1. Mineralisation and release of 14C-graphene oxide (GO) in soils.
- Author
-
Navarro DA, Kah M, Losic D, Kookana RS, and McLaughlin MJ
- Subjects
- Adsorption, Agriculture, Graphite chemistry, Carbon Dioxide metabolism, Carbon Radioisotopes analysis, Environmental Restoration and Remediation, Graphite analysis, Minerals metabolism, Nanostructures administration & dosage, Soil chemistry
- Abstract
Graphene-based nanomaterials (GNMs) have been touted as miracle materials due to their extraordinary properties that can benefit many industries, including in agriculture and for environmental remediation. While improvement in nutrient delivery and the ability to adsorb environmental contaminants have been demonstrated, what happens to GNMs in soil is a question that has not been addressed. The main aim of this study was to investigate their degradation in soil to have a better understanding of their environmental fate. Using radioisotope techniques, this study assessed the potential mineralisation and release of graphene oxide (GO), one of the most commonly used forms of graphene. Results revealed that the conversion of GO to carbon dioxide was negligible (<2%) in microbially-active soils. GO remaining in soil was also not readily released by water extractions. The lack of mineralisation and release is indicative of GO's high (bio)degradation stability which is likely due to its limited availability resulting from its rapid homo/hetero-aggregation. Over-all, the results provide new and important information on the environmental fate of graphene nanomaterials applied to soils., (Crown Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2020
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