The Group
Beginning in July 2020, Prof. Mitrano was awarded an SNF Eccellenza Professorship and founded the ECAM group in the Environmental Systems Science Department at ETH. The natural environment is experiencing ever-increasing pressures from anthropogenic stressors. Understanding how human activities influence physical, chemical and biological cycles is a central component of modern geosciences. Our research aims to connect this geochemical knowledge with decision making on a larger platform concerning the protection of various ecosystems. Thus, we combine fundamental science within an applied context, with a focus on environmental impacts of the Anthropocene and risk assessment of pollutants. To date, our research has centered on engineered nanomaterials and (micro)plastic pollution.
In the Environmental Chemistry of Anthropogenic Materials (ECAM) group, our research assesses the geochemical processes which govern the fate, transport and biological interactions of particles in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. We are particularly interested in developing new analytical tools to systematically understand the mechanisms and processes driving these processes of particles, such as nano- and microplastics, engineered nanomaterials and natural colloids, to elucidate their behavior and impacts in environmental systems. We aim for our research to connect the distribuiton and effects of anthropogenic pollutants with decision making on a larger platform concerning the protection of various ecosystems. We combine fundamental science within an applied context, with a focus on environmental impacts of the Anthropocene and risk assessment of engineered products and pollutants to develop more sustainable materials and processes.
Our interdisciplenary team works across a wide range of research fields to understand the impacts of nanoplastics, microplastics and engineered nanomaterials including:
- Analytical method development and nanometrology
- Fate and transport of particles in water and soil
- Ineractions of particles with biota
- Safer-by-design material production
- Policy and innovation for environmental protection
Understanding how human activities influence physical, chemical and biological cycles is a central component of modern geosciences. Awareness of the environmental impacts of our collective consumerism and lifestyles as a society is growing, but it is often difficult to make informed decisions on the relative impacts of the choices we as individuals or industry make. Our research group attempts to tackle larger sustainability efforts related to the impacts of the Anthropocene to surface water, soil, and biota and to be an advocate of bridging research fields to harness differing expertise to solve these challenges.