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What are probable scenarios for nanoparticles in surface waters?
Due to the leaching of contaminated soils, an accidental spillage or deposition of particles transported by air, nanoparticles may potentially be releasedin surface waters. So the processes of ultrafiltration could turn out to be useful to guarantee the harmlessness of water. Solubility, stability or aggregation condition the migration of nanoparticles present in surface waters. Hence, when they are introduced in the water environment, nanoparticles are not evenly distributed in the environment. The likelihood of an organism to make contact with a nanoparticle isn’t the same in the whole system of exhibition.
Zinc oxide particles.
Particles of magnetic oxides of iron or titanium of some nm in a solution of pH between 6 and 7 will aggregate to form objects which we can see with the eye (60 microns). So particles of metal oxides (Ti, Al, Fe) which have zero Zeta potential for a pH between 6 and 7 will not be stable in water and cannot thus be transported by this vector in a nanoform.
This aggregation mechanism has several fold interest, as an example when the size increases, the mobility decreases.