TY - CONF A1 - Piechotta, Christian T1 - Development, Validation and Application of an Accelerated Weathering Protocol for Assessing Bisphenol A Release from Polycarbonate Materials into the environment N2 - Bisphenol A (BPA) is under continuous regulatory scrutiny and listed as substance of very high concern (SVHC). Particular concern is related to its frequent detection in surface waters, despite being readily biodegradable. Several studies have been conducted to investigate sources and pathways of BPA in the environment, concluding that its main use as monomer in polycarbonate (PC) contributes only marginally to environmental BPA releases over its life cycle. To better understand the actual releases of BPA from PC under environmental conditions, a newly developed methodology (Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, BAM) was applied, which comprises a novel accelerated weathering protocol for polycarbonate (PC) materials, combined with an advanced analytical setup allowing for improved detection of BPA at trace level concentrations. The weathering protocol achieves a 13.6-fold acceleration compared to Central European outdoor conditions and simulates environmental stressors (global radiation, rain, temperature variations) in a laboratory weathering chamber, with simultaneous BPA release measurements using an organic isotope dilution calibration LC-MS/MS approach. Validation was performed in parallel outdoor exposure tests, by using haze and yellowness index measurements as reference parameters. PC sample types representative of major polycarbonate applications were examined: Samples with different levels of UV-protection as used in transparent sheets used outdoor in construction or housings in Electro- and Electronic applications as well as samples with a protective coating as used in automotive applications (headlamps, glazing and construction). Results demonstrated consistently low total BPA releases of around 0.3 mg m⁻² for samples with exposed PC surfaces, while releases from coated samples were significantly reduced by around two orders of magnitude. In all cases examined, the BPA release ceased to zero after a period of four to six weeks, equivalent to approximately 1 to 1.5 years of outdoor exposure. This suggests that potential BPA releases diminish to virtually zero after that timespan. While the newly developed test method is not suitable for routine laboratory implementation, it provides crucial quantitative data on BPA release from PC materials during accelerated environmental weathering. T2 - Umwelt 2025 CY - Dessau, Germany DA - 22.09.2025 KW - Bisphenol A KW - Polycarbonate KW - Weathering PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64664 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Traub, Heike T1 - Laser Ablation ICP-ToF-MS to investigate the interaction of MRI contrast agents with extracellular matrix components N2 - Non-specific Gd-based contrast agents (GBCAs) have long been routinely used in clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the interaction of such contrast agents with tissue components is not yet fully understood. Alongside cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important component of mammalian tissue. It is a three-dimensional network of macromolecules that provides structural and biochemical support to the surrounding cells. Many diseases, including inflammation, fibrosis, and tumour invasion, are associated with characteristic ECM changes. The ECM consists of structural proteins (e.g., collagen, elastin) and proteoglycans, which are composed of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) covalently linked to a protein core. GAGs are long, linear polysaccharides consisting of repeated disaccharide units widely varying in molecular mass, disaccharide structure, and sulfation degree. Characteristic of GAGs is their ability to form complexes with cations such as lanthanides. Thus, GAGs could be a potential binding partner for GBCA molecules as a whole or for dechelated Gd. Currently, there are still many unanswered questions about the interaction of contrast agents with ECM components. This study therefore investigated the uptake and distribution of different GBCAs in spheroids that mimic biological tissue and have different ECM expressions. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and GAG-depleted CRL-2242 cells were used to prepare spheroids. These were then incubated for several minutes with gadolinium chloride and various linear and macrocyclic GBCAs. Cryosections of the spheroids were used for imaging measurements with a low-dispersion laser ablation system coupled to an inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LA/ICP-ToF-MS). Gelatine doped with multi-element solutions was used for matrix-matched quantification of Gd and other relevant elements such as Cu, Fe and Zn. Although all spheroids were incubated with identical Gd concentrations, significant differences in the amount of Gd taken up were observed. Gadolinium chloride is absorbed more strongly than the contrast agents and accumulates mainly in the outer regions of the spheroids. In contrast, after incubation with the linear and macrocyclic contrast agents, Gd is detected in the interior of both types of spheroids. T2 - European Workshop on Laser Ablation, EWLA 2024 CY - Ghent, Belgium DA - 02.07.2024 KW - ICP-MS KW - Laser ablation KW - Spheroid KW - Contrast agent PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60575 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schannor, Mathias T1 - LA-MC-ICPMS analysis of Cu isotopes in biological material N2 - Stable metal isotopes receive increasing attention as medical biomarkers due to their potential to detect changes of the metal metabolism related to disease. Potential mechanisms causing isotope fractionation include biological processes that involve redox- or bond-forming reactions and interaction of metals during transmembrane import and export. In order to advance our understanding of the underlying processes responsible for isotope fractionation between normal and diseased cells, we need in situ, spatially resolved methods. Despite its frequent use, laser ablation - multi-collector - inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS) analysis of biological material is severely limited by the scarcity of matrix-matched standards. Such matrix-matched standards are necessary to correct for instrumental sources of isotope fractionation such as particle size distribution, ablation physics and differential ionization. Copper stable isotopes have proven to be a particularly powerful tool to identify differences in isotope composition between tumors and healthy tissue suggesting application in cancer diagnosis [1, 2]. To further our knowledge of Cu isotope fractionation processes induced by diseases we have developed gelatin-based bracketing standards allowing to correct instrumentally induced isotope fractionation during LA-MC-ICPMS analysis. Since gelatin properties resemble properties of protein-rich cellular material, they mimic biological matrices and their ablation behaviour. Hence, gelatin standards are spiked with known amounts of Cu stable isotopes of a known Cu isotope composition and used as matrix-matched bracketing standard. A Ni reference solution was aspirated to the plasma to allow for mass bias correction and laser energy densities were below the glass ablation threshold. The method achieved reproducibilities of better than 0.10‰ (2SD) for inorganic reference materials and reproducibilities of better than 0.17‰ (2SD) for biological reference materials. The developed routine is tested on biomedical samples and the in situ Cu isotope data will be presented. T2 - European Workshop on Laser Ablation CY - Gent, Belgium DA - 01.07.2024 KW - Laser Ablation KW - Reference Material PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-60594 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Vogel, Christian T1 - Current status of monitoring of PFAS release from industrial facilities N2 - Increasing studies report per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the ambient air and emissions from diverse industrial sources. Therefore, a comprehensive framework for characterizing PFAS emissions by identifying source-specific chemical fingerprints, evaluating emission pathways and assessing the impact of remediation technologies is needed. Depending on the type of PFAS, dedicated sampling and analytical procedures are required. Here, also the detection of possible PFAS transformation products, so-called products of incomplete combustion (PICs) are more mobile or toxic, is also of great interest to evaluate these technologies in terms of mineralisation potential and fluorine mass balance. T2 - Consortium for analysis and remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (CAR-PFAS Japan) visit Uni Örebro CY - Online meeting DA - 09.10.2025 KW - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) KW - Incineration KW - Remediation PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64318 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Altmann, Korinna T1 - PlasticTrace WP1 – Stakeholder Workshop N2 - The talk summarizes the achievments of WP1 of the PlasticTrace project. Microplastic reference materials were developed by producing tablets. Different preparation methods were compared. Characterisation of the tablets was done after filtration with µFTIR, QCL, µRaman, Py-GC/MS and TED-GC/MS after ISO standards ISO 16094-2 and ISO/FDIS 16094-3. Polymer types are polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate. T2 - Stakeholder Workshop PlasticsTrace CY - Online meeting DA - 09.09.2025 KW - Microplastics KW - Reference materials KW - TED-GC/MS KW - PET PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64258 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - Species-specific isotope ratio analysis of proteins via CE/MC-ICP-MS N2 - Klassische Isotopenverhältnisanalyse (stabile IStope) läuft meistens im Rahmen einer bulk Analyse ab. Hierbei geht jedoch die Spezies-Information verloren. Ferner sind bulk Verfahren im Bereich der Probenvorbereitung aufwändig. Im Rahmen meines eingeladenen Vortrags werden neue CE/MC-ICP-MS Verfahren vorgestellt, die in meiner Gruppe entwickelt