Field and Laboratory Measurements Related to Occupational and Consumer Exposures - Safety of Nanomaterials along Their Lifecycle - page 305

Raynor et al.
(2012)

Shredding,
nanocomposite

CNT SEM NC, PSA, PSD Tests conducted to measure the potential of nanoclay-reinforced

polypropylene parts to generate airborne nanoparticles when
they are shredded for recycling indicated that test plaques
made from plain polypropylene resin, the same resin
reinforced with talc, and the resin reinforced with
montmorillonite nanoclay, all generated airborne nanoparticles
with a count median diameter of approximately 10-13 nm.
The highest particle concentrations were generated during
shredding of plain polypropylene test plaques. Fewer particles
were generated by shredding the nanoclay-illed test plaques,
but not as few as were generated during the shredding of the
talc-illed test plaques. Because the nanoclay and talc
reinforcing materials were larger than the majority of particles
measured, most of the particles that were observed must have
been generated by a mechanism other than the direct release of
the nanoclay or talc. SEM imaging did not identify any
nanoparticles that appeared to be nanoclay liberated from the
nanocomposite

Abbreviations: PSD, Particle size distribution; PNC, Particle number concentration; SA, Surface area; M, Mass; NAPD, Number-averaged particle diameter.