Metal oxide nanoparticles and the environment: from applications to implications

Natalia I. Gonzalez-Pech, PhD.

Although nanotechnology has opened a wide range of possibilities in different applications, multiple implementation barriers have yet to be overcome to solve real problems including the lack of cost-effective and scalable synthetic methodologies, the difficulty of implementing nanomaterials in filter set-ups without losing their functionality, and the reuse/regeneration of highly concentrated hazard materials. During my doctoral dissertation, several implementation barriers while developing iron oxide nanomaterials for arsenic remediation were confronted. The use of clusters of nanoparticles was proposed to benefit the properties of both the nanoparticles and the bulk material. The kitchen synthesis of nanomagnetite previously introduced by the Colvin group was modified. The proposed modification reduced the multiple steps process to a one-pot synthesis. The obtained nanoparticles have much better arsenic removal performance than the nanoparticles prepared by other synthetic methods. 

My postdoctoral work focused on characterizing nanoparticles generated in the occupational settings and their negative health effects. The evaluation of the concentration, composition and size of incidental nanoparticles in several industrial workplaces using on-site and off-site techniques was achieved. Two occupational settings, a heavy vehicle machining and assembly center and an iron foundry, were selected to a more detailed analysis due to expected concentrations of Fe, Mn and Cu nanoparticles. My findings revealed a particle aggregation behavior that shall be considered when analyzing respirable fraction of incidental particles for toxicology implications.

Currently at Hope College, my group focuses on the development of nanomaterials for water remediation and energy-related applications in a sustainable manner. While solving environmental problems, our students learn about environmental chemistry, material science and surface chemistry.

Bio: Dr. Natalia Gonzalez-Pech is originally from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Monterrey Tech (ITESM). In 2016, Natalia completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry, in Rice University. Her doctoral research focused on nanomaterials synthesis and characterization, and their applications in water processes. Dr. Gonzalez-Pech did her postdoctoral research at UCSD. Her research focused in the characterizing metal-containing nanoparticles formed in industrial processes and the understanding of their health effects. Currently, her research group focuses on the development of nanomaterials for water remediation and energy-related applications in a sustainable manner.