werden. T2 - 2024 Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry CY - Tucson, AZ, USA DA - 16.01.2024 KW - CE KW - MC-ICP-MS KW - Species specific isotopes PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62239 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schannor, Mathias T1 - LA-MC-ICPMS analysis of Cu isotopes in healthy and tumorous liver tissue N2 - Stable metal isotopes receive increasing attention as medical biomarkers due to their potential to detect changes of the metal metabolism related to disease. Potential mechanisms causing isotope fractionation include biological processes that involve redox- or bond-forming reactions and interaction of metals during transmembrane import and export. In order to advance our understanding of the underlying processes responsible for isotope fractionation between normal and diseased cells, we need in situ, spatially resolved methods. Despite its frequent use, laser ablation - multi-collector - inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS) analysis of biological material is severely limited by the scarcity of matrix-matched standards. Such matrix-matched standards are necessary to correct for instrumental sources of isotope fractionation such as particle size distribution, ablation physics and differential ionization, which currently restrict the application of LA-MC-ICPMS in isotope metallomics. Copper stable isotopes have proven to be a particularly powerful tool to identify differences in isotope composition between tumors and healthy tissue suggesting application in cancer diagnosis [1, 2]. To further our knowledge of Cu isotope fractionation processes induced by diseases we have developed gelatin-based bracketing standards allowing to correct instrumentally induced isotope fractionation during LA-MC-ICPMS analysis. Since gelatin properties resemble properties of protein-rich cellular material, they mimic biological matrices and their ablation behaviour. Hence, gelatin standards are spiked with known amounts of Cu stable isotopes of a known Cu isotope composition and used as matrix-matched bracketing standard. A Ni reference solution was aspirated to the plasma to allow for mass bias correction and laser energy densities were below the glass ablation threshold. The method achieved reproducibilities of better than 0.10‰ (2SD) for inorganic reference materials and reproducibilities of better than 0.17‰ (2SD) for biological reference materials. We will present in situ Cu isotope data of an hepatocellular carcinoma animal model comparing healthy and tumorous liver tissue. T2 - Isotope Metallomics Workshop Venice CY - Venice, Italy DA - 21.05.2024 KW - Laser Ablation KW - Reference Material PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61595 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Geburtig, Anja T1 - Umfassende Analyse von Leachabels aus rezyklierten HDPE-Kanistern N2 - Es wurde untersucht, welche Substanzen aus rHDPE-Post-Consumer-Rezyklat herausgelöst und nachgewiesen werden können (Non-Target-Analytik). Die Substanzen wurden sowohl chemisch als auch anwendungsbezogen systematisiert. Diskutiert wurde die Nutzung der Ergebnisse zur Festlegung von Qualitätskriterien von rHDPE sowie zur Verbesserung des mechanischen Recycling-Prozesses. T2 - 20. Gefahrgut-Technik-Tage CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 13.11.2025 KW - rHDPE KW - Rezyklat KW - Leachables PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64852 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Scharek, Vera T1 - A new elemental analytical approach for microplastic sum parameter analysis in environmental samples – ETV/ICP-MS with CO2 N2 - Plastics are indispensable in our daily lives. Due to their easy processability, durability, and lightweight properties, they are the base material of many consumer and industry products. However, with reported amounts of millions of tons per year, plastic pollution has become a globally emerging problem. In the environment, plastic waste undergoes degradation, leading to the formation of persistent, synthetic particles smaller than 5 mm, known as microplastics (MPs). Toxicological concerns mainly arise from MP uptake by various organisms, including humans. MPs act as transport vectors for hazardous chemicals, e.g., polymer additives, bacteria, and other environmental pollutants. Existing approaches for MP analysis focus on particle size, number, and information on the polymer types. However, there is a lack of analytical tools for a fast and comprehensive assessment of the pollution situation based on the MP mass without limitations to size and polymer types. In this context, a new mass balance approach for the MPs analysis in environmental samples via electrothermal vaporization coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ETV/ICP-MS) has been developed as a complementary screening tool to existing methods. With ETV/ICP-MS, the bulk detection of MPs via the 13C isotope as a sum parameter of common polymer types was achievable relatively unaffected by the respective size across the nano-to-micrometer scale. A new mass-based approach through an external gas calibration with carbon dioxide enabled the fast quantification of the MP content in MP-soil mixtures of different portions. By this, the analysis was achievable within a few minutes of analysis time per sample. Furthermore, the potential of polymer heteroatoms and contaminants for the sensitive detection in carbon-rich matrices was investigated. T2 - European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectroscopy CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 02.03.2025 KW - Microplastics KW - Soil KW - Electrothermal Vaporization KW - Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry KW - Sum parameter analysis PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62824 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koerdt, Andrea T1 - Cost action EURO MIC (CA20130) N2 - Vorstellung des vor kurzen angelaufenen EU-Projekts: COST ACTION EURO MIC ( CA20130). Die BAM hat hierbei die Rolle des Chairs sowie Grant-Holding Institute. COST fördert internationale Netzwerk Aktivitäten. Durch COST Action können neue Kooperationen (Industrie, Akademie oder Politk) entstehen. T2 - Dechema CY - Online meeting DA - 10.11.2021 KW - Netzwerk KW - COST KW - Mikrobiell beeinflusste Korrosion KW - MIC PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-54023 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koerdt, Andrea T1 - Mikrobiell beeinflusste Korrosion (MIC) – Wenn MIC dann BAM N2 - In dieser Präsentation wurden dem Beirat Umwelt die High-Lights und der weitere Ausblick des Foresight Process MIC vorgestellt. Im Fokus stehen hierbei insbesondere die neu angelaufenen Projekte: COST Action Euro-MIC MIC im Endlager Hydrogen: MIC & Wasserstoffversprödung Biorezeptivität von Betonoberflächen Mitigation schwarze Pilze WIPANO ResTest T2 - Beirat Umwelt CY - Online meeting DA - 11.03.2022 KW - MIC KW - Hi-Tension KW - Projekte PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-54463 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Dinter, Adelina-Elisa T1 - Development of a single cell-ICP-ToF-MS-method for multielement analysis of MIC organisms grown on solid steel samples N2 - The latest ICP-MS technology - ICP-ToF (time of flight)-MS – enables the analysis of the multi-element fingerprint of individual cells. The interface between material and environmental analysis thus receives special attention, e.g., when considering corrosion processes. Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a highly unpredictable phenomenon due to the influence of the environment, microbial communities involved and the respective electron source. However, the interaction pathway between cells and the metal surface remains unclear. The development of the MIC-specific ICP-ToF-MS analytical method presented here at the single cell level, in combination with the investigation of steel-MIC interactions, contributes significantly to progress in instrumental MIC analysis and will enable clarification of the processes taking place. For this, a MIC-specific staining procedure was developed. It allows the analysis of archaea at a single cell level and provides information about the interaction of the cells with the staining agent which is extremely scarce compared to other well characterized organisms. Additionally, the single cell ICP-ToF-MS is used for the analysis of archaea involved in MIC of steel. Hence, the possible uptake of individual elements from different steel samples is investigated - the information obtained will be used in the future to elucidate underlying mechanisms and develop possible material protection concepts, thus combining modern methods of analytical sciences with materials. T2 - DAAS Doktorandenseminar 2021 CY - Online meeting DA - 20.09.2021 KW - Sc-ICP-ToF-MS KW - Single cell analysis KW - Microbiologically influenced corrosion KW - Archaea PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53340 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kirsch, Klemens T1 - Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion of Cast Iron Containers for High-Level Nuclear Waste Disposal N2 - Ductile and corrosion resistant cast iron is investigated as a potential container material to store high-level nuclear waste (HLW) in deep geological repositories (DGR) in claystone bedrock. The dynamic corrosion process is dependent on the conditions present in the DGR which are influenced and/or controlled by geochemical parameters (e.g., redox potential, pH, presence of and ionic concentration in (pore-)water), physical parameters (e.g., pressure), and the influence of metabolically active microorganisms. Cast iron corrosion will occur at the intersection of container and its decontaminable coating with the bentonite backfill material which contains natural microbial populations. The conditions in a DGR are simulated in microcosm experiments to investigate the impact of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC); the microcosms contain: B27 bentonite, synthetic pore water, N2 or N2-CO2 atmosphere, cast iron coupons, as well as the bacterium Desulfosporosinus burensis (isolated from repository depth in Buré, France). Three coupon configurations will be