Separation, Determination, and Characterization of Inorganic Engineered Nanoparticles in Complex Environmental Samples

Abstract

As the use of inorganic engineered nanoparticles in commercial products is increasing, the probability of their intentional or unintentional release to the environment does also increase. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to develop methods enabling to identify, quantify and characterize these nanoparticles in the environment. Analysis of the environmental samples containing nanoparticles is a difficult process with many contributing factors. Even to distinguish between the naturally occurring and engineered nanoparticles is a problem by itself. This leads to the use of nanospecific methods for sample preparation. Methods to identify and quantify nanoparticles, many of them spectroscopic, were developed for the complex matrices of environmental samples. Methods that were used to analyze these complex samples including natural waters, soils, sediments and biota are described in the review together with their advantages and disadvantages and the near future prospects and needs of the field.