Effects of carbon based nanoparticles (CNPs) on the fate of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in different agricultural soils.

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Britta Stumpe
• Subject Area: Soil Sciences
• Term: from 2010 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 186320244

Nanotechnology is a major innovative scientific and economic growth area. To date there is a lack about possible adverse effects that may be associated with manufactured nanomaterial in terrestrial environments. Since it is known that on the one hand carbon-based nanoparticles (CNPs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) strongly interact in wastewater and that on the other hand CNPs and EDCs are released together via wastewater irrigation to agricultural soils, knowledge of CNP effects on the EDC fate in the soil environment is needed for further risk assessments. Thus, initially the planned study will investigate the interaction between CNPs and EDCs as well as effects of these interactions on the EDC toxicity and biodegradability in aquatic systems. To identify the CNP/EDC interactions under realistic conditions, these aquatic systems will be modified in their electrolyte and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) composition as well as in the solution pH. Afterwards these data will be used to develop a function/model to describe the CNP/EDC interaction. Based on the characterization of CNP/EDC interaction in aquatic systems, this study will focus on the effects CNP/EDC interaction on the EDC sorption, toxicity and biodegradation in the soil environment. Since a wide range of different soil samples will be used for batch and incubation experiments the behaviour of EDCs in presence of CNPs can be directly related to the soil properties.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Major Instrumentation: ZetaPALS-MAS analyser
• Instrumentation Group: 3190 Sonstige Geräte der Klinischen Chemie und Molekularbiologie