used: untreated, coated with decontaminable coating, and coated with decontaminable coating which has been damaged to simulate possible damages. The microcosms will be examined for bio- and geochemical parameters, such as pH, redox potential, mineral phases, sulphate concentration, Fe(II):Fe(III), changes in microbial populations, and the corrosion process for formation of corrosion products, and potential microbial influence, after a 270-day incubation period at 25°C under anaerobic conditions. In subsequent experiments, the sorption behavior of lanthanides and actinides onto the membranes of viable cells and spores of D. burensis, as well as the surface of corroded cast iron coupons will be investigated. T2 - 8th International Workshop on Long-term Prediction of Corrosion in Nuclear Waste Systems 2022 CY - Baden, Switzerland DA - 21.06.2022 KW - Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) KW - Cast iron KW - Nuclear waste disposal PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55154 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Olbrich, Adelina-Elisa T1 - Material vs. Environment: Uncovering microbiological influenced corrosion processes on steel with single cell-ICP-ToF-MS N2 - Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a highly unpredictable process dictated by the environment, microorganisms, and the respective electron source. Interaction pathways between cells and the metal surface remain unclear. The development of this novel single cell-inductively coupled plasma-time of flight-mass spectrometry analytical method and a MIC-specific staining procedure facilitate the investigation of steel-MIC interactions. With this it is possible to analyze the multi-elemental fingerprint of individual cells. The detection method revealed elemental selectivity for the corrosive methanogenic archaeal strain Methanobacterium-affiliated IM1. The interface between material and environmental analysis thus receives special attention, e.g., when considering MIC on solid steel. Hence, the possible uptake of individual elements from different steel samples is investigated. Results showed the cells responded at a single-cell level to the different types of supplemented elements and displayed the abilities to interact with chromium, vanadium, titanium, cobalt, and molybdenum from solid metal surfaces. The information obtained will be used in the future to elucidate underlying mechanisms and develop possible material protection concepts, thus combining modern methods of analytical sciences with materials research. T2 - ToFcon 2022 CY - Online meeting DA - 17.11.2022 KW - Single cell KW - Microbiological influenced corrosion MIC KW - Sc-ICP-ToF-MS KW - Method development KW - Ir DNA staining approach KW - Carbon steel corrosion PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56355 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koerdt, Andrea T1 - COST-Action - EURO-MIC (CA20130) European MIC Network - New paths for science, sustainability and standards N2 - Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) is a phenomenon that is increasingly becoming a problem for the society. MIC describes the negative effects a material can experience due to the presence of microorganisms. In Europe, several research groups/ other industrial stakeholders are already dealing with MIC. Unfortunately, the discussions are fragmented and the exchange of information is limited. A true transdisciplinary approach is hardly ever experienced, although this would be logical for this material/biology related challenge. USA, Canada and Australia have strong networks, and develop methods, prevention measures and standards, which Europe is forced to use, since nothing similar exists for a network and combined knowledge to design them according to european standards. This makes Europe extremely dependent and, in some cases, the potential measures or standards cannot been used because the suggested solutions are prohibited by European laws (e.g. use of biocides). Therefore, it is important to initiate a new European MIC-network. Europe needs to combine the efforts as experts in different fields and develop prevention measures according to the European rules, in close cooperation with industry and plant operators and owners of critical infrastructure. This COST Action will provide the necessary interaction and communication, knowledge sharing, training of personnel and of researchers of different disciplines. This will bring Europe to a leading role in this process, bringing ideas on an equal level with other nations, considering the values which are important for Europe and attitudes (e.g.environmental protection) and representing greater protection for people, property and the environment. The main aim and objective of the Action is to , in the context of MIC-research/control, encourage a fluent/synergistic collaboration/communication, closing the gap between materials scientists, engineers, microbiologists, chemists and integrity managers to encourage sufficient interaction between academia and industry. This Action will create a common MIC-Network, including the important stakeholders. T2 - EuroCorr CY - Online meeting DA - 19.09.2021 KW - COST Action KW - MIC KW - Interdisciplinary KW - Stakeholder KW - Academia PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53382 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Altmann, Korinna T1 - Wessen Problem ist Mikroplastik eigentlich? N2 - In den letzten 20 Jahren ist die Aufmerksamkeit vieler Forschender sowie der Politik und der Bürger selbst auf ein wachsendes Kunststoffproblem unserer Zeit stark gestiegen. Mangelnde Wertstoffkonzepte, Sammelstellen und unbedachtes Einbringen von Kunststoffprodukten in die Umwelt führen dort zu einer Anreicherung. Durch äußere Witterungseinflüsse können diese Produkte degradieren und fraktionieren, so dass heute in allen Teilen der Welt Mikroplastik (1-1000 µm, ISO/TR 21960:2020) unterschiedlicher Polymermaterialien nachgewiesen werden kann. Bei Mikroplastik gilt das Vorsorgeprinzip. Die Partikel können weiter zerfallen in Nanoplastik (< 1 µm, ISO/TR 21960:2020). Ob eine toxikologische Gefährdung von Mikro- oder Nanoplastik ausgeht, wird vielfältig untersucht. Bisher stehen valide Ergebnisse aus. Untersuchungen zur Häufigkeit, dem Transport und möglicher Senken und Eintragspfade muss aber Rechenschafft getragen werden, so dass ein Monitoring von Mikroplastik bereits in der Revision der Trinkwasserrahmen-Richtlinie und der Abwasserrahmen-Richtlinie gefordert wird. Bedenklich ist auch die Verordnung über Mindestanforderungen an die Wasserwiederverwendung (2020/741), in welcher nicht verbindlich gesagt wird, Wasser welcher Reinigungsstufe eines Klärwerks auf die Felder zur Wiederverwendung aufgebracht werden darf. Einer Regulierung über die EU-Plastikstrategie hinaus mit z.B. Verboten für Einwegplastik-Produkte und Rezyklingquoten kann nur entgegengewirkt werden, wenn valide Messmethoden, Referenzmaterialien und Standards existieren, die das tatsächliche Ausmaß von Mikroplastik-Konzentrationen in Luft, Wasser, Boden und Biota zuverlässig und genau aufzeigen. T2 - Technomer CY - Chemnitz, Germany DA - 06.11.2025 KW - Mikroplastik KW - Referenzmaterial KW - TED-GC/MS PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64618 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Stawski, Tomasz T1 - Historical Plaster Formulations and Their Influence on Crystallographic Microstructure N2 - Historical plaster formulations offer valuable insights into advanced engineering in pre-modern cultures. This study examines two such gypsum-based recipes: Gach-e Koshteh from 14th-century Iran and Gesso Sottile from 15th-century Italy, both of which have unique characteristics and were essential for artistic and architectural decoration. By replicating these recipes in a laboratory setting, we demonstrate how traditional masters manipulated gypsum microstructure without additives to optimize the surface and mechanical properties of plaster for specific functional and artistic purposes. The Koshteh recipe involves intensive kneading during plaster hydration, which retards setting and produces a platelet-like crystal morphology with alignment of the {010} faces, resulting in a hydrophilic surface ideal for water-based wall paintings. Sottile, in contrast, relies on slow recrystallization in excess water, generating loosely packed, needle-like crystals with reduced wettability—suitable for oil-based painting and gilding. Using wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we reveal that the Koshteh recipe yields a denser, better-packed plaster with enhanced wettability, while the Sottile recipe forms larger, more loosely arranged crystals and a more hydrophobic surface. These findings underscore the ingenuity of historical materials engineering and offer valuable insights for modern conservation and sustainable restoration practices. T2 - Geo4Göttingen 2025 CY - Göttingen, Germany DA - 14.09.2025 KW - Plaster KW - Gypsum KW - Stucco KW - Cultural heritage PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.48380/4e5z-av91 AN - OPUS4-64685 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Alasonati, E A1 - Bartczak, D A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Giovannozzi, A T1 - Towards Standardised Micro and Nanoplastics Analysis via Interlaboratory Comparisons: First Outlook of the VAMAS TWA 45 P3 Project N2 - This talk is part of the stakeholder workshop of the PlasticTrace project held in September 2025 in Oslo. The presentation shows first results of the VAMAS ILC on nanoplastics. PP nanoparticles were given to the participants. These were asked to measure the mass or particle number or size of the PP nanoplastics. Various techniques such as DLS, FFF, Py-GC/MS, TED-GC/MS, PTA were used. T2 - Stakeholder Workshop PlasticsTrace CY - Online meeting DA - 09.09.2025 KW - Nanoplastics KW - ILC KW - DLS KW - Polypropylene PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64714 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Altmann, Korinna T1 - Production of reference materials using a quality by design approach N2 - Accurate analysis of microplastics is based on validated methods and the use of standardized protocols. Therefore, reference materials are essential