Environmental applications and risks of nanomaterials: An introduction to CREST publications during 2018–2021

Authors: Bradford, Scott; SHEN, CHONGYANG - China Agricultural University; KIM, HYUNJUNG - Jeonbuk National University; LETCHER, ROBERT - Environment And Climate Change Canada; JORG, RINKLEBE - University Of Wuppertal; OK, YONG SIK - Korea University; MA, LENA - Zhejiang University

Submitted to: Critical Reviews in Environmental Science Technology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/24/2021
Publication Date: 12/24/2021
Citation: Bradford, S.A., Shen, C., Kim, H., Letcher, R.J., Rinklebe, J., Ok, Y., Ma, L. 2021. Environmental applications and risks of nanomaterials: An introduction to CREST publications during 2018–2021. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science Technology. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2021.2020425.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2021.2020425

Interpretive Summary: Considerable research has explore the use of nanomaterials in agriculture and the environment. A special collect of review manuscripts from Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) published between 2018 and 2021 was therefore assembled to provide readers with an up-to-date state of the knowledge on this topic, to identify research gaps, and to outline future research directions. Nanotechnology advances show great promise for addressing many critical environmental challenges, but is still in the initial stages of development and is not widely accepted. This information will be of interest to public policy makers and scientists concerned with the use and safety nanomaterials in the environment.

Technical Abstract: Nanomaterials (NMs) possess many unique properties that are increasingly used in industrial and environmental applications. Twenty-six publications in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) from 2018 to 2021 were identified that enhance our understanding and provide insight about future research directions with NMs in the environment. The first section focuses on environmental applications of NMs, including sensors to detect contaminants and environmental conditions, novel membrane materials to treat water and wastewater, and nano-enabled remediation of contaminants by adsorption, photocatalytic degradation, and/or disinfection. The second section reports on risks and the fate of NMs in the environment, including mechanisms and models of environmental transport, the role of nanoscale heterogeneities on particle attachment, and contaminant associations and ecotoxicity. The final section discusses research pertaining to emerging applications and ecotoxicity associated with nanosulfur and nanoplastic. This special collection demonstrates that recent nanotechnology advances show great promise for addressing many critical challenges in environmental science and technology, but most of these studies have been conducted under highly idealized laboratory conditions and still need to be upscaled. Caution is warranted and new approaches are still needed to detect and control the mobility of NMs, and to quantify potential impacts on ecosystems under realistic field conditions.