 |
|
Life cycle assessment essential to nanotech commercial development
March 21, 2007Current methods adequate but toxicity data lacking
WASHINGTON, DC—Life cycle assessment (LCA) —a cradle-to-grave look at the health and environmental impact of a material, chemical, or product—is an essential tool for ensuring the safe, responsible, and sustainable commercialization of nanotechnology, U.S. and European experts conclude in a new report issued today.
With the number of nanotechnology-enabled products entering the market expected to grow dramatically—from $30 billion in 2005 to $2.6 trillion in global manufactured goods using nanotechnology by 2014—"numerous uncertainties exist regarding possible impacts on the environment and human health," the international authors observe in Nanotechnology and Life Cycle Assessment: A Systems Approach to Nanotechnology and the Environment.
According to the report, wisely implemented assessment tools such as LCA can help corporations and researchers determine likely environmental impacts at various stages in a new nanotechnology product's life cycle. It also enables governments, industry and consumers to compare the environmental performance of a novel nanotech product with that of conventional products already on the market.
Based on discussions among 27 international nanotechnology and LCA experts at a two-day workshop held in October 2006, the report is being simultaneously released by the European Commission (EC) and the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, an initiative of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The workshop was organized by the Project in cooperation with the EC, with assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research & Development and International Society for Industrial Ecology. Barbara Karn, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies visiting scientist, and Maria Pilar Aguar, from the EC's Research Directorate-General (DG RTD), planned and organized the workshop.
The report concludes that the existing International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and other widely used frameworks for LCA are fully applicable to nanomaterials and nanoproducts.
However, according to the report, the specificity of LCA results for nanotechnology products will be limited by the "lack of data and understanding" in areas central to the accurate assessment of the environmental, human health, and safety effects of a particular nanomaterial or process.
"The lack of toxicity data specific to nanomaterials is a repeating theme in this and in other studies related to nanotech environmental, health, and safety concerns," says Andrew Maynard, chief scientist for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. "Nanotechnology is no longer a scientific curiosity. Its products are in the workplace, the environment, and home. But if people are to realize nanotechnology's benefits—in electronics, medicine, sustainable energy, and better materials for building, clothing and packaging—the federal government needs an effective risk research strategy and sufficient funding in agencies responsible for oversight to do the job."
"The report calls for international cooperation and coordination—among governments, university researchers, corporations, and consumer and other groups—to help address critical data needs," according to Project visiting scientist Barbara Karn. "It also highlights the need for nano-specific protocols and practical methodologies for toxicology studies, fate and transport studies, and scaling approaches."
Despite incomplete information, according to the report, LCA can be useful now, as long as uncertainties and data gaps are clearly stated. Results can help to focus attention on high-priority products and issues with the aim of eliminating critical unknowns and encouraging life-cycle thinking during the first wave of nanotechnology innovation.
"It is important that nanotechnology, which has the potential to improve the quality of life in all parts of the world, is developed in a responsible way. This includes conducting the research and development needed to take into account the impact of nanomaterials and products throughout their whole life cycle," noted Renzo Tomellini, head of the Nano- and Converging Sciences and Technologies Unit in the EC's DG RTD and chair of the European Commission Interservice Group on Nanotechnology. "The European Commission is committed to working together with international partners to ensure that this critical work takes place. This report is a useful step toward fulfilling that goal."
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
According to the report, wisely implemented assessment tools such as LCA can help corporations and researchers determine likely environmental impacts at various stages in a new nanotechnology product's life cycle. It also enables governments, industry and consumers to compare the environmental performance of a novel nanotech product with that of conventional products already on the market.
Based on discussions among 27 international nanotechnology and LCA experts at a two-day workshop held in October 2006, the report is being simultaneously released by the European Commission (EC) and the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, an initiative of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The workshop was organized by the Project in cooperation with the EC, with assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research & Development and International Society for Industrial Ecology. Barbara Karn, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies visiting scientist, and Maria Pilar Aguar, from the EC's Research Directorate-General (DG RTD), planned and organized the workshop.
The report concludes that the existing International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and other widely used frameworks for LCA are fully applicable to nanomaterials and nanoproducts.
However, according to the report, the specificity of LCA results for nanotechnology products will be limited by the "lack of data and understanding" in areas central to the accurate assessment of the environmental, human health, and safety effects of a particular nanomaterial or process.
