Description du projet
Étude de la toxicité du lithium et du cobalt dans les systèmes aquatiques
Le développement et la production de batteries sont essentiels pour la transition vers une économie neutre en carbone, ce qui accroît les besoins en lithium et en cobalt. Les processus d’exploitation minière libèrent ces produits chimiques dans l’environnement aquatique. Les sédiments du système aquatique jouent le double rôle de puits ou de sources dynamiques pour ces éléments, en fonction des conditions environnementales variables. Financé par le programme Actions Marie Skłodowska-Curie, le projet CoLiBRI vise à étudier la toxicité du lithium et du cobalt dans différentes conditions environnementales. CoLiBRI se concentre sur l’impact de la température et du pH sur la distribution et les caractéristiques du lithium et du cobalt, les effets toxiques sur le poisson-zèbre, et les changements de la communauté microbienne liée au lithium et au cobalt dans les sédiments.
Objectif
In the EU, transport is responsible for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. For the transition to a climate neutral economy, battery development and production strategies are thus important. By 2030, the EU expects an increased requirement of 18 times more lithium and 5 times more cobalt. These elements are released into the aquatic environment by mining processes and wastewater discharge. In aquatic systems, sediments are important and dynamic sinks or sources for such elements, depending on varying environmental conditions. The chemical state, bioavailability, and toxicity of these elements in aquatic systems is highly influenced by environmental parameters such as pH and temperature, which in turn are influenced by climate change. The goal is to investigate the toxicity of lithium and cobalt in aquatic systems under different environmental conditions. This will be addressed in 3 research objectives: 1) Investigation of the impact of temperature and pH on the distribution and chemical characteristics of lithium and cobalt within aquatic systems 2) Analysis of toxic effects of lithium and cobalt to zebrafish 3) Evaluation of lithium and cobalt related microbial community changes within the sediment. To address these objectives, we will perform a long-term exposure with zebrafish to selected sediments spiked with lithium and cobalt in an aquarium system capable of monitoring and regulating different water parameters. The toxicity will be determined with the zebrafish embryo toxicity test. Gene-expression analysis will reveal sub-lethal toxic effects of the selected elements. Bioaccumulation and content of lithium and cobalt in water and sediment will be quantified by ICP-MS. Changes in the sediment microbial community will be investigated by metagenome fingerprinting. With this interdisciplinary holistic approach we aim to improve environmental risk assessment of sediments contaminated with lithium and cobalt, particularly in regard to climate change.
Champ scientifique
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processeswastewater treatment processes
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkali metals
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metals
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineembryology
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Régime de financement
HORIZON-AG-UN - HORIZON Unit GrantCoordinateur
70182 Orebro
Suède