to determine recovery rates and optimise the existing workflows. The reference materials should mimic the reality in terms of particle properties and concentration and are intended for a special use. The Quality-by-Design approach helps to select the users need and defines a target product profile with mandatory and desired particle properties. We will address different reference material top-down production processes with their limits and challenges for production of materials varying in size ranges of micro- and nanoplastics. T2 - OECD Workshop on Nanoplastics CY - Paris, France DA - 12.11.2025 KW - Microplastics KW - Reference materials KW - Nanoplastics KW - Quality-by-Design PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64717 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Miclea, Paul T1 - Microanalysis of Airborne Nano/Microplastic Particles in an Textile Industrial Environment N2 - Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging global contaminants, present in air, soil, and water. The textile industry is potentially a major contributor, releasing synthetic particles like polyamide, polyester, and acrylic during production. This study assessed MNP levels outside and inside a textile-processing facility using online air samplers with silicon (Si) and quartz filters. Real-time particle counts (PM0.3–PM10) were obtained via a laser detector. Si filters (9 mm, 10/1 µm pores) and quartz filters (25 mm, 1.2 µm pores, pre-calcined at 800°C) were used for sampling. Custom holders allowed selective sampling for PM10 and PM1 on Si filters. Sampling conditions included a 3-hour collection at 2 L/min (GilAir Plus pump) starting at 7:00 AM (T1) and 2:00 PM (T2), with intermittent ventilation, 23.3 °C average temperature, and 52.5% humidity. Particle weights collected (µg) were: quartz – 4.9E-05 (T1), 5.1E-05 (T2); Si – 3.2E-05 (T1), 5E-06 (T2). Outside particle counts ranged from 3,584 (T1) to 15,165 (T2); inside: 9,901 (T1) to 12,921 (T2). Maximum indoor PM10 and PM0.3 levels were 72/m³ and 71,979/m³, respectively. Particles were analyzed using electron microscopy and µRaman spectroscopy, confirming high concentrations of irregularly shaped PP-based particles (1–5 µm). T2 - 12th TEXTEH CY - Bucharest, Romania DA - 23.10.2025 KW - Microplastics KW - Airborne particles KW - Raman microspectroscopy PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64485 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Horn, Wolfgang T1 - Analytische Untersuchungen für Vitrinenbaumaterialien am Beispiel des BEMMA-Schemas N2 - BEMMA ist die Kurzbezeichnung für ein Verfahren zur Bewertung von Emissionen aus Materialien für Museumsausstattungen. Die Bewertung der Materialien erfolgt nach StAA-QMH-4.2-033. Mit diesem Verfahren lassen sich flüchtige organische Verbindungen aus modernen Werkstoffen, die in mittelbarem Kontakt mit historischen Materialien des Kunst- und Kulturgutes stehen, untersuchen und bewerten. Die Vitrinenbaumaterialien, nicht die Vitrine, werden im Hinblick auf ihre Emissionen bewertet. Die Ergebnisse der Messungen werden auch vor dem Hintergrund von realen Vitrinenmessungen eingeordnet und die Herausforderungen bei der Probenahme dargestellt. T2 - Klima- und Schadstoffmanagement in der passiven Vitrine Aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 13.10.2025 KW - Emission KW - BEMMA KW - Vitrinen KW - VOC PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64529 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koerdt, Andrea T1 - Wasserstofflagerung in unterirdischen geologischen Formationen und potenzielle Risiken durch Mikroorganismen N2 - Bei dem Vortrag werden die potentiellen mikrobiologischen Einflüsse im Falle der Lagerung von Wasserstofflagerung in unterirdischen geologischen Formationen vorgestellt, die Zusammenarbeit mit internen und auch externen Partnern. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf UGF; anaerobe Umgebungen, Sulfate reduzierenden Bakterien, methanogenen Archaea, weiterleitenden Systeme und die Kombination der Untersuchung abiotisch/biotische T2 - VDI-Schadensanalyse (49) CY - Würzburg, Germany DA - 17.10.2023 KW - MIC KW - Wasserstofflagerung KW - Unterirdische Speicher KW - Kontamination von H2 KW - H2-Abbau KW - Mikroorganismen KW - Biotische/abiotische Faktoren PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58645 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koerdt, Andrea T1 - Mikrobielle Zusammensetzung im Wassertank N2 - Der Fachbereich 7.6 untersucht seit einiger Zeit an Auslagerungsständen auf dem Testgelände in Horstwalde Korrosion im maritimen Bereich. Im Moment läuft das System mit künstlichem Meerwasser und simuliert die Bewitterung von Metallproben unter angenäherten klimatischen Bedingungen ähnlich zum natürlichem Habitat. Im Laufe der Zeit konnte nicht intendierter mikrobieller bewuchs beobachtet werden. Es stellte sich die Frage, welche Mikroorganismen vorlagen und ob diese einen Einfluss auf die Korrosionsuntersuchungen haben könnte. Aus diesem Grund wurden 16S-rRNA Untersuchungen durchgeführt welche alle drei Domänen des Lebens widerspiegeln Bakterien, Archaea und Eukaryoten. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass über 95% der vorliegenden Biomasse Grünalgen waren, die durch Licht Eintrag in den Container Photosynthese betrieben und dadurch an Biomasse zunahmen. Des weiteren konnten Bakterien detektiert werden, welche in der Regel halophilen und aeroben Habitaten zu finden sind. Allerdings wurden auch Sulfat reduzierende Bakterien (MIC) detektiert, wenn auch in einem geringen prozentualen Anteil. Es muss allerdings Berücksichtigt werden, dass die mikrobielle Zusammensetzung sich im Laufe der Zeit weiter ändern kann. Als Ursprung der Biomasse wird, das künstliche Sediment vermutet. Außerdem wäre es für zukünftige Experiment denkbar, das System mit echtem Sediment aus dem marinen Habitat anzuimpfen. T2 - Dechema CY - Online meeting DA - 10.11.2021 KW - Mikroorganismen KW - Mikrobielle Gemeinschaft KW - Korrosion KW - Simulation PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-54035 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Engineered Nanomaterials- Novel Approaches for Risk Assessment and Safe-by-Design N2 - The overall interest in nanotoxicity, triggered by the increasing use of nanomaterials in the material and life sciences, and the synthesis of an ever increasing number of new functional nanoparticles calls not only for standardized test procedures1,2 and for efficient approaches to screen the potential genotoxicity of these materials, but also for standardized and validated methods for surface analysis. 4,5 The analysis and quantification of surface chemistry is hence in the focus of an increasing number of standardization organizations and interlaboratory comparisons with different analytical methods are being done.5 For the monitoring of nanomaterial synthesis and the fast assessment of the number of functional groups such as carboxyl and amino functionalities, which are very commonly used functionalities in the life sciences, simple and validated methods are needed that can be performed with common laboratory instrumentation. 5,6 Here we provide a brief overview of the ongoing research in division Biophotonics employing quantitative NMR (qNMR), conductometry, and colorimetric and fluorometric optical assays for the determination of the total and the accessible number of carboxyl and amino groups on differently sized polymer and silica nano- and microparticles.5-7 T2 - Workshop NanoRiskSD project CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 09.06.2022 KW - Nanoparticle KW - Surface analysis KW - Standardization KW - Quality assurance KW - Validation KW - qNMR KW - Silica KW - Polymer KW - Fluorescence KW - Assay KW - Conductometry KW - Method comparison KW - Analytical sciences PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-54999 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella T1 - A Multimodal Approach to Quantify Surface Functional Groups on Nanomaterials for Safe and Sustainable by Design N2 - Engineered nanomaterials (NM) with their large surface-to-volume ratios and their for some materials observed size-dependent functional properties are of increasing relevance for current and future developments in various fields such as medical and pharmaceutical industry, computing and electronics or food and consumer products. The performance and safety of NM are determined by the sum of their intrinsic physicochemical properties. Especially, the particle surface chemistry, which is largely controlled by the chemical nature and density of functional groups (FG) and ligands, is an important key driver for NM performance, stability, and processibility as well as the interaction of NM with the environment. Thus, methods for FG quantification can foster the sustainable development of functional and safe(r) NM. Aiming at the development of simple, versatile, and multimodal tools for the quantification of many bioanalytically relevant FG and ligands, we investigated and compared various analytical methods commonly used for FG quantification. This includes electrochemical titration methods, dye-based optical assays, and other instrumental analytical techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and thermal analysis methods. The potential of our multimodal approach for FG quantification was demonstrated for commercial and custom-made polymeric and silica particles of varying FG, used as optical pH sensors. In the future, our strategy can contribute to establish multi-method characterization strategies to provide a more detailed picture of the structure-properties relationship. T2 - NanoSAFE & NanoSafety Cluster 2023 CY - Grenoble, France DA - 05.06.2023 KW - Engineered Nanomaterials KW - Safe-by-Design KW - Sustainable-by-Design KW - Surface Group Analysis KW - Silica and Polystyrene Particles KW - Surface Modification KW - Dye KW - Optical Spectroscopy KW - Quantitative NMR KW - Electrochemical Titration KW - Functionalized Nanomaterials KW - Nanosafety PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-59126 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David T1 - Luminescent Quantum dots – the next-generation nano light bulbs N2 - Fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots (QDs), enabled many advancements in biotechnology, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, quantum computing and display devices. The high versatility of this nanomaterial is based on their unique size-tunable photoluminescence properties, which can be adjusted from the visible to the near-infrared range. In contrast to other nanomaterials, QDs made the transition from a laboratory curiosity to the utilization in commercial products, like the QLED television screen or in smartphone displays. The best investigated QDs are composed of heavy metals like cadmium or lead, which is not the best choice in terms of toxicity and environmental pollution. A more promising material is Indium Phosphide (InP), which is also currently used by Samsung, Sony and co. in the QLED displays. In this contribution, I would like to give you a sneak peek behind the curtains of nanomaterial synthesis and show how this material is produced, how to stabilize their structural properties, and assess their toxicity in environmentally relevant conditions. Furthermore, I would like to present a synthesis method to accomplish the last open challenge in display technology of a blue luminescent LED based on QDs by introducing a new element to the InP QDs. T2 - The Berlin Postdoc Day CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 03.11.2022 KW - InP KW - Quantum dots KW - Fluorescence KW - Aging KW - Doping KW - Nanomaterial KW - Cytotoxicity PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56194 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Functional molecular chromophores and nanomaterials reporters, optical probes, and sensors N2 - •Overview of expertise of division Biophotonics •Functional molecular and nanoscale luminescent reporters, probes, and sensors including design principles available from division Biophotonics •Examples for pH and O2 responsive molecular probes and particle sensors •Surface group quantification Analytical methods and cleavable probes •Concepts & standards for the validation and traceability of optical measurements T2 - FU-Seminar CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 09.12.2022 KW - Particle sensors KW - Surface group quantification KW - Nanoscale luminescent reporters KW - Cleavable probes PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56526 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Scholl, Juliane A1 - Meiers, Emelie T1 - Bestimmung von Trifluoressigsäure (TFA) in Acker- und Grünlandböden N2 - Aufgrund ihrer Persistenz, Mobilität und Toxizität haben per- und polyfluorierte Alkylverbindungen (PFAS) zunehmend an Aufmerksamkeit und Relevanz gewonnen. Mit der PFAS-Belastung von Umweltmatrices ist auch der Bedarf an analytischen Methoden gestiegen. Trifluoressigsäure (TFA) gehört als kürzeste perfluorierte Carbonsäure zur Gruppe der PFAS und gilt als emerging pollutant, dessen Gehalte in der Umwelt zukünftig eine stärkere Überwachung erfordern. Im Vortrag wird zunächst auf die Entwicklung einer sensitiven Analysenmethode zur Bestimmung von TFA in Böden mittels HPLC-MS/MS eingegangen. Anschließend werden die TFA-Ergebnisse von 100 ausgewählten Acker- und Grünlandproben aus Deutschland vorgestellt und diskutiert. T2 - PFAS-Länderaustausch – Erfassung und Erstbewertung PFAS-relevanter Flächen CY - Online meeting DA - 18.11.2024 KW - PFAS KW - LC-MS/MS KW - HILIC KW - TFA KW - Boden PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61684 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella T1 - A Multimodal Approach to Quantify Surface Functional Groups and Ligands on Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles N2 - Nowadays amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiO2-NP) are one of the most abundant engineered nanomaterials, that are highly stable and can be easily produced on a large scale at low cost. Surface functionalized SiO2-NP are of great interest in the life and material sciences, as they can be used e.g. as drug carriers, fluorescent sensors, and multimodal labels in bioanalytical assays and imaging applications. Their performance in such applications depends not only on particle size, size distribution, and morphology, but also on surface chemistry, i.e. the total number of surface functional groups (FG) and the number of FG accessible for subsequent functionalization with ligands or biomolecules, which in turn determines surface charge, colloidal stability, biocompatibility, and toxicity. Aiming at the development of simple, versatile, and multimodal tools for the quantification of many bioanalytically relevant FG and ligands, we investigated and compared various analytical methods commonly used for FG quantification. This includes electrochemical titration methods, dye-based optical assays, and other instrumental analytical techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and thermal analysis methods. The potential of our multimodal approach for FG quantification was demonstrated for commercial and custom-made silica particles of varying FG, showing not only an influence of the synthesis methods on the number of FG but also on the performance. In the future, our strategy can contribute to establish multi-method characterization strategies to provide a more detailed picture of the structure-properties relationship. T2 - Advanced Materials Safety 2023 CY - Saarbrücken, Germany DA - 08.11.2023 KW - Amorphous silica particles KW - Surface group analysis KW - Ligands KW - Reference material KW - Optical spectroscopy KW - Quantitative NMR KW - Optical assays KW - Titration KW - Engineered nanomaterials KW - Advanced Materials PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-59124 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kalbe, Ute T1 - Elutionsverfahren in Forschung und regulatorischem Kontext N2 - Elutionsverfahren sind ein Tool für Umweltverträglichkeitsprüfungen verschiedenster Materialien im Kontakt mit Wasser. Im früheren Fachbereich 4.3 Schadstofftransfer und Umwelttechnologien wurden dazu umfangreiche Kompetenzen vor allem im Zusammenhang mit mineralischen Reststoffen sowie vielfältigen Bauprodukten aufgebaut und experimentelle Erfahrungen gesammelt. Darüber hinaus wurde auch der Austrag von Partikeln betrachtet und die gleichzeitige Bewertung von Mikroplastik- und Schadstoffausträgen aus Kunsstofftrasen untersucht. Es sind aber auch weitere Anwendungen beispielsweise zur Prüfung der Beständigkeit von Materialien denkbar. Im Workshop wurden Anwendungsbereiche von Elutionsverfahren diskutiert mit dem Ziel der besseren Vernetzung, der gemeinsamen Nutzung von Ressourcen und Identifikation von Synergien zwischen den Fachbereichen bzw. Aktivitätsfeldern. T2 - Workshop - Bewertung der Freisetzung von (Schad)stoffen aus Materialien mit Elutionsverfahren CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 21.01.2025 KW - Elution KW - Materialien KW - Schadstoffe PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-65023 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Julseth, Mara Jean T1 - Dynamics of Chromosome Evolution in Reticulitermes of Europe N2 - Termites challenge long-standing assumptions about insect social evolution. One important difference compared to the social ants, bees and wasps lies in their chromosomes: termites are diploid, with X/Y sex differentiation observed in most species and males playing active roles across all castes and life stages. Adding to their uniqueness, termites exhibit multivalent chromosome chains during male meiosis—an intriguing and seldom seen feature of eukaryote evolution. These chains, in addition to other chromosomal formations, such as bivalent rings and rods, may serve to suppress recombination, thereby mitigating against the potentially harmful effects of inbreeding. Multivalent chromosome chains may also play a significant role in speciation processes by increasing the likelihood of chromosomal translocations and promoting genomic islands of divergence. In European Reticulitermes, variability in chain length and stability both between and within species provides a compelling model system for studying the evolutionary importance of multivalent chromosome chains at intra- and interspecific levels and at different evolutionary time scales. To investigate these dynamics, we collected over 200 colonies of Reticulitermes species across the Mediterranean, generating de novo reference genomes, comprehensive population genomic as well as karyotypic data from three recently diverged species. Our findings shed light on the intricate relationship between chromosomal architecture and evolutionary mechanisms in termites, offering new insight into how genome structure shapes species evolution T2 - Gevol SPP Meeting 2025 CY - Münster, Germany DA - 04.09.2025 KW - Termites KW - Chromosome evolution PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-65060 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schreiber, Frank T1 - Biocide Resistance - Road to Risk Assessment N2 - This presentation details the current status of biocide resistance risk assessment and provides a roadmap for future activities. T2 - OECD, 6th Meeting of the Working Party on Biocides CY - Paris, France DA - 28.09.2022 KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Antimicrobial coating KW - Standardization KW - Biocides KW - Risk assessment PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56263 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Sobisch, Lydia-Yasmin T1 - Identification of Genes Involved in Susceptibility to Biocides in Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria N2 - Microbially induced corrosion (MIC) poses a significant challenge in various industries, leading to structural damage and economic losses due to the activity of microorganisms on metal surfaces. The major culprits of MIC are the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). A common mitigation method is the usage of biocides to prevent MIC. However, the molecular mechanisms that determine susceptibility of SRB to biocides have been poorly understood. Our aim is to identify genes that are linked to biocide susceptibility in the model SRB strain Oleidesulfovibrio alaskensis (G20). We investigated the susceptibility of G20 towards three biocides commonly used in MIC protection: benzalkonium