Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Climate Action (SDG 13)
Binary interactions of aluminium oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles in freshwater systems
Aston F. Nanja E-mail: aston.nanja@cbu.ac or nanjaaston@gmail.com
Commercial production and use of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) for industrial applications and in consumer products are increasing rapidly due to their novel properties. For example, ENPs such as aluminium oxide (nAl 2 O 3 ) and copper oxide nanoparticles (nCuO) are extensively used in cosmetics, paints, textiles, etc. Hence, they are found to co-exist in aquatic systems. Limited information is available on how fate of ENPs mixtures is affected by physicochemical transformations such as aggregation, dissolution, adsorption and complexation. Interactions in such mixtures are likely to have implications to aquatic organisms. Herein, aggregation and dissolution of nAl 2 O 3 and nCuO mixtures in freshwater systems are influenced by resultant interactions among ENPs. Characteristic composition of freshwater system affects binary interactions of ENPs. Degree of aggregation of nAl 2 O 3 /nCuO mixtures increased with decreasing amount of nCuO. This is attributed to adsorption of nCuO onto surfaces of nAl 2 O 3 . Resultant aggregate sizes tend to be larger in mixtures than observed on single ENPs and may possess characteristic effects on aquatic organisms. Increased aggregation may impede dissolution of ENPs leading to reduction in ionic species. This study confirms that fate of mixtures is unique and that it may
not be possible to predict behaviour based on fate of individual components. Key words: Binary mixture, Nanoparticles, Aggregation kinetics, Dissolution, Freshwater
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