R1 AM Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Impacts
Thursday, 17 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM in Ballroom 1

(BRA-1117-723656) Addressing the uptake of nanoaluminum particles by rye grass and bean plants.

Doshi, Reeti¹, Braida, Washington¹, Christodoulatos, Christos¹, O'Connor, Gregory², ¹ Stevens Institute of Technology-CES, Hoboken, NJ, USA² US Army, Environmental Technology Division, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, USA

ABSTRACT- The development of nanotechnology and the manufacture of new organic and inorganic nanosized materials will very likely result in the release of substantial amounts of these materials into the environment. The fate and transport of nanosized materials, once they are released into the environment, has not yet been fully addressed, nor have the impacts of those materials on plants and soil communities. Nanoaluminum is being used in increasing quantities as energetic material. As part of an ongoing research effort, the effects of two types of nanosized aluminum particles on the growth of rye grass and California red kidney bean plants and their uptake have been studied. The soil used was fully characterized (total heavy metals content, texture, TOC, nitrogen, TCLP, pH). The aluminum particles are 100 nm in size and they are coated with a thin layer of aluminum oxide or an organic carboxylic ligand. The Al concentration in the soil ranged from 10 to 10,000 mg/kg of soil. Polymer micro samplers have been used to obtain water samples for evaluation of the dissolved aluminum concentration during the growth of the plants. Soil pH was also monitored along with visual observations of the plants during growth. At the end of the experiment, plants were harvested and the total amount of aluminum taken up by the plants and translocated was determined by ICP- OES after microwave acid digestion. The effects of plant growth on nano Al dissolution were assessed. Correlations between the Al taken up by the plants and the total and dissolved amount of Al in the replicate were developed.

Key words: nanoaluminum, uptake, rye grass, beans