One of the greatest challenges facing society is the sustainability of resources. At present, a step change in the sustainable use of resources is needed and catalysis lies at the heart of the solution by providing new routes to carbon dioxide mitigation, energy security and water conservation. It is clear that new high efficiency game-changing catalysts are required to meet the challenge. This proposal will focus on excellence in catalyst design by learning from recent step change advances in gold catalysis by challenging perceptions. Intense interest in gold catalysts over the past two decades has accelerated our understanding of gold particle-size effects, gold-support and gold-metal interactions, the interchange between atomic and ionic gold species, and the role of the gold-support interface in creating and maintaining catalytic activity. The field has also driven the development of cutting-edge techniques, particularly in microscopy and transient kinetics, providing detailed structural characterisation on the nano-scale and probing the short-range and often short-lived interactions. By comparison, our understanding of other metal catalysts has remained relatively static.

Translation of the genetically encoded information into polypeptides, protein biosynthesis, is a central function executed by ribosomes in all cells. In the case of membrane protein synthesis, integration into the membrane usually occurs co-translationally and requires a ribosome-associated translocon (SecYEG/Sec61). This highly coordinated process is poorly understood, since high-resolution structural information is lacking. Although single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has given invaluable structural insights for such dynamic ribosomal complexes, the resolution is so far limited to 5-10 Å for asymmetrical particles. Thus, the mechanistic depth and reliability of interpretation has accordingly been limited.

The proposed research project brings together European universities and research centres from Spain, Italy and Germany and three participant institutions from Russian Federation and Ukraine. It builds on existing international projects under the Seventh Framework programme and will enhance the already active collaboration in the field of environmental protection. The main aim of the proposal is to create conditions for mutual research among similarly orientated European research institutions and overcome existing gap between research institution and wood processing industry. The main objectives are: supporting and improving human and research potential, expanding research cooperation in European research area, spreading the output of the research on the both European and international level. Some of the project outputs are exchanging know-how with experienced research entities in Europe, Russia and Ukraine organizing conferences, creating strategic research plan for forest products based sector, improving tools for research results dissemination and online service for forest based industry sector. Increasing production of wood processing industry within Europe, with limited resources of renewable wood raw material, creates needs for more efficient, effective and knowledge based utilization of this raw material. The project consists of the following workpackage Preparation, characterization of nanomaterials from natural and synthetic ionits for adsorption of industrial toxicants; Preparation, characterization and application of combined adsorbents on the base of carbon nanomaterials; Application of nanosorbents for wastewaters and air purification and utilization in nanocomposite materials; Development of a sensor of industrial toxicants and biomedical devices on the base of nanomaterials; Risk and impact assessment related to production and application of nanomaterials in the wood industry as well as Project coordination.

A lack of understanding of the human and environmental health implications of nano-materials has deterred public and scientific support for nanotechnology evolution across industries. Nano-silver in particular has gained increasing popularity due to its biocidal properties in the garment industry to create odor-free clothing. An increase in “nano-litter” release to the environment is expected from erosion by product use and land application of nano-litter enriched wastewater sludge. This project will investigate the transport of nano-silver in soils through laboratory experiments using a novel 3-dimensional soil model technique that creates reproducible replicates of real soil pore networks, and simulations that combine non-equilibrium statistical physics of particle-solid interactions with information of Lattice-Boltzmann flow fields. The objectives are to: i) determine the effect that soil structure has on the transport of nanoparticles, ii) assess the capacity of soils under different land management practices (and therefore different soil architectures) to filter out suspended nano-litter from groundwater, and iii) develop a modeling tool to help industry forecast the propagation of nano-enabled products and their derivatives through soil environments from product use and disposal. The findings of this study are expected to directly impact environmental policy in the host country as well as worldwide.

Nanotechnology is already used in a huge variety of applications with a resulting potential environmental exposure. However, we are still lacking sound scientific knowledge on the ecological consequences for natural environmental systems of exposure to man-made nanoparticles (NPs). While standard ecotoxicity tests can be modified for hazard assessment of such NPs, the tests and therefore the conclusions address the wrong endpoints such as high-dose effects on survival and reproduction. This may have little relevance to possible effects on structure and function of natural ecosystems predicted to be exposed to low doses. Therefore the overall aim of this project is to link modern molecular biology and nano-ecotoxicology to address the interplay between effects of engineered NPs on microbial community structure and function and the consequent effects on their ecosystem function roles and rescilience.

Optimization of catalytic materials and hence of chemical processes heavily relies on gaining detailed insight into the complex dynamics underlying the outcome of a catalytic process and using this information in the rational design of improved catalysts. So far, spectroscopic approaches have already contributed importantly; however a strong need for new and improved in situ spectroscopic methods with micro- and nanometer resolution still remains. This project aims to develop advanced light microscopy tools that will significantly contribute to this goal.

The main objective of the NAWADES project is to study, design, produce, and test new water desalination filter technology from four points of view:

NANOREM is designed to unlock the potential of nanoremediation and so support both the appropriate use of nanotechnology in restoring land and aquifer resources and the development of the knowledge-based economy at a world leading level for the benefit of a wide range of users in the EU environmental sector.

Limpid aims at generating new knowledge on photocatalytic materials and processes in order to develop novel depollution treatments with enhanced efficiency and applicability. The main goal of LIMPID is to develop materials and technologies based on the synergic combination of different types of nanoparticles (NPs) into a polymer host to generate innovative nanocomposites which can be actively applied to the catalytic degradation of pollutants and bacteria, both in air or in aqueous solution. Single component nanocomposites including TiO2 NPs are already known for their photocatalytic activities. LIMPID will aim at going one big step further and include, into one nanocomposite material, oxide NPs and metal NPs in order to increase the photocatalytic efficiency and allow the use of solar energy to activate the process. One of the main challenge of LIMPID is to design host polymers, such as hybrid organic inorganic and fluorinated polymers, since photocatalysts can destroy the organic materials. The incorporation of NPs in polymers will allow to make available the peculiar nano-object properties and to merge the distinct components into a new original class of catalysts. At the same time nanocomposite formulation will also prevent NPs to leach into water and air phase, thus strongly limiting the potential threat associated to dispersion of NPs into the environment. Therefore nanocomposites developed in LIMPID will be used as coating materials and products for the catalytic degradation of pollutants and bacteria in water and air, i.e. deposited onto re-usable micro-particles, or in pollutant degradation reactors, and even onto large surfaces, as a coating or paint. In addition such new class of nanocomposites will be also exploited for the fabrication of porous membranes for water treatment. In order to fulfill its objectives, the LIMPID consortium has been designed to combine leading industrial partners with research groups from Europe, ASEAN Countries and Canada.