Nanoparticles for Remediation

A large interdisciplinary project is developing active nanostructures for targeted delivery of reactive nanomaterials to subsurface contaminants. Inspired by targeted drug delivery, engineered core-shell reactive nanomaterials are being synthesized and evaluated for their ability to migrate through groundwater aquifers and rapidly degrade chlorinated organic contaminants present as Dense Non-aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLs). Novel polymers developed in Carnegie Mellon’s chemistry department enable the reactive nanoparticles to target DNAPL, much like targeted drug delivery. Faculty and Ph.D. students from the Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, and the Chemical Engineering Departments collaborate to address several fundamental aspects of the issue including particle characterization, reactivity, mobility, and the potential for negative human health effects or unintended ecotoxicity.

Water QUEST is a multi-disciplinary center housed in the Carnegie Institute of Technology at
Carnegie Mellon University with participating faculty from four colleges and eight departments