Assessment of Ecotoxicity of Copper Nanoparticles
An assessment of the ecotoxicity of Cu nanoparticles and CuO was carried out on biological indicators of soil condition as the central biogeochemical link of terrestrial ecosystems. They studied soils that differ significantly in the properties that determine their resistance to pollution by heavy metals: common chernozem, seropesky and brown forest soil. Contamination with Cu and CuO nanoparticles led to a deterioration in the biological properties of soils. There was a significant decrease in all the biological indicators studied. No reliable cases of gormesis were recorded. Nanoparticles of CuO of copper showed big ecotoxicity, than CuO microparticles. According to the degree of resistance to contamination with Cu nanoparticles, the studied soils formed the following series: common chernozem > brown forest soils > seropesky. The light particle size distribution of seropescus and the acidic reaction of the environment of brown forest soils, as well as the low content of organic matter in these soils, contribute to the high mobility, and therefore high ecotoxicity, of copper in these soils. CuO nanoparticles affected the biological state of common chernozem to a lesser extent than Cu nanoparticles.