Berkeley
Nanogeoscience Center
Introduction to
Nanogeoscience
Nanoscale minerals - nanoparticles - are formed in the
environment as a result of microbial
activity, inorganic precipitation
reactions and chemical weathering. Nanoparticles of many common mineral
phases have been found, including ferric iron oxyhydroxides, such as
goethite; transition metal sulfides, such as sphalerite; as well as
less common minerals such as ceria or gold! In
addition, numerous common minerals are only found as nanomaterials,
including ferrihydrite, akaganeite, mackinawite, and manganese
hydroxides. Naturally-formed nanoparticles can be important
components of geochemical cycles in soils, groundwater, rivers and
lakes because they possess high surface areas for adsorption and
reaction.Nanoparticles may also be introduced into the environment as a consequence of human activities. For example, acid mine drainage, a legacy of decades of mining activity, can introduce huge quantities of ferric iron oxyhyoxide nanoparticles into surrounding watersheds. Moreover, the intense interest in nanoparticles as industrial catalysts, chemical additives, and novel technologies suggests that the environmental impact of synthetic nanomaterials will only increase with time. Several groups have proposed that engineered nanomaterials may be harnessed for cleaning up contaminated sites ... but the efficacy and impacts of such treatments have yet to be established.