Partners

CNRS-CEREGE

CEREGE is a public research laboratory (UMR 7330). It hosts researches dealing with environmental geosciences. The Group Transfer of Pollutants and Nanoparticles is specialized in research on fate and impact of environmental pollutants, including risk assessment and remediation. It is an expert group in molecular environmental science concerning the reactivity of heterogeneous and divided systems in soil and water. Our group has been a pioneer within the research field of the environmental implication of nanotechnology. Within the last decade, our approach has evolved toward more and more relevant systems, dealing both on the exposure and hazard aspects, based on multidisciplinary consortiums. Among the most recent considerations, working with residues released from the alteration of commercialized nano-products, and designing microcosms for long-term exposition of the living organisms to the ENPs constitute some of the most original approaches.

PI: Dr. Jérôme Labille (Project Coordinator). See ResearchGate profile here and list of publications here.

Other Staff involved: Dr. Danielle Slomberg (Postdoc NANOHETER), Dr. Olivier Radakovitch, Dr. Jean-Yves Bottero

ETH

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich is one of the leading technical universities in the world. It offers a wide range of curricula in the technical and natural sciences and excellent research facilities; it has been ranked in the top 50 of the Times Higher Education-QS World University Ranking since 2004. The Safety and Environmental Technology Group at ETH works on the environmental and safety oriented assessment of chemical products and processes. One of its main activities is the decision-oriented environmental assessment of chemical products, including nanomaterials. For more than 15 years, the group has developed models of the behaviour of chemicals in the environment, and of pathways for human exposure. Model development and evaluation is a key issue in many of the projects of the group. In the last years, the group has initiated several new projects dealing with engineered nanoparticles. Decision-making contexts addressed by the group’s work are: implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Chemicals, the United Nations Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, and the EU’s chemicals legislation, REACH.

PI: Dr. Martin Scheringer

Other Staff involved: Nicole Sani-Kast (PhD Thesis NANOHETER), Dr. Antonia Praetorius

BRGM

BRGM, the French geological survey, is the leading French Research Institute responsible for mobilizing the Earth Sciences in the sustainable management of natural resources and the subsurface domain. It contributes advice and expert assessments to public authorities (in particular to the French Ministry for Environment) and private companies. BRGM research and development programs support innovation and work in areas (water quality, exposure assessment and environmental management) directly linked with the present proposal. The Divisions “Environment and Processes”, “Water” and “Monitoring and Analysis” will be the key actors in the proposal, providing their human expertise (geochemistry, hydrogeology, numerical modelling, analysis) and up-to-date equipment (multi-scale laboratory experimental devices, wide range of analytical tools…).

PI: Dr. Patrick Ollivier

Other Staff involved: Dr. Svetlana Ilina (Postdoc NANOHETER), Dr. Nicole Baran

University of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming (UW) is located in Laramie (Wy, USA). UW draws over 13,000 students from all 50 states. Recognized as 5th in America’s Best College Buys, UW offers 190 areas of study, a small student /faculty ratio, and renowned faculty, and is among the nation’s top universities ranked by U.S. News & World Report and Forbes. The partner’s responsible is Dr. Jonathan Brant  from the Department of Civil & Architectural Engineering. His research focuses on developing innovative approaches and technologies for treating water and wastewater streams. To date his efforts have centered on developing new membrane processes that take advantage of recent advancements in the field of nanotechnology to produce clean water with less energy and waste. Other research efforts in Dr. Brant’s group focus on resolving the fundamental mechanisms that govern nanoparticle fate and transport in natural and engineered environments. An existing effort by Dr. Brant that is complementary to the NANOHETER program is research that is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on the behaviour and removal of manufactured nanomaterials in conventional and advanced water treatment systems.

PI: Dr. Jonathan Brant

http://www.uwyo.edu/civil/faculty_staff/faculty/jonathan-brant/