NANOHETER is a Research Program funded under the frame of SIINN the ERA-NET on Nanosafety for a Safe Implementation of Innovative Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
As part of the risk assessment of nanotechnology, this program deals with the exposure aspect of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), focusing on their fate in surface water. Based on the trace concentrations expected to be present, the approach claims that the ENP potential for interaction with the mineral and organic suspended matter occurring in surface water will be the governing factor. The aim of this project is to identify among these materials the preferential carriers for ENPs. Mechanistic, holistic and model approaches are conducted together. The interaction of ENPs with surrounding materials are investigated, and the induced heteroaggregation and/or sedimentation mechanisms are studied. The goal of NANOHETER is to deliver a probability ranking of these potential scenarios that can be used to model the fate of ENPs in natural aqueous systems at the river scale.