Silver nanoparticles commonly used to prevent microbial growth have the potential to inhibit nitrifying bacteria in wastewater treatment works, according to researchers from the Centerfor Environmental Implications of Nano Technology (CEINT) in North Carolina, US.
The bacteria oxidise ammonia to give nitrate ions. The researchers exposed ammonia-oxidising bacteria to silver nanoparticles coated with citrate, gum arabic, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Those coated in gum arabic and PVP were the strongest inhibitors of nitrification by Nitrosomonas europaea bacteria. “Coating plays a very important role in determining silver dissolution and ultimately toxicity to nitrifiers,” say the researchers.
The study is published in Environmental Science and Technology.
Fonte: Chemical Watch
