Thesis supervisor: Izabella Babcsányi
Location of studies (in Hungarian): SZTE Department of Geoinformatics, Physical and Environmental Geography/SZTE Geoinformatikai, Természet- és Környezetföldrajzi Tanszék Abbreviation of location of studies: SZTE
Description of the research topic:
A growing number of metal nanostructures are becoming part of our everyday lives, thanks to their increasing use. However, their environmental hazards are still under investigation. The extent of their release into the environment and their accumulation in certain environmental compartments is poorly understood. A growing number of studies suggest that soils are the main receptors of man-made nanoparticles. In addition to toxicological and ecotoxicological aspects, the transport and accumulation processes of metal nanostructures in the soil environment need to be explored. At the same time, their potential impact on soil quality and fertility is also poorly understood. There is therefore a need for an interdisciplinary approach combining methods and knowledge from materials science, environmental science and soil science to allow a comprehensive investigation of the environmental behaviour of metal nanostructures. The successful candidate should be able to design and implement laboratory-scale experiments in soil columns to investigate the transport processes and effects of different metal nanostructures such as TiO2, ZnO, CuO in both soil and soil solution.
Required language skills: English Recommended language skills (in Hungarian): angol Number of students who can be accepted: 1