"The lack of toxicity data specific to nanomaterials is a repeating theme in this and in other studies related to nanotech environmental, health, and safety concerns," says Andrew Maynard, chief scientist for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. "Nanotechnology is no longer a scientific curiosity. Its products are in the workplace, the environment, and home. But if people are to realize nanotechnology's benefits—in electronics, medicine, sustainable energy, and better materials for building, clothing and packaging—the federal government needs an effective risk research strategy and sufficient funding in agencies responsible for oversight to do the job."
"The report calls for international cooperation and coordination—among governments, university researchers, corporations, and consumer and other groups—to help address critical data needs," according to Project visiting scientist Barbara Karn. "It also highlights the need for nano-specific protocols and practical methodologies for toxicology studies, fate and transport studies, and scaling approaches."
Despite incomplete information, according to the report, LCA can be useful now, as long as uncertainties and data gaps are clearly stated. Results can help to focus attention on high-priority products and issues with the aim of eliminating critical unknowns and encouraging life-cycle thinking during the first wave of nanotechnology innovation.
"It is important that nanotechnology, which has the potential to improve the quality of life in all parts of the world, is developed in a responsible way. This includes conducting the research and development needed to take into account the impact of nanomaterials and products throughout their whole life cycle," noted Renzo Tomellini, head of the Nano- and Converging Sciences and Technologies Unit in the EC's DG RTD and chair of the European Commission Interservice Group on Nanotechnology. "The European Commission is committed to working together with international partners to ensure that this critical work takes place. This report is a useful step toward fulfilling that goal."
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News RSSNew study confirms exotic electric properties of graphene
First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire.
Behavior modification could ease concerns about nanoparticles
In an advance that could help ease health and environmental concerns about the emerging nanotechnology industry, scientists are reporting development of technology for changing the behavior of nanoparticles in municipal sewage treatment plants - their main gateway into the environment.
UT Knoxville and ORNL researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source
In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles.
Caltech scientists develop DNA origami nanoscale breadboards for carbon nanotube circuits
In work that someday may lead to the development of novel types of nanoscale electronic devices, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has combined DNA's talent for self-assembly with the remarkable electronic properties of carbon nanotubes, thereby suggesting a solution to the long-standing problem of organizing carbon nanotubes into nanoscale electronic circuits.
New 'finFET' promising for smaller transistors, more powerful chips
Purdue University researchers are making progress in developing a new type of transistor that uses a finlike structure instead of the conventional flat design, possibly enabling engineers to create faster and more compact circuits and computer chips.
Findings show nanomedicine promising for treating spinal cord injuries
Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new approach for repairing damaged nerve fibers in spinal cord injuries using nano-spheres that could be injected into the blood shortly after an accident.
Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat
Whether it's magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) giving an army of 'therapeutically armed' white blood cells direction to invade a deadly tumour's territory, or the use of mNPs to target specific nerve channels and induce nerve-led behaviour (such as the life-dependant thumping of our hearts), mNPs have come a long way in the past decade.
Breakthrough in industrial-scale nanotube processing
Rice University scientists today unveiled a method for the industrial-scale processing of pure carbon-nanotube fibers that could lead to revolutionary advances in materials science, power distribution and nanoelectronics.
An exquisite container
In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or faceted gemstone that can be broken to empty the ring's contents. It is invariably enormous - so large it is rather odd nobody seems to notice it.
University of Cincinnati researchers create all-electric spintronics
A multidisciplinary team of UC researchers is the first to find an innovative and novel way to control an electron's spin orientation using purely electrical means.
More Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles
 |
Nanotechnology For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science)) by Richard D. Booker (Author), Mr. Earl Boysen (Author) This title demystifies the topic for investors, business executives, and anyone interested in how molecule-sized machines and processes can transform our lives. Along with dispelling common myths, it covers nanotechnology's origins, how it will affect various industries, and the limitations it can overcome. This handy book also presents numerous applications such as scratch-proof glass, corrosion resistant paints, stain-free clothing, glare-reducing eyeglass coatings, drug delivery systems, medical diagnostic tools, burn and wound dressings, sugar-cube-sized computers, mini-portable power generators, even longer-lasting tennis balls, and more. Nanotechnology is the science of matter at the scale of one-billionth of a meter or 1/75,000th the size of a human hair Written in... |
 |
Understanding Nanotechnology by Scientific American (Author), editors at Scientific American (Author) Taken from the Greek, nano means 'one billionth part of' a whole; or very, very small. Nanotechnology is the next step after miniaturization. This book explores the cutting edge of a new technology that will find usage in almost every single aspect of modern society. |
 |
Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea by Mark A. Ratner (Author), Daniel Ratner (Author) This book is the technical and business overview of tomorrow's scientific breakthrough. The authors survey the scientific research and business aspects of the field, try to explain the key concepts, provide a look at current developments, and give some thoughts on where nanotechnology is likely to go in the next few years. The book will be approachable and witty, with lots of illustrations and examples. The focus of the book is on science and technology, but business is discussed as well. The growing interest in nanotechnology by the investment community and the federal dollars going into nanotechnology are explained. Ratner and Ratner go on to explain why the National Science Foundation has estimated that it could be a $1 trillion market by 2015. Nanotechnology, or, as it is sometimes... |
 |
Soft Machines: Nanotechnology and Life by Richard A. L. Jones (Author) Enthusiasts look forward to a time when tiny machines reassemble matter and process information with unparalleled power and precision. But is their vision realistic? Where is the science heading? As nanotechnology (a new technology that many believe will transform society in the next on hundred years) rises higher in the news agenda and popular consciousness, there is a real need for a book which discusses clearly the science on which this technology will be based. While it is most easy to simply imagine these tiny machines as scaled-down versions of the macroscopic machines we are all familiar with, the way things behave on small scales is quite different to the way they behave on large scales. Engineering on the nanoscale will use very different principles to those we are used to in our... |
 |
Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity by Lynn E. Foster (Author) Inside the Emerging Multibillion-Dollar Nanotechnology Industry
Suddenly, nanotechnology isn't science fiction or mere theory: It's becoming one of the world's fastest-growing, highest-impact industries. In Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity, the field's leading experts offer an up-to-the-minute briefing on where the industry stands now, how it will unfold over the coming decade, and how it will impact you. Edited by a key industry advisor, this book covers the latest in nanotech science, technology, and applications. You'll meet the key players, and discover nanotech at work in fields ranging from drug delivery to energy efficiency. Here are the opportunities,... |
 |
Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology by Eric Drexler (Author) This brilliant work heralds the new age of nanotechnology, which will give us thorough and inexpensive control of the structure of matter. Drexler examines the enormous implications of these developments for medicine, the economy, and the environment, and makes astounding yet well-founded projections for the future. |
 |
Nanophysics and Nanotechnology: An Introduction to Modern Concepts in Nanoscience (Physics Textbook) by Edward L. Wolf (Author) With the second edition of his highly successful textbook 'Nanophysics and Nanotechnology', the author has once more provided a unique, self-contained introduction to the physical concepts, techniques and applications of nanoscale systems by covering its entire spectrum from the latest examples right up to single-electron and molecular electronics. The book is basically at the level of an upper level undergraduate engineering or science student. New sections have been added on the use of DNA as an organizing stratagem in self-assembly, silicon nanowires, comments on the new success toward human cloning, the achievement of self-replication in a primitive set of electromechanical robots, recognition in the extra chapters of the acceleration toward alternative forms of nanoelectronics.... |
 |
Introduction to Nanotechnology by Charles P. Poole Jr. (Author), Frank J. Owens (Author) This self-confessed introduction provides technical administrators and managers with a broad, practical overview of the subject and gives researchers working in different areas an appreciation of developments in nanotechnology outside their own fields of expertise. |
 |
Nanofuture: What's Next For Nanotechnology by J. Storrs Hall (Author) Flying cars, space travel for everyone, the elimination of poverty and hunger, and powerful new tools to combat disease, and even aging. These are some of the amazing predicted developments of nanotechnology, the coming science of designing and building machines at the molecular and atomic levels. Will this new scientific revolution be for better or worse? Some commentators have described utopias; others have prophesied disaster. Find out the likely reality from an expert, Dr. J. Storrs Hall, in this absorbing insider’s guide to the near future. Dr. Hall—a leading researcher on the frontiers of nanotechnology who has designed for NASA—describes nanotechnology in a very accessible way, so that anyone can understand what it’s about, what it could do, and what it can’t do. He puts... |
 |
Nanotechnology Demystified by Linda Williams (Author), Wade Adams (Author) Get up to speed on nanotechnology and the many biological, chemical, physical, environmental, and political aspects of this developing science. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |