Nanotechnology: GLRPPR Sector Resources

News: EPA May Give First Approval of Nanosilver for Fabrics

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:32:25 GMT

A Swiss chemical producer may soon be the first company to receive approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use nanosilver to make clothing smell better, stay cleaner and destroy germs.

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Resource: Nanomaterial Case Study: Nanoscale Silver in Disinfectant Spray (External Review Draft) | National Center for Environmental Assessment | US EPA

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:58:40 GMT

This draft document presents a case study of engineered nanoscale silver (nano-Ag), focusing on the specific example of nano-Ag as possibly used in disinfectant sprays. This case study is organized around a comprehensive environmental assessment (CEA) framework, which combines a product life-cycle perspective with the risk assessment paradigm. The document does not draw conclusions about potential risks. Instead, it is intended to be used as part of a process to identify what is known and unknown about nano-Ag in a selected application and can be used as a starting point to identify and prioritize possible research directions to support future assessments of nanomaterials.

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News: NC: CEINT Adds New International Nano-Safety Initiative

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:47:20 GMT

The cleanliness of our water faces pressures from many directions. More factories mean more discharges, a growing population leads to more wastewater, and more runoff from lawns and farms carries pollutants into waterways. While there are many elements in water that may be harmful to people and the environment, one of the newest constituents are particles too tiny to see -- yet they are drawing heightened attention of environmental engineers.

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News: Nanotech Coatings Produce 20 Times More Electricity from Sewage

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:24:10 GMT

Engineers at Oregon State University have made a significant advance toward producing electricity from sewage, by the use of new coatings on the anodes of microbial electrochemical cells that increased the electricity production about 20 times.

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News: Carbon Sequestration: Steam Process Could Remove Carbon Dioxide to Regenerate Amine Capture Materials

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:45:54 GMT

Because they can remove carbon dioxide from the flue gases of coal-burning facilities such as power plants, solid materials containing amines are being extensively studied as part of potential CO2 sequestration programs designed to reduce the impact of the greenhouse gas.

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News: CA: Berkeley Lab Wins Four 2010 R&D 100 Awards

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:18:20 GMT

Four inventions from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have been recognized with the R&D 100 award for 2010 from R&D Magazine, which recognizes the 100 most significant proven technological advances of the year. The winning projects are: Home Energy Saver/Hohm; Rough Silicon Nanowires for Waste Heat Utilization; Chemicals on Demand; and APPELS: Differentially Pumped Ambient Pressure PhotoElectron Lens System for Photoemission Studies.

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Resource: Nanotechnology Project Profiles Database

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:27:35 GMT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed this Web Site to summarize information about selected full-, field- and pilot scale applications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that is generally defined as the ability to create and use materials, devices and systems with unique properties with a size of approximately 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). Applications of nanotechnology in environmental protection draw on nanomaterials' unique properties and include (1) sensors for improved monitoring and detection capabilities, and (2) treatment and remediation techniques for cost-effective and rapid site cleanup. Projects for this Web Site are collected using information from technical journals and conference proceedings, as well as information obtained from technology vendors and site managers. The project profiles contain information on the types of contaminants treated, the type of nanomaterial used, the nanomaterial vendor, the length of operations, project scale and status, location, cost, monitoring and performance results, and points of contact and references. This Web Site can be used as a networking tool (each profile lists a contact) to identify past solutions and lessons learned that would apply to new sites with similar contaminants and climate.

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Resource: Tox Town -- Nanoparticles

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:56:52 GMT

ToxTown's information page on nanoparticles.

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Resource: Nanotechnology: A UK Industry View

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:48:05 GMT

This report considers where the UK currently sits in terms of investment in comparison with its major industrial competitors and reviews the UK's capability to exploit nanotechnology given the organizations and funding bodies currently in place. Future opportunities are also reviewed alongside issues that must be addressed to ensure responsible development of nanotechnology based products. [PDF, 29 p.]

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News: EPA Announces Research Strategy to Study Nanomaterials

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:00:07 GMT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today outlined a new research strategy to better understand how manufactured nanomaterials may harm human health and the environment. Nanomaterials are materials that are between approximately one and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is approximately 1/100,000 the width of a human hair. These materials are currently used in hundreds of consumer products, including sunscreen, cosmetics and sports equipment.

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