Instituto Tecnologico Del Embalaje, Transporte Y Logistica

This study advances the development of fate factors (FFs) and characterization factors (CFs) within the USEtox framework to address gaps in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) for Multi-Component NanoMaterials (MCNM) and High Aspect-Ratio Nanoparticles (HARN). We employ a novel non-equilibrium colloidal environmental fate model tailored for MCNM and HARN, deriving FF for nanomaterials (NMs) emissions to air, freshwater, sediment, and soil. Case studies of nano zinc oxide doped with manganese (nZnO-Mn) and silver nanowires (AgNWs) reveal that both materials exhibit their longest residence times in sediment (FFs exceeding 39,000days), followed by soil (130.9days for both), air (25.9 and 57.8days, respectively), and the shortest in freshwater (22.6 and 3.4days). Calculated CFs for nZnO-Mn and AgNWs are marginally higher than literature values for ZnO and Ag nanoparticles, but at least one order of magnitude lower than their bulk metal counterparts. This discrepancy is attributed to the higher dissolution rates of NMs in freshwater compared to bulk metals. Sensitivity analysis further identifies dissolution rate as the dominant parameter influencing freshwater CFs, overshadowing NM-specific properties such as density, diameter, and length. These findings underscore the necessity of precise dissolution rate quantification and improved toxicological data to ensure robust CF development, enabling better integration of NMs into life cycle assessments (LCAs). Future work should prioritize CF development for NM impacts on human health to guide sustainable nanotechnology applications.

This study aims to develop a modified starch with menthol (M) or sulfobetaine (S) using 1,6-hexamethyl diisocyanate (HMDI) as a linker to create biodegradable antibacterial materials for active packaging applications. The modification of potato starch is performed in a two-step reaction. First, the starch modifiers are synthesized through an equimolar reaction between HMDI and menthol or the sulfobetaine precursor. Next, the synthesized HMDI derivative is dissolved in a bio-based solvent (methyl-THF) with starch and K2CO3 (1:1 weight ratio) to chemically modify the starch. The chemical and thermal properties of the modified starch are analyzed. Starch films containing 25 wt.% glycerol and low amounts (0.5, 1, and 3% wt.) of M- or S-modified starch were successfully produced by extrusion. Although most film properties remain similar to the control, adding 3% of S-modified starch resulted in a 149% increase in Elastic Modulus and a 29% decrease in water vapor permeability. Additionally, just 0.5 wt.% of either M- or S-modified starch effectively inhibits S. aureus growth, indicating its potential as a bioactive compound for active packaging.

The Safe and Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework by the EC-JRC (European Commission - Joint Research Centre) provides a structured approach to integrate safety and sustainability considerations from the earliest stages of chemical and material innovation. However, applying SSbD principles to advanced materials poses specific challenges due to their complex and diverse physicochemical properties. This work analyzes and maps hazard, exposure, fate and risk assessment methods and tools applicable to Steps 1, 2 and 3 of the EC-JRC SSbD framework, categorizing them across its three tiers to address different stages of product development. The analysis highlights the challenges of adapting conventional testing and modelling approaches to advanced materials, particularly for hazard assessment, and considers the relevance and limitations of tools originally developed for exposure and risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials when applied to broader advanced materials categories. An assessment of operational status, access conditions, and tool formats provides practical insights for researchers and industry stakeholders. The study identifies key methodological gaps and offers recommendations to improve and expand the current tool landscape. By providing a structured mapping of available resources and challenges, this work supports the effective implementation of SSbD principles, promoting the safe and sustainable development of advanced materials.

This article describes the development of a Safe-by-Design (SbD) module and its integration into an easy-to-use tool, named the Nano Exposure Quantifier-Safe-by-Design (NEQ-SbD) tool. The NEQ-SbD tool guides its user to lower the exposure to nanomaterials at the worksite where nanomaterials are manipulated or handled during a wide range of activities. This allows the tool user with an informed decision to assess airborne exposure and to select, compare, and identify appropriate risk management measures (RMM). The SbD module was developed using various information sources that can support and guide the SbD process, including the (i) RMM effectiveness based on analyses of an Exposure Control Efficacy Library (ECEL), (ii) RMM performance using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model, (iii) e-cards based on a qualitative analysis of RMM information sources, and (iv) guidance for SbD strategy using an exposure directionality assessment. This information has been integrated in the user interface of the SbD module and NEQ-SbD tool to facilitate the SbD decision-making process. The SbD concept applied in the integrated NEQ-SbD tool introduces a comparison between a baseline exposure assessment and an (improved) SbD exposure assessment. The integrated NEQ-SbD tool consists of 4 modules including (i) a baseline exposure assessment, (ii) baseline results, (iii) SbD assessment, and (iv) SbD comparative results. The main purpose of the SbD module lies in guiding the user to the most sensitive (exposure) parameters and allowing a side-by-side comparison of potentially suitable RMMs. The integrated NEQ-SbD tool also offers a tiered approach and seamlessly shifts from a tier-1 to tier-2 uncertainty of an exposure assessment. The SbD module is illustrated using a worked example for the transfer of nano powders, showing the possibility of identifying SbD solutions for both safe-by-process and safe-by-material design purposes. The NEQ-SbD tool is a valuable tool for the SbD of nanomaterials and as a decision-making tool to support SbD risk management strategies that lead to minimizing health risks associated with occupational exposures.

