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An Examination of Existing Data for the Industrial Manufacture and Use of Nanocomponents and Their Role in the Life Cycle Impact of Nanoproducts
Citation:
MEYER, D. E., M. A. CURRAN, AND M. GONZALEZ. An Examination of Existing Data for the Industrial Manufacture and Use of Nanocomponents and Their Role in the Life Cycle Impact of Nanoproducts. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Indianapolis, IN, 43(5):1256-1263, (2009).
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To share information
Description:
This work examines the manufacture and use of nanocomponents and how they can affect the life cycle impact of resulting nanoproducts. Available data on the production of nanoproducts and nanocomponents is used to identify the major groups of nanocomponents studied in this paper. A comparison of results for life cycle assessments of nanocomponents and nanoproducts presented in the open literature is used to possibly identify trends in nanomanufacturing based on material grouping with regard to environmental impact. The majority of materials currently being used are nanoparticles, primarily silver and TiO2, in consumer goods such as cosmetics and health products. The production of nanoparticles using novel techniques (i.e. flame and plasma synthesis, vapor deposition, etc.) can require significant energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions. The global warming potential of nanocomponents will be much greater for energy-intensive processes such as nanoparticle production and semiconductor manufacturing. The lack of a noticeable difference when comparing the impact of materials with and without nanofillers suggests that the issue of allocation will greatly decide the ultimate impact of nanocomponents. Continuing work is needed in this area to incorporate other factors such as toxicity and resource consumption in addition to energy use and global warming potential to fully understand the role of nanomanufacturing in the life cycle of nanoproducts.
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AN EXAMINATION OF EXISTING DATA FOR THE INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURE AND USE OF NANOCOMPONENTS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE LIFE CYCLE IMPACT OF NANOPRODUCTS