A Fundamental Review of the Relationships between Nanotechnology and Lignocellulosic Biomass - The Nanoscience and Technology of Renewable Biomaterials - page 2

Nanotechnology holds great promise of revolutionizing materials use in the 21st
century, while lignocellulosic and like-derived biomass provide the key materials plat-
form for the sustainable production of renewable, recyclable, and environmentally prefer-
able goods and products to meet the needs of people in our modern society (Saxton
2007). Nanotechnology can be used to tap the enormous undeveloped potential that
trees possess - as photochemical 'factories' that produce rich sources of raw mate-
rials using sunlight and water. The merging of nanotechnology and lignocellulosic
biomass utilization is vital in sustainably meeting the needs of people for food, cloth-
ing, shelter, commerce, and the array of products and goods needed for quality of
life considerations both in meeting creature comfort needs but also ecological needs.
It is critically important to move forward nanotechnology involving renewable bio-
materials by: exploiting wood as an important sustainable and renewable industrial
nanomaterial; enabling other nanomaterials to be used in conjunction with lignocellu-
losic products to impart greater functionality; reducing materials use in producing, for
example, wood-based products; and reducing the environmental footprint for producing
such materials and products.
The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development provide a convenient
contextual framework for examining the importance of the interrelationship of nan-
otechnology and biomass. Sustainability is many times viewed as a desired goal of
development and environmental management. The term 'sustainability' has been used in
a variety of disciplines and in numerous contexts, ranging from the concept of maximum
sustainable yield in lignocellulosic biomass management to the vision of a sustainable
society with a sustainable economy. The meaning of the term is strongly dependent
on the context in which it is applied and on whether its use is based on a social, eco-
nomic, or ecological perspective. Sustainability may be defined broadly or narrowly,
but any useful definition must explicitly specify the context as well as the temporal and
spatial scales being considered. Although societies differ in their conceptualizations of
sustainability, indefinite human survival requires basic support systems which can be
maintained only by a healthy environment and a sustainable use of resources. The def-
inition of sustainability is generally that defined by the 1987 Brundtland Commission
for sustainable development - meeting the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland 1987). Other
definitions include those of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development
who defines sustainable development as forms of progress that meet the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. With
respect to lignocellulose and lignocellulosic products (e.g. forests and forest products),
sustainability can be framed as asking whether those that come after us will be able
to enjoy the same or better values and benefits from lignocellulosics as we do today
(Society of American Foresters 2003) As we move forward in providing the goods
and services needed by the billions of people in our world, we must seek to be good
stewards of ecosystems locally, regionally, and globally; minimize the environmental
footprint of our modern society; and allow for raising the living standards and quality of
life for everyone. We must strive to achieve the preceding without hindering economic
and technological growth, development, and progress or hindering the ability of future
generations to meet their needs.