Using ciliates to understand the environmental fate and impact of carbon nanotubes

利用纤毛虫了解碳纳米管的环境命运和影响

• 批准号: 364897-2008
• 负责人: Bols, Niels
• 金额: $ 7.72万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Strategic Projects - Group
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2010-01-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=460842
• 关键词: Using; ciliates; understand; environmental; fate

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are nanoparticles that promise to revolutionize many industries. They are composed entirely of carbon, like diamond, but they are manufactured to be tiny tubes with diameters of 1 to 25 nm and with variable lengths. CNT have several exceptional properties, such as mechanical strength, that suggest applications in diverse fields. Whether CNT will be an environmental hazard is unknown but is of concern because no cell or organism evolved with these structures. Methods of evaluating the impact of CNT and their waste on the health of humans and ecosystems need to be developed and is the focus of this proposal. We are proposing to study the interactions between CNT and a group of single cell organisms, the ciliates. Ciliates are classified as protozoa or protista and are found in the waters and soils of the world. They are an important link between bacteria and multicellular organisms in food webs. Ciliates are also of economic importance: they are found in sewage treatment plants, where they function to produce good quality sewage effluent. Ciliates can be considered specialists at dealing with particles because they are constantly engulfing water and bacteria into food vacuoles. CNT can exist as individual nanotubes and as aggregates. From a toxicological point of view, the single nanotubes are likely much more toxic than aggregates. CNT aggregation can be viewed as a detoxifying mechanism, but also as a route for them to move through food chains and into humans. Therefore, we will investigate the aggregation of CNT in soil and water and the role of ciliates in this and whether the incorporation of CNT by ciliates modulates CNT transfer up food webs. Understanding these processes can lead to ways of minimizing the release and environmental impact of CNT, of monitoring CNT in the environment, and of undertaking remediation. A particularly exciting and beneficial spin off of this research could be the development of methods that use ciliates and CNT to monitor chemical contaminants in the environment.

碳纳米管（CNT）是有望彻底改变许多行业的纳米颗粒。它们完全由碳组成，就像金刚石一样，但它们被制造成直径为1至25 nm且长度可变的微小管。CNT具有几种特殊的性质，如机械强度，这表明在不同领域的应用。CNT是否会对环境造成危害尚不清楚，但令人担忧，因为没有细胞或生物体进化出这些结构。需要制定评估碳纳米管及其废物对人类健康和生态系统影响的方法，这也是本提案的重点。我们建议研究碳纳米管与一组单细胞生物纤毛虫之间的相互作用。纤毛虫被分类为原生动物或原生生物，并且在世界各地的沃茨和土壤中发现。它们是食物网中细菌和多细胞生物之间的重要联系。纤毛虫也具有经济重要性：它们在污水处理厂中被发现，在那里它们的功能是产生优质的污水。纤毛虫可以被认为是处理颗粒的专家，因为它们不断地将水和细菌吞噬到食物泡中。CNT可以作为单独的纳米管和作为聚集体存在。从毒理学的角度来看，单个纳米管可能比聚集体毒性更大。CNT聚集可以被视为一种解毒机制，也可以被视为它们通过食物链进入人类的途径。因此，我们将调查CNT在土壤和水中的聚集和纤毛虫在其中的作用，以及纤毛虫对CNT的掺入是否会调节CNT向食物网的转移。了解这些过程可以导致最大限度地减少CNT的释放和环境影响，监测环境中的CNT，以及进行补救的方法。这项研究的一个特别令人兴奋和有益的副产品可能是开发使用纤毛虫和CNT来监测环境中化学污染物的方法。