Phytoplankton Controls on the Transformations of Metal-containing Nanoparticles in an Aquatic Environment

Abstract

In contrast to the extended knowledge on the toxicity of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) to aquatic organisms, including phytoplankton, studies dealing with the role of the phytoplankton in the fate of ENPs in an aquatic environment are rather limited. In the present chapter the current state-of-the-art on how phytoplankton could affect the cycling of metal-containing ENPs in an aquatic environment is critically discussed. The emphasis is on the following phenomena (i) uptake and (intra-)cellular transformation of ENPs; (ii) production of ENPs by phytoplankton from dissolved metal species; and (iii) release of biogenic (macro)molecules.