chloride (BAC), glutaraldehyde (GTA), and tetrakishydroxymethyl phosphonium sulphate (THPS). We determined selection of mutants in specific genes in two G20 barcoded transposon mutant libraries in the presence of these biocides and media as control along a concentration gradient up to 500 ppm. Our study investigated over 1843 genes in G20, revealing insights into their response to biocide treatments. We identified 1668 genes negatively affected by biocide treatment, while 175 genes showed improved fitness. Among the treatments leading to reduced fitness in the mutants, GTA had the highest number of solely negatively affected genes (186), followed by BAC (67) and THPS (69). There were common negative impacts on 280 genes of all four treatments (BAC, GTA, THPS, control). Notably, BAC and GTA shared 113 affected genes, BAC and THPS shared 59, and GTA and THPS shared 72. On the single gene level, mutants treated with THPS exhibited reduced fitness for the rluD gene (DDE_1447), encoding ribosomal large subunit pseudouridine synthase d, which plays a crucial role in protein biosynthesis. In the presence of BAC, mutants showed reduced fitness due to the lack of the acrB gene (DDE_0401), encoding a cationic efflux pump crucial for biocide resistance. Our findings provide leads for future research into the detailed molecular mechanisms that underlie biocide susceptibility in microorganisms responsible for MIC. Such detailed understanding will enable the development of improved MIC prevention strategies and foster a more sustainable use of biocides. T2 - International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Symposium CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 09.09.2024 KW - Biocide Resistance KW - Transposon Mutant Libraries KW - Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB) KW - Microbially Induced Corrosion (MIC) PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61526 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schreiber, Frank T1 - How to regulate and assess resistance risks of co-selecting agents during application and in the environment N2 - This talk deals with the question on How to regulate and assess resistance risks of co-selecting agents during application and in the environment. It shows that there the overview of worldwide activities to regulate co-selecting agents is missing. Regulations for product authorization usually consider resistance in target organisms, but there is a risk of emergence of resistance from non-target organisms as well. Moreover, pollution effects on resistance development in the environment are not explicitly covered during product authorization and few risk assessment schemes and methods available. T2 - EDAR7 - Environmental Dimension of Antimicrobial Resistance Conference 2024 CY - Montreal, Canada DA - 26.05.2024 KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Bacteria KW - Standardization KW - Biocides PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61542 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kanaris, Orestis T1 - Metabolic niches and persistence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment N2 - Background and Aim: Wastewater treatment plants are considered as hotspots for the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria (ARB) can persist in the environment for long periods of time, despite metabolic fitness costs that can arise with resistance. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms, which allow ARB to persist in the environment. More specifically, we want to identify metabolic niches that can select for resistant bacteria. Procedure/Method: 62 E. coli strains isolated from different WWTPs in Norway were used. The isolates have different levels of resistance to 14 antibiotics. The susceptibility of the isolates to 3 disinfectants was determined. In addition, genome scale metabolic models (GEMs) were constructed and the growth of the strains was simulated in the presence of 198 different carbon sources. Furthermore, the growth rates of the isolates were measured in the presence of 3 carbon sources. Findings/Results: Many of the isolates have high resistance to multiple antibiotics but only few of the isolates have higher minimum inhibitory concentrations to the disinfectants, compared to an E. coli laboratory strain. With the GEMs, we identified 40 carbon sources that can be utilized for growth only by a portion of all the isolates. The prediction accuracy of the GEMs was 93% in the case of D-Malate. A group of 10 isolates was identified of which 5 isolates are resistant to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and tetracycline and can grow on Sucrose but not on D-Malate and the other 5 isolates are susceptible to the same 3 antibiotics but can grow on D-Malate and not on Sucrose. Implications/Applications: Our data suggest that changing the available carbon source could shift the selection advantage between resistant and susceptible bacterial strains. If this strategy is confirmed experimentally, it could be applied to reduce the number of ARB in environments like wastewater. T2 - Conference on the Environmental dimentions of antimicrobial resistance 7 CY - Montreal, Canada DA - 26.05.2024 KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Wastewater PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61410 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - Element analytical approaches for emerging contaminant analysis-materials meet environment N2 - Im Rahmen des Vortrags wurden Elementanalytische Methoden auf Basis der ICP-MS und HR-CS-GFMAS im Kontext der Material-Umweltanalytik in Form eines Übersichtsvortrags vorgestellt. Neben den Techniken wurden diverse Applikationsbeispiele für unterschiedliche Umweltmatrizes genannt. T2 - ANAKON 2025 CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 10.03.2025 KW - ICP-MS KW - Emerging contaminants KW - Evironment PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-65126 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - Approaches for PFAS Sum-Parameter Analysis - from Materials to Environment N2 - Im Rahmen des Vortags wurden PFAS Analysemethoden auf Basis der optischen Spektroskopie (HR-CS-GFMAS) vorgestellt. Anhand ausgewählter Applikationsbeispiele wurde die Leistungsfähigkeit der Methode dargelegt. Beispiele waren dabei u.a. aus dem Bereich Oberflächenwasseranalytik, Pflanzen und Böden. T2 - Industrie Anwenderseminar PFAS 2025 CY - Online meeting DA - 30.06.2025 KW - PFAS KW - HR-CS-GFMAS KW - Summenparameter PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-65125 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - Approaches for PFAS Sum-Parameter Analysis -from Materials to Environment N2 - Im Rahmen des Vortags wurden PFAS Analysemethoden auf Basis der optischen Spektroskopie (HR-CS-GFMAS) vorgestellt. Anhand ausgewählter Applikationsbeispiele wurde die Leistungsfähigkeit der Methode dargelegt. Beispiele waren dabei u.a. aus dem Bereich Oberflächenwasseranalytik, Pflanzen und Böden. T2 - VD LUFA Kongress CY - Oldenburg, Germany DA - 09.09.2025 KW - HR-CS-GFMAS KW - PFAS KW - Summenparameter PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-65127 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Gluth, Gregor T1 - Microbially induced corrosion of cementitious materials in sewer systems N2 - Sewer networks (also called wastewater systems) include structures to collect and transport wastewater to disposal or treatment in dedicated facilities. These networks are essential infrastructures of our societies, and the size of these systems in terms of length as well as asset value is usually vast. Accordingly, the annual rehabilitation and replacement costs for sewer networks are very high in many countries. In addition, failures of wastewater systems can cause severe health and environmental problems, making the durability of these infrastructures an issue of crucial societal importance. A substantial fraction of the deterioration of sewers is caused by microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) of concrete structures in the networks, and, thus, understanding the causes of this process is crucial to be able to effectively direct resources for rehabilitation, replacement and construction of sewer systems. Because of the importance of the problem, it has been studied for many decades, and significant progress has been made during this time. In recent years, answers to several previously underexplored questions, for example regarding the validity of the different test methods to assess the resistance of cementitious materials against MIC and the suitability of new cementitious materials for sewer repair, have begun to emerge. The present contribution gives an overview over the processes involved in MIC of cementitious materials in sewers, and reviews recent findings concerning the resistance of cementitious materials against MIC. The data indicate that alkali-activated materials can exhibit exceptionally high resistance against MIC, while it is presently not fully understood which mix design parameters deter¬mine this resistance. Disagreement exists in the literature regarding the causes of the generally high resistance of calcium aluminate cements. Significant progress has been made in determining the deterioration rate of cementitious materials under strongly corroding conditions, but well-founded approaches to classify the severity of MIC attack in sewers seem not to be available at present. T2 - MICxUS 2025 – Symposium on Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) in Industrial and Utility Systems CY - Nicosia, Cyprus DA - 21.01.2025 KW - MIC KW - Cement KW - Repair mortar KW - Sulfuric acid KW - Sewers PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62738 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schreiber, Frank T1 - Hydro-Touch test - Evaluation of Transfer of Microorganisms to Non-porous Surfaces and their antimicrobial Activity N2 - This presentation describes a new test procedure that allows to determine the transfer of microorganisms to surfaces and to measure the antimicrobial efficacy of those surfaces. The main improvement of the method is that is assesses the effect of the surfaces under semi-dry, realistic conditions by transferring microorganisms via a gelatin pad