The role of boron in the crystallization and surface properties of CaCO3 at the nanoscale

Project Information

NANOCARB

Grant agreement ID: 624016

Project terminated

Start date 1 January 2015

End date 11 April 2017

Funded under

• Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Total cost € 308 587,80

EU contribution € 308 587,80

Coordinated by

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
Denmark

Objective

Boron is important in industry and nature. It is used in oil extraction, detergents, superconductors and agricultural chemicals. At neutral to slightly basic pH, where CaCO3 forms, B exists as boric acid and borate. These are present in all sea water so marine organisms automatically incorporate B into their shells. Strangely, nearly nothing is known about the extent of uptake or its effects. In many areas of the Mediterranean Sea and continental Europe, B is a contaminant, risking environmental damage and challenging drinking water supplies. Because so little is known about its behaviour, toxic concentrations are difficult to remove. The goal of NanoCArB is to add to the thermodynamic and kinetic databases for the B-H2O-CO2-CaCO3 system, to provide deeper understanding about the interaction of B with calcium carbonate mineral surfaces and to provide a solid base for interpreting boron isotope fractionation. NanoCArB will use a multidisciplinary approach by combining several state of the art nanotechniques including spectroscopy, microscopy and synchrotron radiation based methods for in situ, real time studies to answer three main questions: How does borate affect the growth rate and growth mechanisms of calcite? What is the effect of borate on CaCO3 surface properties (i.e. adsorbed species, surface tension, inhibition) of calcite? How do the various mechanisms of crystallisation affect surface attachment, incorporation and isotope fractionation in calcite and aragonite. The results will contribute significantly in a number of fields, such as improving drinking water and waste treatment, scale inhibition, oil extraction, and to advance understanding of processes that occur at the global scale, such as ocean acidification and climate change. In parallel, NanoCArB will provide me with the opportunity to direct a research project, enhancing my research management skills, moving me along the path to independence as a scientist.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

• engineering and technology › environmental engineering › water treatment processes › drinking water treatment processes
• natural sciences › chemical sciences › inorganic chemistry › inorganic compounds
• natural sciences › chemical sciences › inorganic chemistry › metalloids
• natural sciences › earth and related environmental sciences › atmospheric sciences › climatology › climatic changes
• natural sciences › physical sciences › electromagnetism and electronics › superconductivity

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Programme(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)

Topic(s)

• FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF - Marie-Curie Action: "Intra-European fellowships for career development"

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET

• EU contribution: € 308 587,80
• Address: NORREGADE 10 ; 1165 Kobenhavn ; Denmark
• Region: Danmark › Hovedstaden › Byen København
• Activity type: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Total cost: No data