Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
11.2 Application of LCA to Nanomaterials
and Nanotechnologies
11.2.1 Adaptation of LCA Approaches to Nano-Based Products
An expert workshop on the LCA of nanotechnologies was co-organized by
the US Environmental Protection Agency and the European Union in 2006
at the Washington DC Wilson Center. The main outcome of this workshop
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showed that (i) LCA is well suited to study and compare the benefits and
impacts of nanoparticles and the ISO-framework for LCA (ISO 14040:2006) is
fully suitable to the case of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials; (ii) there is
no generic LCA of nanomaterials, just as there is no generic LCA of chemicals;
(iii) processes are under development and may be rapidly evolving, leading
to a similar situation as, for example, the electronic industry; and (iv) the
main challenges and gaps in the LCIA of nanoparticles is linked to the direct
toxicity of nanoparticles, which should be the focus of further research.
As discussed in the earlier chapter, LCA relates environmental impacts
and performances to the function of the product in which nanomaterials are
embedded. This concurs with point (ii) above and also with the comparative
nature of LCA, meaning that it is not possible nor relevant to characterize
the intrinsic impact of a nanomaterial, nor to answer questions such as “are
nanotubes acceptable from an environmental point of view?” What can be
characterized is the environmental performance of a nanomaterial within
a given product with a specific function or range of potential function,
enabling to address questions such as “does the use of carbon nanotubes as
fiber reinforcement reduces impacts compared with classic fibers, and what
are the key processes on which to focus further improvements?”
11.2.2 Evolution of LCA Nano-Studies and Development
of Nanotechnologies: A Parallel?
By 2011, the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars—Project
on Emerging Nanotechnologies had listed more than 1300 commercialized
nanomaterial-embedded products or “nanoproducts” (Figure 11.4a). By early
2012, about 43 LCA-claimed studies were identified in the scientific litera-
ture, most of them being post-2008 studies (Figure 11.4b). Several of them
did not focus on a specific application, but merely looked at the production
of nanomaterials. Figure 11.4b shows the repartition of the LCA studies per
categories of investigated products or services. The electronics sectors (e.g.,
semiconductor or photovoltaic modules) and the automotive industry (poly-
mer composites) are the two major fields of application. Surprisingly, other
types of products such as personal care products, home and garden prod-
ucts, or sporting goods have not drawn interest among LCA practitioners
in spite of a current domination of these products on the market. This tends
