Analysis of Engineered Nanoparticles in Seawater Using ICP-MS-Based Technology: From Negative to Positive Samples

Author(s)
Olga V. Kuznetsova, Bernhard K. Keppler, Andrei R. Timerbaev
Abstract

A growing global emission of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) into the aquatic environment has become an emerging safety concern that requires methods capable of identifying the occurrence and possibly determining the amounts of ENPs. In this study, we employed sector-field inductively coupled mass spectrometry to assess the presence of ENPs in coastal seawater samples collected from the Black Sea in regions suffering different anthropogenic impacts. Ultrafiltration through commercial 3 kDa membrane filters was shown to be feasible to separate the ENPs from the bulk seawater, and the subsequent ultrasound-mediated acidic dissolution makes the metals constituting the ENPs amenable to analysis. This procedure allowed the ENPs bearing Cu, Zn, V, Mo, and Sn to be for the first time quantitated in seashore surface water, their concentration ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 μg L−1 (as metal) and related to the presence of industry and/or urban stress. While these levels are decreased by natural dilution and possible sedimentation, the monitored ENPs remain measurable at a distance of 2 km from the coast. This can be attributed not only to local emission sources but also to some natural backgrounds.

Organisation(s)
Department of Inorganic Chemistry
External organisation(s)
Russian Academy of Sciences, Saratov State University
Journal
Molecules
Volume
28
ISSN
1420-3049
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28030994
Publication date
02-2023
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
104003 Inorganic chemistry, 104002 Analytical chemistry, 104026 Spectroscopy, 210006 Nanotechnology
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry (miscellaneous), Molecular Medicine, Pharmaceutical Science, Drug Discovery, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/e966ba79-ac42-4dca-97ad-0bd0172ef557