmental Health Perspectives | 12.01.2010
• Nanosilver Revisited Downstream, Science | 11.19.2010
• Researchers identify silver nanoparticles in sewage sludge of wastewater treatment plants, Nanowerk | 10.04.2010
• Virginia Tech Scientists Find Nanosilver in Sewage Sludge, New Haven Independent | 09.29.2010
• Sludging throught the nano life cycle: caution ahead, Environmental Defense, New Haven Independent | 09.23.2010
• The Fate of Silver Nanoparticle Waste, Chemical & Engineering News | 09.21.2010