Nanotechnology

for the
Environment
 Nanotechnology and
the Environment
The bad…
Nature of nanoparticles themselves.
Characteristics of the products made.
Manufacturing processes involved.
• As nano-xyz is manufactured,
what materials are used?
• What waste is produced?
• Are toxic substances used in the
manufacturing of nano-xyz?
• What happens when nano-xyz gets
into the air, soil, water, or biota?
“The emerging fields of
nanoscience and
nanoengineering are leading
to unprecedented
understanding and control
over the fundamental building
blocks of all physical things.
This is likely to change the
way almost everything - from
vaccines to computers to
automobile tires to objects not
yet imagined - is designed
and made.”
 
Avoiding the Negative
Cadmium sulfide (CdS)
Are there more benign “Quantum dots”
precursor materials or H2S gas
synthetic methods that CdS CdS Enter the
can be used to make the + environment
CdS CdS
quantum dots? Cd(CH3)2
CdS

Will it be possible
Bio/Enviro/other
to recover the applications
quantum dots for
reuse?

Are there measures that can be

How are these
taken now to minimize or avoid
semiconductor
the negative impact quantum
nanoparticles being
dots (or other nanotechnologies)
introduced to their
may have on the environment?
target?
 Nanotechnology and
the Environment

“As EPA looks to the

The good…
future, it will need to
employ innovative Nanotechnology has the
approaches and sound potential to substantially
science to investigate benefit environmental
complex, quality and sustainability
interdisciplinary through
problems in •Pollution prevention
environmental
protection.” •Treatment
•Remediation
•Information
Nanotechnology for
pollution prevention
Synthetic or manufacturing
processes which can occur at
ambient temperature and pressure.
Use of non-toxic catalysts with
minimal production of resultant
pollutants.
Use of aqueous-based reactions. Involved in making a
manufacturing process
Build molecules as needed --“just environmentally benign.
in time.”
An environmentally benign
Nanoscale information technologies material or manufactured
for product identification and product that replaces toxic
tracking to manage recycling, substances or minimizes raw
remanufacture, and end of life materials.
disposal of solvents.
5m
Biomolecular nanolithography
• Biomimetic methods of organizing
metal particles 1.5 nanometers in
diameter.
• Assembling the particles on a
biopolymer template or scaffold
stretched out on a surface.
• Nanostructures are organized into
well-defined chip architectures, such
as lines and grids.
• Process eliminates the current process
chemicals that are harmful to the
environment.

• Nanoscale assemblies have been

made that demonstrate stable, room-
temperature electrical behavior that
may be tolerant of defects and useful
in building nanoscale circuits.
 Treatment & Iron Treatment Walls…
Remediation Used in groundwater treatment for
many years.
Iron chemically reduces organic and
End-of-pipe management inorganic environmental
and cleanup of pollution contaminants.
Currently involves granular or
“microscale” iron ( 50 m or 50,000
nm).
and Nanotechnology
Nanosized iron enhances the reaction.
Enhanced further by coupling with
other metals (Fe/Pd)* on the nanoscale.

Nano Fe0 is more reactive and effective

than the microscale.
Smaller size makes it more flexible --
penetrates difficult to access areas.
 “Sense
“Sense and
and Shoot”
Shoot” Nanosized zinc oxide (ZnO)
Approach
Approach toto “senses” organic pollutants
Pollution
Pollution Treatment
Treatment indicated by change in visible
Dual role of ZnO semicondouctor
emission signal.
film as a sensor and photocatalyst The ZnO “shoots” the pollutants
via photocatalytic oxidation to
>300 nm form more environmentally
benign compounds.
Sensing capability means that
UV
the energy-consuming oxidation
stage only occurs when the
pollutants present.
Multifunctionality and
“smartness” is highly desirable
for environmental applications.
 Sensors Single Molecule Detection
• Molecules adsorb on surface of micro
cantilever, causes a change in surface
stress, cantilever bends.
• Used to detect chemicals using either
a specific reaction between analyte
and sensor layer or
chem/physisorption processes.
• Applications to bio-toxins as well.

Used for
• Process control, compliance
and ecosystem monitoring, and
data/information interfaces.
Need to be
• Low cost, rapid, precise, and
ultra sensitive.
• Operated remotely and
continuously, in situ, and in
IBM--Berger et al., Science 1997 June 27; 276: 2021-2024
real time.
  Conclusions
Science and Engineering approaches are
needed that offer new capabilities to prevent or
treat highly toxic or persistent pollutants, and
that result in the more effective monitoring of
pollutants or their impact in ways not currently
possible.
Nanoscience, engineering, and technology
holds great potential for the continued
improvement of technologies for environmental
protection. The recent breakthroughs in creating
nanocircuitry, give further evidence and support
the predictions that nanoscale science and
engineering “will most likely produce the
breakthroughs of tomorrow.”
BUT the environmental implications (nano
in the environment) need to be considered as we
consider nano for the environment.