Sustainability and Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is playing an increasingly important role in sustainability solutions over the world in a variety of applications. In recent years, economic, political and social pressures have made sustainable development a central focus in technological research and development in many countries. Rapid advances in the development of nanotechnologies and improvements in research and understanding of potential sustainable applications are promising. There are great expectations in industry and among scientists and policymakers for nanotechnology to significantly contribute to both economic growth and sustainable development. Fleischer et al. write that, as well as potentially helping to limit the environmental impact of conventional production processes through reducing energy consumption, “nanomaterials show great economic potential, e.g. by substituting other materials or by making available new functionalities and thus enabling new products and creating new markets” (Fleischer et al., 2005).  They do, however, point out the difficulty in identifying and fully understanding the “sustainability potential” of the many types of nanotechnology that are still at early stages of research and development.

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In a 2008 paper, Fleischer and Grunwald identify four key issues such technologies need to address as part of contributing to successful sustainable development: limited availability of natural resources, limited carrying capacity of the environment, intra- and intergenerational equity and participation in decision making (Fleischer & Grunwald, 2008). They emphasize that the real impact of new technologies on sustainability is “a product of both their technical parameters and the way of their social ‘embodiment’”. Continuing from what I discussed in my last post, this constitutes a broader, holistic view of sustainability and “an extended notion of innovation, which includes technical aspects and also social and institutional aspects” (Fleischer & Grunwald, 2008).

Examples of nanotechnology in use include nanostructured photovoltaic devices, nanostructured semiconductor catalysts converting water into oxygen and hydrogen (for use of hydrogen as a source of energy), carbon nanotubes, use in high efficiency devices for lighting, fuel cell catalysts, new materials for transportation, construction and electric power applications (Fleischer & Grunwald, 2008).

The increasingly widespread application of hydrophobic coatings and various new products using nanotechnology to provide different materials with water-resistant, self-cleaning, anti-corroding properties has been well documented. Hydrophobic coatings are already being used in construction, communications, electronics, clothing, medicine and aviation. However, the application of nanotechnology to insulation, the cooling/heating of buildings, is only just being fully explored (Ebert & Bhushan, 2012; Telford et al., 2013). Nanoparticle products are now being used to coat panels and surfaces in HVAC systems, or even the windows and walls of buildings, acting to emit radiation and cooling water or air that can be pumped throughout buildings, replacing the need for traditional air conditioning. The implications of using such technology include vastly limiting the environmental impact of traditional air conditioning systems over the world. There is huge potential for transforming heat exchange systems in buildings globally, especially in developing countries with warm climates. Development of superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic coatings or surfaces that will improve efficiency in the condensing/evaporating systems of power plants and desalination plants is already underway.

Global efforts to improve clean water access are now looking at nanotechnology solutions, for example in water purification and desalination. New magnetic nanoparticle tracers are replacing current fluid tracing methods, helping determine whether water supplies have been contaminated with pollutants. FracEnsure http://www.frac-ensure.com/ is a company that uses such magnetic nanoparticles to effectively ‘fingerprint’ fracking fluid used at specific fracking sites through creating unique signatures that can be detected in water samples. Although designed to help determine pollution of groundwater with fracking fluid, such technology could be used in the future to determine the precise source of contamination of polluted water. Recent research has looked into the use of silver nanoparticles to improve water quality (Kallman et al.,2011).

Nanotechnology has huge potential for use in sustainable solutions in rural and poor regions of the world. It seems a major obstacle to overcome is the need for such technology to be implemented in a way that considers the broader social factors involved and allows for industry, government, unions, environmental groups and other players in society to take collective, cooperative action (Helland & Kastenholz, 2008).