linked to a stamp of defined weight. Comparing the performance of the established antimicrobial materials with currently used wet test methods and the newly developed method shows reduced antimicrobial activity of those materials under semi-dry conditions. T2 - 64. Sitzung des DIN NA 176-03-06 AA „Chemische Desinfektionsmittel und Antiseptika in der Humanmedizin“ CY - Online meeting DA - 29.09.2025 KW - Antimicrobial surfaces KW - Standardization PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64870 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Nordholt, Niclas T1 - Phenotypic heterogeneity in bacterial lag times and antibiotic tolerance induced by the disinfectant glutaraldehydePhenotypic heterogeneity in bacterial lag times and antibiotic tolerance induced by the disinfectant glutaraldehyde N2 - Phenotypic heterogeneity in clonal bacterial populations can be considered a preliminary stage of functional differentiation, which may increase population fitness in fluctuating environments. Here, we investigated how transient exposure of clonal bacterial populations to residual amounts of a commonly used disinfectant, glutaraldehyde (GTA), induces phenotypic heterogeneity, ensuring survival of the population upon sudden challenge with high doses of antibiotics. Using the ScanLag system, we found that exposure to GTA resulted in wide lag-time distributions across different bacterial isolates of E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa. Importantly, this was associated with elevated levels of survival (i.e. tolerance) towards lethal doses of antibiotics. As revealed by RNAseq in E. coli, GTA exposure caused global transcriptome remodeling, with more than 1200 differentially expressed genes of diverse biological functions. Several of these genes that were not previously associated with antibiotic tolerance or persistence induced, when overexpressed alone, antibiotic tolerance without showing a lag phenotype. This suggests that exposure to GTA induces unspecific, lag-dependent and specific, lag-independent tolerance to antibiotics in clonal bacterial populations. These findings have implications for 1.) settings where disinfectants and antibiotics are used in close proximity, such as hospitals and animal husbandry, and 2.) for the selection dynamics of tolerant pheno- and genotypes in fluctuating environments because of the trade-off that arises from exiting lag and resuming growth as fast as possible and maintaining antibiotic tolerance. This trade-off may be weakened by phenotypically heterogeneous clonal populations as induced by GTA. T2 - FAST REAL Project Meeting Tartu CY - Tartu, Estonia DA - 16.06.2025 KW - Biocides KW - Biocide resistance KW - Phenotypic heterogeneity KW - Glutaraldehyde KW - Disinfectants PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63834 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kanaris, Orestis T1 - Identification of metabolic niches and their association to the persistence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in wastewater N2 - Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are hotspots for the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria (ARB) can persist in the environment for long periods of time, despite metabolic fitness costs that often arise with resistance. Recent research efforts are striving to uncover the role of bacterial metabolism for the ecology and evolution of antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study is to understand the ecological mechanisms, which allow ARB to persist in the environment. More specifically, we aim to identify metabolic niches that can select for and against resistant bacteria. 62 E. coli strains isolated from different WWTPs with different levels of resistance to 14 antibiotics and 3 disinfectants were assembled, sequenced, and phenotypically characterized. Next, genome scale metabolic models (GEMs) were constructed, and the growth of the strains was simulated in the presence of 298 different carbon sources. Furthermore, the growth rates of the isolates were measured in the presence of 3 carbon sources to verify the model predictions. Competition experiments with synthetic microbial communities consisting of a selection of 10 WWTP isolates, 5 of which were antibiotic resistant and 5 sensitive, were carried out in minimal medium with different carbon sources. Population dynamics modelling was used to simulate the competition of isolates under different conditions. The isolates have a wide range of susceptibility to the antibiotics, while disinfectants result in a narrower range of susceptibility. GEMs identified 40 carbon sources that can be utilized for growth only by a portion of all the isolates. The prediction accuracy of the GEMs was 93% in the case of D-malate. A range of WWTP isolates were identified which use D-malate as carbon source and are susceptible to specific antibiotics. In contrast, antibiotic-resistant WWTP isolates were identified that did use sucrose as carbon source but not D-malate. Competition experiments demonstrated that changing the carbon source of the medium from sucrose to D-malate resulted in selection against the resistant isolates. Modelling the competition between isolates under different conditions suggests that adding a carbon source to a bacterial community under specific conditions could exclude resistant bacteria from a microbial community. Our data suggest that changing the available carbon source could shift the selection advantage between resistant and susceptible bacterial strains. If this strategy is confirmed experimentally in complex microbial communities, it could be applied to reduce the number of ARB in environments such as wastewater. T2 - FEMS micro Konferenz CY - Milan, Italy DA - 14.07.2025 KW - AMR KW - Wastewater KW - Genome-scale metabolic model PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64659 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Marano, Roberto T1 - A Customizable Procedure for Predicting Antibiotic Resistance Selection on Novel Antimicrobial Coatings N2 - The global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AR) has manifested in an increasing number of deaths attributable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in recent years, with projections indicating a continued rise. Combating AR requires a multifaceted approach, one aspect of which involves preventing the spread of ARB in hospital environments via high-touch surfaces, which are known contributors to nosocomial infections. In conjunction with routine disinfection protocols and infection prevention measures, antimicrobial surfaces or antimicrobial coatings (AC) are increasingly being investigated and implemented to reduce microbial transmission via high-touch surfaces, thereby mitigating their spread in healthcare settings. However, similar to antibiotics, prolonged use of such surfaces may lead to the direct or indirect selection of ARB. To prevent this, targeted tests must be developed to predict potential AR selection before AC implementation. Materials and Methods As part of the Horizon-Europe-funded project "STOP" (Grant Agreement ID: 101057961), a novel antimicrobial coating is being developed and tested to reduce pathogen transfer on surfaces without selecting for ARB. To this end, two bacterial libraries (80 strains each) were assembled from the two species most associated with AR-attributable mortality worldwide, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, as identified in the most recent comprehensive study [1]. Each library maintains a 50/50% ratio of strains resistant or sensitive to third-generation cephalosporins (E. coli) and methicillin (S. aureus), respectively—representing two of the most widespread resistance profiles. An adapted ISO 22196 method was developed using a reference benchmark antimicrobial surface (i.e., copper), with stainless steel serving as a control. The goal was to infer potential advantages of copper-unrelated antibiotic resistance phenotypes on the tested surface. Results Metadata, genomic data, and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) data were collected for all selected strains in each library, ensuring diversity in sequence types (ST) of clinical relevance, antibiotic resistance gene profiles, and geographical origins. The method was calibrated on copper surfaces using a reference E. coli strain, establishing the initial parameters required for investigators to customize the test for a given AC. Procedural reproducibility was assessed by comparing results from independent operators. Discussion The two libraries are currently being screened against the selected copper surfaces to identify potential associations between the resistance phenotypes of the tested species and their observed survival rates post-exposure. Three mutually exclusive outcomes are anticipated: (i) a statistically significant survival advantage of resistant strains compared to sensitive strains, (ii) an inverse scenario where sensitive strains exhibit higher survival, or (iii) no significant difference between the two groups. Furthermore, post hoc principal component analysis utilizing metadata and AST data may help elucidate genetic traits that confer a survival advantage on the tested AC. Conclusions This test aims to assist developers of antimicrobial coatings and materials in assessing potential selective pressures toward ARB before these products are implemented and evaluated under real-life conditions. T2 - ESB Conference CY - Torino, Italy DA - 07.09.2025 KW - Antimicrobial-resistance KW - Surface antimicrobial testing KW - Materials testing PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64569 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kanaris, Orestis T1 - Metabolic niches and persistence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment N2 - Background and Aim: Wastewater treatment plants are considered as hotspots for the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria (ARB) can persist in the environment for long periods of time, despite metabolic fitness costs that can arise with resistance. