US Environmental Protection Agency. Barbara Karn, PhD. Midwestern States Risk Assessment Symposium. Indianapolis 3 Nov. 2009

Transcription

1 Barbara Karn, PhD US Environmental Protection Agency Midwestern States Risk Assessment Symposium Indianapolis 3 Nov The views presented here are those of the speaker and should not be taken to represent official EPA policy.

2 EPA's Mission: To protect the environment and human health

3 SUSTAINABILITY IS SECURING THE HOMELAND

4 THE HOMELAND

5 Sustainability is Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs [1] The reconciliation of society s developmental goals with the planet s environmental limits over the long term [2] Meeting fundamental human needs while preserving the life-support systems of planet Earth [3] [1.] The Brundtland Report [2.] NRC, Our Common Future [3.] Kates, RW, et. al., (2001) Science: 292 pp

6 Sustainability is Promoting human well-being while nurturing and restoring the planet s life support systems Shere Abbott Planet ENVIRONMENT People SOCIETY P3 Prosperity ECONOMY Modified from Giddings et al, Sust. Dev.,2002

7 Issues of Sustainability Climate change Carbon intensity Water Toxic pollutants Health Population Economic Stability Urbanization and social disintegration Disease Energy Loss of natural capital Scarcity of resources Threatened habitats and species Employment Societal Factors Occupational Health and Safety Training and Education Communications Transportation

8 Climate

9 US GCC report says Climate is changing The primary cause is known Greenhouse gas emissions The worst possible outcomes can be avoided If we act However, some outcomes are unavoidable and necessitate Adaptation

10 Million tonnes CO2/sector in 2008 End Use 33% 21% 5% 18% 23% Greenhouse Gases Climate Residential Commercial Industrial Manufacturing Ind. Non- Manufacturing Transportation Total of 5876 Million tonnes in 2008 Energy Information Administration U Michigan

11 The Breadth of Nanotechnology Nanotechnology does not include just a single material or class of materials Nanotechnology does not include just a single industry or industrial sector Nanotechnology converges with other technologies: biotechnology, information technology, cognitive science

12 Properties change at the nanoscale Electrical Optical Magnetic Biological response to size and shape Mechanical Thermal

13 Global climate change opportunities in Energy Nanotechnology for: Lighting to replace incandescent and fluorescent lights Lighter weight materials less transportation fuel energy use Efficient electronics less electrical energy used More efficient product manufacturing less production energy Cleaner burning fuels due to better prefiltration Power cables (superconductors, or quantum conductors) with which to rewire the electrical transmission grid, and enable continental, and even worldwide electrical energy transport; and also to replace aluminum and copper wires essentially everywhere -- particularly in the windings of electric motors and generators Better batteries

14 Nanotech Emulating Photosynthesis Integration of Photosynthetic Protein Molecular Complexes in Solid-State Electronic Devices Das et al, Nano Letters, 2004, 4 (6), pp

15 Mallouk & Sen Scientific American, May 2009 Nanotech helping biofuels

16 Nanotech Sustainable Energy Enablers 1. Photovoltaics -- drop cost by 100 fold. 2. Photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to methanol. 3. Direct photoconversion of light + water to produce H Fuel cells -- drop the cost by x + low temp start + reversible 5. H 2 storage -- light weight materials for pressure tanks and LH2 vessels, and/or a new light weight, easily reversible hydrogen chemisorption system (material X). 6. Batteries, supercapacitors, flywheels -- improve by x for automotive and distributed generation applications. 7. Power cables (superconductors, or quantum conductors) with which to rewire the electrical transmission grid, and enable continental, and even worldwide electrical energy transport; and also to replace aluminum and copper wires essentially everywhere -- particularly in the windings of electric motors and generators (especially good if we can eliminate eddy current losses). Smalley, 2004

17 Nanotech Sustainable Energy Enablers 8. Nanoelectronics to revolutionize computers, sensors and devices. 9. Nanoelectronics based Robotics with AI to enable construction maintenance of solar structures in space and on the moon; and to enable nuclear reactor maintenance and fuel reprocessing. 10. Super-strong, light weight materials to drop cost to LEO, GEO, and later the moon by > 100 x, to enable huge but low cost light harvesting structures in space; and to improve efficiency of cars, planes, flywheel energy storage systems, etc. 11. Thermochemical catalysts to generate H 2 from water that work efficiently at temperatures lower than 900 C. 12. Nanotech lighting to replace incandescent and fluorescent lights 13. NanoMaterials/ coatings that will enable vastly lower the cost of deep drilling, to enable HDR (hot dry rock) geothermal heat mining. 14. CO 2 mineralization schemes that can work on a vast scale, hopefully starting from basalt and having no waste streams. Smalley, 2004

