Among copious forms of nanoparticles, sliver nanoparticles (AgNPs), ascribed to their potential anti-microbial capacity,has become one of the most used nanomaterials in industrial, medical, and agricultural fields. Due to myriad applications of AgNPs, they inevitably leak to the environment in dissolved forms during the life-cycle of AgNP-containing products. Recently some studies have reported change in the soil enzymatic activities after exposure to nanoparticles. Due to the complexity of soil, different coatings and sizes of AgNPs, as well as change in the exposure duration can possess the potential to influence the activities of soil enzymes. In this study, we have investigated the impact of silver nanoparticles of different sizes, coatings, and concentrations on agricultural soil enzymatic activities. Activities are measured over 3-hour, 3-day, and 30-day periods. Here we present enzymatic activity changes of arylamidase, phenol oxidase, peroxidase, sulfite oxidase, and rhodanese after exposure to varying concentrations of AgNPs as well as ionic silver. These enzymes are involved in nitrogen mineralization, carbon, and sulfur cycling respectively. Nanoparticle dissolution was characterized in soil extract using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The physiochemical characteristics of the AgNPs, namely, size and surface charge, were also monitored in soil extract water to correlate with the enzyme bioassays.

Monitoring enzymatic activities of agricultural soil after exposure to silver nanoparticles of different sizes and coatings

2019 Fall National Meeting

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