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms, which allow ARB to persist in the environment. More specifically, we want to identify metabolic niches that can select for resistant bacteria. Procedure/Method: 62 E. coli strains isolated from different WWTPs in Norway were used. The isolates have different levels of resistance to 14 antibiotics. The susceptibility of the isolates to 3 disinfectants was determined. In addition, genome scale metabolic models (GEMs) were constructed and the growth of the strains was simulated in the presence of 198 different carbon sources. Furthermore, the growth rates of the isolates were measured in the presence of 3 carbon sources. Findings/Results: Many of the isolates have high resistance to multiple antibiotics but only few of the isolates have higher minimum inhibitory concentrations to the disinfectants, compared to an E. coli laboratory strain. With the GEMs, we identified 40 carbon sources that can be utilized for growth only by a portion of all the isolates. The prediction accuracy of the GEMs was 93% in the case of D-Malate. A group of 10 isolates was identified of which 5 isolates are resistant to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and tetracycline and can grow on Sucrose but not on D-Malate and the other 5 isolates are susceptible to the same 3 antibiotics but can grow on D-Malate and not on Sucrose. Implications/Applications: Our data suggest that changing the available carbon source could shift the selection advantage between resistant and susceptible bacterial strains. If this strategy is confirmed experimentally, it could be applied to reduce the number of ARB in environments such as wastewater. T2 - International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Symposium 19 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 09.09.2024 KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Wastewater PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61412 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Marano, Roberto T1 - Antimicrobial coatings: modes of action, microbiological efficacy testing, and resistance evolution N2 - Within the Horizon-Europe funded project “STOP: Surface Transfer Of Pathogens”, Grant agreement 101057961, Working Package 6 is currently working on developing tests aimed at predicting possible selection and/or evolution of antibiotic resistance onto antimicrobial coatings meant for high-touch surfaces. This presentation describes the devised protocols and the preliminary results of their application on copper as a benchmark antimicrobial material. T2 - STOP-project Meeting CY - Sofia, Bulgaria DA - 27.02.2025 KW - Antimicrobial-resistance KW - Surface antimicrobial testing KW - Materials testing PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64567 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schreiber, Frank T1 - Mechanisms and evolution of resistance to antimicrobial biocides N2 - Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health problem with the environment being an important compartment for the evolution, selection and transmission of AMR. These processes are impacted by pollution with antibiotics. However, antimicrobial biocides used as disinfectants and material preservatives are major pollutants exceeding the antibiotic market in terms of chemical diversity and mass. The aim of our work is to understand the mechanisms and risks of biocides for resistance and antibiotic cross-resistance evolution in bacteria to optimize their application and safeguard their efficacy. Our work shows that biocides have the potential to affect evolutionary processes towards AMR by increasing the rates of de-novo mutation and conjugation. Importantly, widely used compounds such as chlorhexidine and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) affect rates of mutation and conjugation at environmentally relevant concentrations. Furthermore, we show that single-cell phenotypic heterogeneity regarding tolerance (persistence) determines survival against specific biocides including QACs and isopropanol. Mechanistic investigations reveal that known antibiotic persister mechanisms contribute to persister formation to biocides. The evolution of high-level tolerance to different biocides is linked to the initial persister level and the evolution of specific genetically encoded mechanisms related to properties of the cell envelope. Biocide-tolerant strains have a selective advantage in the presence of environmentally-relevant concentrations of antibiotics, which could lead to the stabilization of biocide tolerance in environments where biocides and antibiotics co-occur (e.g. wastewater, animal stables). Taken together, our work shows the importance of assessing the contribution of biocides on evolution and selection of AMR in the environment. T2 - EMBO Symposium on Mechanisms of drug resistance and tolerance in bacteria, fungi, and cancer CY - Heidelberg, Germany DA - 18.03.2025 KW - Antimicrobial surfaces KW - Biocides KW - Antimicrobial resistance PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64866 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Marano, Roberto T1 - Antimicrobial coatings: modes of action, microbiological efficacy testing, and resistance evolution N2 - Antimicrobial coatings and materials on high touch surfaces can provide additional level of protection to periodic disinfection cycles by reducing bacterial loads. However, different coatings and materials assert their antimicrobial activity in different ways, and it is not clear whether they could pose detrimental selective pressure towards antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This talk elucidates modes of actions and current knowledge gaps in testing antimicrobial resistance on antimicrobial surfaces.” T2 - STOP Antimicrobial Coating Conference CY - Mons, Belgium DA - 05.12.2024 KW - Antimicrobial-resistance KW - Surface antimicrobial testing KW - Materials testing PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64566 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Marano, Roberto T1 - A Customizable Procedure for Predicting Antibiotic Resistance Selection on Novel Antimicrobial Coatings N2 - This presentation introduceda new methodological approach developed to test antimocrobials implemented on high touch surfaces, inlcuding preliminary results on its use on reference antimicrobial materials. The seminar was organized by the 'Fast-real' project, funded by the Horizon Europe (project ID: 101159721). T2 - Novel strategies and considerations in fighting pathogens CY - Tartu, Estonia DA - 16.06.2025 KW - Antimicrobial-resistance KW - Surface antimicrobial testing KW - Materials testing PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64568 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schreiber, Frank T1 - Resistance evolution towards biocides and antimicrobial surfaces N2 - Biocides, including disinfectants and antimicrobial surfaces (AMCs), are important to prevent the spread of pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria via surfaces. However, concerns have been raised about the evolution and selection of resistance against disinfectants and AMCs. In turn, resistance against disinfectants and AMCs can be associated to antibiotic resistance due to cross-resistance and co-resistance. We need to understand the mechanisms and risks of disinfectants and AMCs for resistance and cross-resistance evolution to optimize their application and safeguard their long-term efficacy. We used adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) experiments based on repeated exposure of bacteria to disinfectants. Our results show that repeated disinfection of E. coli with benzalkonium chloride in suspension results in a 2000-fold increase in survival within 5 exposure cycles. Adaption is linked to the initial presence of persister cells highly tolerant to benzalkonium chloride. We used the same approach to develop standardizable ALE experiments to determine resistance evolution to AMCs. The results highlight rapid adaptation of E. coli and P. aeruginosa towards copper surfaces. Moreover, there are multiple situations in the clinic or in the environment in which biocides and antibiotics co-occur and in which combination effects can shape their antimicrobial activity or their selective effects. Our work with P. aeruginosa shows prevalent combination effects of biocides and antibiotics, ranging from synergy to antagonism and resulting in the selection for or against antibiotic resistant strains. The combination effects are dependent on the biofilm mode-of-growth, manifesting in apparent differences in the structural arrangement of antibiotic sensitive and resistant strains in biofilms exposed to combinations. Furthermore, biocides affect rates of mutation and horizontal gene transfer, thereby having a potential facilitating effect on resistance evolution. Taken together, our work shows that the role of biocides as potential drivers of resistance evolution and selection deserves further study and regulative action. T2 - Eurobiofilms 2022 CY - Palma, Spain DA - 31.08.2022 KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Bacteria KW - Biofilms KW - Biocides KW - Antimicrobial surfaces PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55608 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schreiber, Frank T1 - Biocides as drivers for the evolution of antimicrobial resistance N2 - This presentation provides an overview about how biocides drive the evolution of antimicrobial resistance during application and as pollutants in the environment. The presentation shows that biocides can lead to heterogeneous killing, facilitating tolerance evolution. This evolution is related to decreased susceptibility to antibiotics and has potential for co-selection. In contrast, evolved tolerance can limit antibiotic evolvability via epistatic interactions. Moreover, biocides can co-select for antibiotic resistance in wastewater and affect rates of mutation and horizontal gene transfer. Biocides and antibiotics show strong combination effects with consequences for selection of antibiotic resistance. T2 - Novel strategies and considerations in fighting pathogens CY - Tartu, Estonia DA - 16.06.2025 KW - Antimicrobial surfaces KW - Biocides KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Standardization PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64867 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -