New Item!!

Nanotechnology refers to the emerging field that creates and uses nanoscale material (manufactured nanomaterial) where the particle size is in the range of 1 to 100 nanometers (nm) in at least one dimension. According to an ongoing nanotechnology inventory project maintained by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Washington, D.C.), more than 600 consumer products containing nanomaterials are currently available. With the rapid increase in the use of nanomaterials in everyday products, it is conceivable that some of these materials will be released into domestic and industrial waste streams in the near future. Unfortunately the effects of manufactured nanomaterials on the environment and wastewater plants are largely unknown. The unique behavior of nanoscale materials suggests that some may behave differently than their conventional counterparts (e.g., dissolved copper versus nanocopper) in the environment and in wastewater treatment plants. This Technical Practice Update (TPU) provides an overview of the potential effects of manufactured nanomaterials in wastewater treatment plants.

Included are discussions of current and impending products containing nanomaterials, measurement of nanoparticles in water, effects of nanoparticles during wastewater treatment, and regulatory issues. Published by WEF. 2008. Electronic download. 54 pages.