18 Water as a sustainability Issue Water Shortages 215 tonnes H 2 O to produce 1 tonne of steel 300 for paper 1000 for grain for beef Purification, Desalination and Wastewater Treatment Testing/Monitoring Potable water

19 Nanotechnology for Water Nanomembranes for hardness removal and desalination (e.g., Artug, 2007; Vainrot, 2008) Nanoporous sorbent to remove mercury from waste stream (Meyer et al, 2007) Photo-activated fullerols for virus treatment (Badareddy et al, 2007) Dendrimers for heavy metal removal (Diallo et al, 1999) Magnetic nanoparticles to remove arsenic from water Yavuz et al, 2006

20 Pollution as a Sustainability Issue 112 Hazardous Air Pollutants 30 Waste Minimization Priority Chemicals 650 Toxic Release Inventory Chemicals

21 Sustainability is clean/green Clean production Pollution prevention or P2 Clean tech Environmentally benign manufacturing The concept of sustainable development development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Bruntland, 1987) goes well beyond manufacturing to encompass all human production and consumption activities, such as: agriculture; land, air and water resource management; human habitat management; biodiversity, etc. Gallopoulos,2006 Nanotechnology can aid sustainability

22 Green Nano Green Nanotechnology Green nanotechnology is about doing things right in the first place about making green nano-products and using nano-products in support of sustainability. Green Nanotechnology has several facets: Fostering new nanotechnology-enabled products and processes that are environmentally benign or "clean and green"; Managing and designing nanomaterials and their production to minimize potential environmental, health, and safety risks; Using nanotechnology to clean up toxic waste sites and other legacy pollution problems; Substituting green nanotechnology products for existing products that are less environmentally friendly; Helping obtain sustainability.

23 Green Nano Processes Producing nanomaterials and products without harming the environment or human health Incorporates the source reduction principles of green chemistry and engineering and focuses on the processes of making nanomaterials without emitting harmful pollutants and using nanotechnology to make current processes greener Clean production, P2, clean tech, environmentally benign manufacturing

24 Green Chemistry Principles applied to Nanoscience Dahl et al Greener Nano Synthesis, Chem. Rev :2228.

25 Green Processes to make nanomaterials Self-assembly Molten Salt or Ionic Liquid Synthesis Bottom up Manufacturing Use of non-toxic solvents like supercritical CO2 Improved synthesis, fewer steps Bio-inspired nanoscale synthesis Microwave techniques Aqueous processing Renewable starting materials Renewables in Nanocomposites Photochemical synthesis Solvothermal/hydrothermal Processes Templating processes Non-toxic starting materials Use of solid state processes

26 Making Current Processes Greener Making Current Processes Greener Nano Membranes Separate out metals Clean process solvents Product separations Nano Catalysts Increased efficiency and selectivity Process Energy More Efficient Lower use Decoupling resource use from economic activity

27 Environmental technologies Treatment, Remediation Green materials Green energy Cl Cl H H C= C C= C H H Reduction Cl Cl Fe0 Reduction Adsorption Fe-OH Involves practical use of nanoproducts in direct or indirect applications that solve environmental problems. Nano Products that provide solutions to environmental challenges Green Nano Products

28 Treatment through Nanoscaled membranes Reactive permeable barriers nanoscaled/nanocatalysts Theron et al, Crit Rev Microbiol 2008

29 Indirect Applications -- Green Nano Products Dematerialization Energy Savings--Light Weight nanocomposites Spun carbon nanotubes or other nanomaterials to replace copper wiring Increased miniaturization Renewables in Nanocomposites Cellulose Acetate Bioplastic and Clay Nanocomposite with triethyl citrate plasticizer (Park et al, 2004) AFM of composite Bioplastics with nanosilicates (Rhim & Ng,2007)

30 Bottom up Manufacturing Bottom up Manufacturing New Green Manufacturing--Atom-by-atom construction By Auguste Rodin By Andrew Lipson Molecular Manufacturing <=> Atomically Precise Manufacturing Analogous to cell factories not chemical soup

31 Prevention is the best way to manage risk!

32 No technology will lead to sustainability Technologies buy us time by slowing down the rate of non-sustainable practices Only a change in human values and behavior can lead to true sustainability Protect Future Generations

33 Questions THANKS! Barbara Karn "It is not who is right, but what is right that is of importance." T. Huxley