Project description
Environmental friendliness of a promising new phosphorus-absorbing material
Phosphorus is a critically important element for food security and agriculture, but it is a finite resource extracted in only a few countries around the world. However, large quantities of phosphorus are present in wastewater and agricultural runoff, representing an untapped secondary source of phosphorus. The EU-funded project NanoPhosTox is testing the ecological impact of a promising new nanostructured phosphorus-absorbent material. Researchers will look at the potential ecotoxicological hazards and environmental risks of this material, using recognised biological test systems, and OECD and ISO industry standards. Ensuring that the new material and its precursors are environmentally friendly will help progress towards commercial application of this exciting new product.
Objective
Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient with crucial importance for agriculture and global food security. Phosphate rock is an intensively exploited finite resource, concentrated only in a few countries worldwide, leading to strong import dependency and insecurity for countries with resource deficits. Thus, in 2014 the EU Commission declared P rock as one of the 20 critical resources for the EU. Recently, significant efforts and priority funding were focused on developing materials and technologies for P recovery from secondary P rich sources, such as wastewater, following the EU Circular Economy paradigm. Engineered nanostructured materials, predominantly metal oxides/hydroxides, have been frequently reported as excellent sorbents for P in wastewater. However, the uncertainty regarding possible ecotoxicological hazards arising from the use of these custom materials has produced new research gaps.
The main purpose of this Marie Curie action is to assess the environmental risk and potential toxicity of a novel, highly efficient nanostructured P sorbent material and optimize its structure to exclude any ecotoxicological risks from its application. Following the interdisciplinary approach bridging Nano-Toxicology, Materials Science and Environmental Engineering, NanoPhosTox will explore various test systems to evaluate the biological effects of the proposed material. Attention will be focused mostly on ecotoxicity tests based on OECD and ISO test protocols, such as Vibrio fischeri, Algae and Daphnia assays, which allow assessing toxicity effects of the materials precursors, including nanoparticles. Thus, NanoPhosTox will build on the previous successful research which established the fundamentals of an innovative, robust and highly competitive technology for the simultaneous removal and recovery of P from wastewater. The ultimate goal of this action is to advance the further commercialization of the technology by verifying its environmentally friendly application.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes wastewater treatment processes
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology phycology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.4. - SPREADING EXCELLENCE AND WIDENING PARTICIPATION
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-WF-2018-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
12618 Tallinn
Estonia
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.