PROJECT

Overview

DENANA responds to the conflict between immediate marketing of innovative, ENP containing products and the precautionary principle with regard to potential environmental and human risks. Hence, the project concentrates on the design of sustainable nanomaterials . It is indispensable for a sustainable production of products containing ENPs to have no adverse effects on the environment. Therefore, the project focuses on the study of the long-term characteristics of ENPs in realistic and varied environmental conditions. SiO₂NP, CeO₂NP and AgNP were selected because of their prevalence and commercial relevance. Exploitation oriented aspects will be studied on SiO₂ spiked lubricants as an exemplary application.

The project is partitioned into two interrelated parts with several work packages as shown below. The coordination of the entire project is part of the core-area ( DENANA-Core ) as well as the production of the ENPs and the exemplary application. The production focuses on innovative variations (“coating”, “charge”) of SiO₂NP and CeO₂NP for which an enormous marketing potential is expected due to their presumed low toxicity and multiple application possibilities.

The other part ( DENANA-Fate & Impact ) aims to detect, track and model the life cycle of the ENPs in the natural environment. This part of the project contributes to fill the knowledge and methodological gaps concerning the environmental exposure of ENPs. The environmental fate and pathways of the ENPs will be studied using numerous methods on different levels: characterisation of the ENPs, environmental exposure and fate modelling and final risk quantification; waters, sediments, soils and their effects on plants, animals and microorganisms will be addressed for the identification of early warning indicators required for the long-term risk assessment of ENPs .

DENANA‘s multi-disciplinary consortium of 10 partners from academy, industry and regulation works on the manifold questions. Several associated partners will support the consortium with expert knowledge in the production and processing of ENPs, risk assessment and soil science. The project will end with the collective evaluation of obtained results required for the identification of design criteria of sustainable ENPs. .

 

Industrial and social relevance

Sustainability should be the objective of every future technology. Especially nanotechnology has shown that worries and concerns of consumers may hamper the development of nanomaterials.

The bilateral approach of DENANA considers the interests of all stakeholders (producer, user and consumer). The identification of early warning indicators of the long-term risk potential supports the progress in the statutory approval of new ENPs; the generation of data on the environmental exposure provides a basis for regulatory measures.

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