Towards Standardization for Determining Dissolution Kinetics of Nanomaterials in Natural Aquatic Environments: Continuous Flow Dissolution of Ag Nanoparticles
The dissolution of metal-based engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in aquatic environments is an important mechanism governing the release of toxic dissolved metals. For the registration of ENMs at regulatory bodies such as REACH, their dissolution behavior must therefore be assessed using standardized...
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Nanomaterials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/3/519 |
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| author | Lucie Stetten Aiga Mackevica Nathalie Tepe Thilo Hofmann Frank von der Kammer |
| author_facet | Lucie Stetten Aiga Mackevica Nathalie Tepe Thilo Hofmann Frank von der Kammer |
| author_sort | Lucie Stetten |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The dissolution of metal-based engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in aquatic environments is an important mechanism governing the release of toxic dissolved metals. For the registration of ENMs at regulatory bodies such as REACH, their dissolution behavior must therefore be assessed using standardized experimental approaches. To date, there are no standardized procedures for dissolution testing of ENMs in environmentally relevant aquatic media, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) strongly encourages their development into test guidelines. According to a survey of surface water hydrochemistry, we propose to use media with low concentrations of Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Mg<sup>2+</sup> for a better simulation of the ionic background of surface waters, at pH values representing acidic (5 < pH < 6) and near-neutral/alkaline (7 < pH < 8) waters. We evaluated a continuous flow setup adapted to expose small amounts of ENMs to aqueous media, to mimic ENMs in surface waters. For this purpose, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were used as model for soluble metal-bearing ENMs. Ag NPs were deposited onto a 10 kg.mol<sup>−1</sup> membrane through the injection of 500 µL of a 5 mg.L<sup>−1</sup> or 20 mg.L<sup>−1</sup> Ag NP dispersion, in order to expose only a few micrograms of Ag NPs to the aqueous media. The dissolution rate of Ag NPs in 10 mM NaNO<sub>3</sub> was more than two times higher for ~2 µg compared with ~8 µg of Ag NPs deposited onto the membrane, emphasizing the importance of evaluating the dissolution of ENMs at low concentrations in order to keep a realistic scenario. Dissolution rates of Ag NPs in artificial waters (2 mM Ca(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>, 0.5 mM MgSO<sub>4</sub>, 0–5 mM NaHCO<sub>3</sub>) were also determined, proving the feasibility of the test using environmentally relevant media. In view of the current lack of harmonized methods, this work encourages the standardization of continuous flow dissolution methods toward OECD guidelines focused on natural aquatic environments, for systematic comparisons of nanomaterials and adapted risk assessments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:23:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-06cec10ec52d4bfa916516eb1f25f5e2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-4991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:23:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
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| series | Nanomaterials |
| spelling | doaj.art-06cec10ec52d4bfa916516eb1f25f5e22023-11-23T17:22:07ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912022-02-0112351910.3390/nano12030519Towards Standardization for Determining Dissolution Kinetics of Nanomaterials in Natural Aquatic Environments: Continuous Flow Dissolution of Ag NanoparticlesLucie Stetten0Aiga Mackevica1Nathalie Tepe2Thilo Hofmann3Frank von der Kammer4Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, UZA II, 1090 Vienna, AustriaEnvironmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, UZA II, 1090 Vienna, AustriaEnvironmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, UZA II, 1090 Vienna, AustriaEnvironmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, UZA II, 1090 Vienna, AustriaEnvironmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, UZA II, 1090 Vienna, AustriaThe dissolution of metal-based engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in aquatic environments is an important mechanism governing the release of toxic dissolved metals. For the registration of ENMs at regulatory bodies such as REACH, their dissolution behavior must therefore be assessed using standardized experimental approaches. To date, there are no standardized procedures for dissolution testing of ENMs in environmentally relevant aquatic media, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) strongly encourages their development into test guidelines. According to a survey of surface water hydrochemistry, we propose to use media with low concentrations of Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Mg<sup>2+</sup> for a better simulation of the ionic background of surface waters, at pH values representing acidic (5 < pH < 6) and near-neutral/alkaline (7 < pH < 8) waters. We evaluated a continuous flow setup adapted to expose small amounts of ENMs to aqueous media, to mimic ENMs in surface waters. For this purpose, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were used as model for soluble metal-bearing ENMs. Ag NPs were deposited onto a 10 kg.mol<sup>−1</sup> membrane through the injection of 500 µL of a 5 mg.L<sup>−1</sup> or 20 mg.L<sup>−1</sup> Ag NP dispersion, in order to expose only a few micrograms of Ag NPs to the aqueous media. The dissolution rate of Ag NPs in 10 mM NaNO<sub>3</sub> was more than two times higher for ~2 µg compared with ~8 µg of Ag NPs deposited onto the membrane, emphasizing the importance of evaluating the dissolution of ENMs at low concentrations in order to keep a realistic scenario. Dissolution rates of Ag NPs in artificial waters (2 mM Ca(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>, 0.5 mM MgSO<sub>4</sub>, 0–5 mM NaHCO<sub>3</sub>) were also determined, proving the feasibility of the test using environmentally relevant media. In view of the current lack of harmonized methods, this work encourages the standardization of continuous flow dissolution methods toward OECD guidelines focused on natural aquatic environments, for systematic comparisons of nanomaterials and adapted risk assessments.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/3/519engineered nanomaterialsflow-through dissolution testingaquatic environmentsOECD guidelinesenvironmental risk assessment |
| spellingShingle | Lucie Stetten Aiga Mackevica Nathalie Tepe Thilo Hofmann Frank von der Kammer Towards Standardization for Determining Dissolution Kinetics of Nanomaterials in Natural Aquatic Environments: Continuous Flow Dissolution of Ag Nanoparticles Nanomaterials engineered nanomaterials flow-through dissolution testing aquatic environments OECD guidelines environmental risk assessment |
| title | Towards Standardization for Determining Dissolution Kinetics of Nanomaterials in Natural Aquatic Environments: Continuous Flow Dissolution of Ag Nanoparticles |
| title_full | Towards Standardization for Determining Dissolution Kinetics of Nanomaterials in Natural Aquatic Environments: Continuous Flow Dissolution of Ag Nanoparticles |
| title_fullStr | Towards Standardization for Determining Dissolution Kinetics of Nanomaterials in Natural Aquatic Environments: Continuous Flow Dissolution of Ag Nanoparticles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Towards Standardization for Determining Dissolution Kinetics of Nanomaterials in Natural Aquatic Environments: Continuous Flow Dissolution of Ag Nanoparticles |
| title_short | Towards Standardization for Determining Dissolution Kinetics of Nanomaterials in Natural Aquatic Environments: Continuous Flow Dissolution of Ag Nanoparticles |
| title_sort | towards standardization for determining dissolution kinetics of nanomaterials in natural aquatic environments continuous flow dissolution of ag nanoparticles |
| topic | engineered nanomaterials flow-through dissolution testing aquatic environments OECD guidelines environmental risk assessment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/3/519 |
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