Through the funding of this proposal, a technology that can be scaled up to field levels will be developed. The technology will be non-polluting and would require no parasitic energy input. Currently, federal or state guideline in United States does not specify any obligation on the producers of nanoparticles to carry out toxicological studies (on human and environment) before it is introduced into the environment. These nanoparticles find there way in the environment through products for human consumption or accidental release. For example, release of nanoparticles into soil is a result of number of activities, including deliberate release via soil and water remediation technologies, potential agricultural uses (e.g. fertilisers) and potential unintentional releases via air, water and from sewage sludge applied to land. Thus, while nanoparticles have found its way into the environment, little knowledge exists on the influence of nanoparticles on environment. Through the current proposal we propose to investigate the influence of free nanoparticles on microbial community in soil and evaluate soil health using multiple measurement tools and carrying out studies in microcosms. Five different nanoparticles will be selected to investigate the eco-toxicological effect on soil microbial diversity using two soil types. Evaluation will be carried out through viability count, Fatty Acid Methyl Ester analysis, Biolog Eco plates, phyto-toxicity, physico-chemical analysis of soil and enzymatic studies.