Multicomponent and high-aspect ratio nanomaterials (MCNMs and HARNs) have various industrials applications. MCNMs and other chemical compounds containing ZnO are applied in sunscreens and cosmetic products and, therefore, are valuable substances. However, the potential toxic effect of these (nano)materials on various biological systems is uncertain. Differentiating between uptake of true metal NMs and that of released ions is essential to assess the actual role of these two metal forms in toxicity over time. Therefore, toxicokinetic experiments were conducted to assess the implications of ZnO containing NM and their components on earthworms in soil, daphnia in fresh water, and biofilm in sediment. These experiments comprised an uptake phase in which these organisms were exposed to a ZnO containing NM or one of its (ionic) components, after these organisms were transferred to a clean environment to depurate themselves from the NM or their components in the elimination phase. Earthworms exposed to the ZnO:Mn MCNM showed a rapid increase in Zn and Mn concentrations, followed by a rapid decline after transfer to clean soil. Earthworms exposed to MnCl2 showed increases and decreases in Mn concentration after exposure and transfer to clean soil that were similar to worms exposed to ZnO:Mn. Daphnids exposed to ZnO:Mn and ZnO also showed a rapid increase in Zn concentration, but a negligible decline after transfer to clean media. The Mn concentration in daphnids exposed to ZnO:Mn indicated a gradual increase and decline after exposure and transfer to clean media, respectively. Toxicokinetic one-compartment models were fitted to the earthworm and daphnid data and enable the estimation of uptake and elimination rate parameters along with the computation of the bioaccumulation factor. Moreover, in this deliverable a protocol to evaluate the toxicodynamics of ZnO and ZnO:Mn nanoparticles in biofilms is described, as well as the results obtained.

Prosthetic joint infection represents a problem that worsens the patient’s quality of life and produces an economic impact on health systems. We report the anodization of Ti6Al4V coupons obtained by electron beam melting to produce a nanostructured surface. Anodization at 10 V produced TiO2 nanopores with a diameter in the range of 15–20 nm. Thereafter, Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were deposited in three different ways to provide antibacterial functionality to the coatings: electrochemically, thermally, and chemically. The electrochemical method did not provide good coverage of AgNPs. At 0.1 V of synthesis potential, cubic, octahedral, and truncated octahedral Ag crystals were obtained. The thermal method provided a good distribution of AgNPs but it damaged the TiO2 nanostructure. The chemical method showed the best distribution of AgNPs over the anodized surface and preserved the anodized nanostructure. For this reason, the chemical method was selected to perform further studies. Ag+ release was monitored in simulated body fluid at 37 °C, reaching 1.86 mg Ag+/L after 42 days. The antibacterial coating showed excellent antibacterial activity and inhibited biofilm formation for Staphylococcus epidermidis RP62A and Staphylococcus aureus V329 strains (lethality > 99.9% for both bacteria and assays).

The pre-chamber ignition system has demonstrated to be a suitable technology for increasing burning rates while reducing the cycle-to-cycle variability in spark-ignition engines. This concept offers an improvement in thermal efficiency through an increase in ignition energy and flame surface, allowing it to overcome knocking combustion issues at high engine load/speeds. This fact makes this ignition concept well compatible with the use of dilution strategies to control emissions or to further improve efficiency. However, despite promoting faster combustion, knocking combustion is still a major limitation at low rotational speeds and high engine loads (low-end torque). In this investigation, the performance of the passive pre-chamber concept is evaluated in a single-cylinder turbocharged spark-ignition engine fueled with compressed natural gas in EGR-diluted conditions. Several experiments and numerical simulations are combined to analyze the basis of the pre-chamber operation, while seeking to improve the global performance of the engine. To this end, a new pre-chamber geometry is proposed that is able to achieve better features in the ejected jets, to enhance the performance of the concept in the whole engine map.

Aspergillus niger is a robust microbial cell factory for organic acid production. However, the regulation of many industrially important pathways is still poorly understood. The regulation of the glucose oxidase (Gox) expression system, involved in the biosynthesis of gluconic acid, has recently been uncovered. The results of that study show hydrogen peroxide, a by-product of the extracellular conversion of glucose to gluconate, has a pivotal role as a signaling molecule in the induction of this system. In this study, the facilitated diffusion of hydrogen peroxide via aquaporin water channels (AQPs) was studied. AQPs are transmembrane proteins of the major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) superfamily. In addition to water and glycerol, they may also transport small solutes such as hydrogen peroxide. The genome sequence of A. niger N402 was screened for putative AQPs. Seven AQPs were found and could be classified into three main groups. One protein (AQPA) belonged to orthodox AQP, three (AQPB, AQPD, and AQPE) were grouped in aquaglyceroporins (AQGP), two (AQPC and AQPF) were in X-intrinsic proteins (XIPs), and the other (AQPG) could not be classified. Their ability to facilitate diffusion of hydrogen peroxide was identified using yeast phenotypic growth assays and by studying AQP gene knock-outs in A. niger. The X-intrinsic protein AQPF appears to play roles in facilitating hydrogen peroxide transport across the cellular membrane in both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and A. niger experiments.

Abstract The aim of this study was to measure the vibration levels in one of the types of truck most used in Spain for the shipment of packaged goods, formed by tractor unit and air‐suspension semi‐trailer with 26 tonnes (26 000 kg) payload capacity, considering the most representative routes of the main Spanish road network. The data presented in this study will enable the development of new specific vibration tests and will help product and package engineers to reduce damage in transit. In this study, 30 transport routes recording nearly 10 000 km of the Spanish main road network have been selected and analysed, and power spectral density (PSD) profiles are provided to simulate truck transport in Spain using random vibration test methods. The resulting PSD profiles were established by generating two grms levels (0.21 and 0.15) obtaining the highest intensity from the calculation of the upper one‐sided normal tolerance limit (NTL) (30,95,50) and an average intensity profile at −6 dB with respect to the calculated NTL curve, which represents 70% of the lowest grms values of the study. This study uses NTL analysis to explore the vibration characteristics of a typical heavy goods transport vehicle type for various routes along main highways in Spain and propose new transport simulation test protocols dedicated to the Spanish main road distribution environment.