TecEUS

TECEUS – Technology-critical Elements in Urban Spheres

The TecEUS project aimed to assess the release, exposure, and accumulation of selected technology-critical elements (TCE) (Li, Be, Ga, Ge, In, Tl, Y, Nb, Ta, Te; platinum group elements (PGE) and rare earth elements (REE)) in an urban environment. This was achieved by applying advanced analytical techniques based on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in combination with material flow analysis models. These elements, used in new technologies, are increasingly being released into the environment, and there is still a lack of essential knowledge about quantities, environmental cycles, and potential health risks. An important motivation in the context of green public health was to systematically investigate the role of urban greening in relation to these elements released into urban areas, using large cities such as Vienna (Austria) as an example.

In cooperation with the Montanuniversität Leoben (lead), the Medical University of Vienna, and the Institute of Social Ecology (BOKU University), Ulrike Pitha (Institute of Soil-Bioengineering and Landscape Construction, BOKU University) and her doctoral student Philipp Spörl have conducted an in-depth study of the potential of vertical greening in terms of the binding capacity of TCEs. The resulting dissertation by Philipp Spörl, “Exploring the effectiveness of façade greening in reducing particulate matter pollution in urban environments” (2024), is available at the following link: 
https://litsearch.boku.ac.at/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=BOK_alma21107681980003345&context=L&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&vid=BOK&lang=de_DE&search_scope=default_scope&tab=default_tab&query=addsrcrid,exact,AC17346309%20

Detailed information on the project and its results can be found on the project website: https://teceus.at

The project was kindly funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) as a stand alone project P 33099-N! 
https://www.fwf.ac.at/forschungsradar/10.55776/P33099