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Nanotechnologies, Hazards and Resource Efficiency

A Three-Tiered Approach to Assessing the Implications of Nanotechnology and Influencing its Development

verfasst von: Michael Steinfeldt, Prof.Dr. Arnim von Gleich, Ulrich Petschow, Rüdiger Haum

Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

Nanotechnology is frequently described as an enabling technology and 1 fundamental innovation, i.e. it is expected to lead to numerous innovative developments in the most diverse fields of technology and areas of app- cation in society and the marketplace. The technology, it is believed, has the potential for far-reaching changes that will eventually affect all areas of life. Such changes will doubtlessly have strong repercussions for society and the environment and bring with them not only the desired and intended effects such as innovations in the form of improvements to products, pr- esses and materials; economic growth; new jobs for skilled workers; relief for the environment; and further steps toward sustainable business, but also unexpected and undesirable side effects and consequences. With respect to the time spans in which nanotechnology’s full potential 2 will presumably unfold, M. C. Roco (2002:5) identified the following stages or generations for industrial prototypes and their commercial expl- tation: Past and present: The “coincidental” use of nanotechnology. Carbon black, for example, has been in use for centuries; more specific, isolated applications (catalysts, composites, etc.) have been in use since the early nineties. First generation: Passive nanostructures (ca. 2001). Application p- ticularly in the areas of coatings, nanoparticles, bulk materials (nan- tructured metals, polymers, and ceramics). Second generation: Active nanostructures (ca. 2005). Fields of appli- tion: particularly in transistors, reinforcing agents, adaptive structures, etc.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

1. Summary

Abstract

Every form of engineering results assessment has to struggle with the prognosis problem and deal with lack of knowledge (the unknown or unknowable), and uncertainty. The prospective-oriented approach focuses on the assessment of nanotechnology and its anticipatable effects by means of a “characterization of the technology” (described in detail in Gleich 2004). Awareness of and serious consideration of the problem of the unknown in the development of new technology makes it possible with such a characterization to derive and describe possible risks as well as positive effects.

2. Methodological approaches to the prospective assessment

Abstract

Each and every engineering results assessment must struggle with the prognosis problem. How can problematic developments in technology be assessed; how do we record risks, secondary effects, and impacts that are entirely unknown? The prognosis problem in technological assessment has recently been further accentuated by the extensive attention being given to the problem of dealing with the unknown and the uncertain (cf. Wehling 2001; Böschen 2002; Wehling 2002). Generally speaking, there are two forms of the unknown:

The still-unknown. This is knowledge that, in principle, is acquirable, but not yet available, for example, because specific tests have not yet been conducted or specific know-how has not yet been acquired. There can be many reasons for this; it could be that a potential problem could not be anticipated because it had never occurred before and the impact model had not yet been fully worked out (the ozone-destructive impact of CFCs is a prominent example). All in all, it may well be the lack of resources (time, money, qualified personnel) that plays the central role in the still-unknown. A good example can be found in the almost 100,000 so-called “existing substances,” which have not yet been tested for specific effects in accordance with chemical regulations.⁷

3. Technology-specific impacts of nanotechnology

Abstract

Dealing with the new eventualities that nanotechnology makes possible is a genuinely complicated affair. On the one hand, the scientific, technical, and economic revolution it offers, particularly its truly fundamental newness is justifiably emphasized. On the other hand, and here the enthusiasm diminishes, such technical revolutions hardly occur without problems, side effects, and unintended consequences; with groundbreaking, new technological opportunities, as a rule, new risks are also introduced. It is a fact, objects in the nanodimension behave in part quite differently than they do in the macroscopic world. Among these “new behaviors,” for example of nanoparticles, are properties relevant to toxicity and ecotoxicology such as solubility, reactivity, selectivity, and catalysis, as well as propagation and mobility in the environment and in organisms, for example permeability of cell membranes and penetration of the brain via the nose and olfactory nerve. That means that we cannot assume that what we know from our experience in the macro world will hold true or have an equivalent in the nano-world.³² Unfortunately, our risk assessment mechanisms and procedures have so far insufficiently made adjustment for these “new qualities.” Facilities for the manufacture of nanoparticles are still approved based upon the classical regulations and worker safety and environmental risk assessment procedures of the macro world, where the weight of the emitted substances plays the central role and not the number of particles.³³

4. Assessment of sustainability effects in the context of specific applications

Abstract

In an initial investigation possible nanotechnology application contexts were considered and qualitatively evaluated. Also studies to life cycle aspects of nanotechnology were analyzed. So far, only a handful of life cycle assessments (LCAs) on nanotechnologies have been completed. A summary of studies of life cycle aspects identified are provided.

5. Formative approaches to a sustainable nanotechnology

Abstract

Cooperative approaches are those requiring the cooperation of more than one player. In the following, we look at the opportunities for influence offered by the development of Leitbilder (of varying scope), technological road maps, and new methods of engineering results assessment and outline their potential for shaping technological development. Road maps, such as those used in the fields of information and communications technology, are jointly produced by firms within a specific industry during a phase of pre-competitive cooperation. Road maps contribute to building consensus, a prerequisite for standardization, and thereby allow for greater confidence in planning. A more refined appreciation of quality today means that it is no longer unusual for such road maps to also address safety and protection issues involving end users, public health, workplace, and environmental concerns. As a rule, road maps are often strongly influenced by the possibilities a new technology has to offer (technology push innovation). Methods and processes for developing an effective Leitbild are, in contrast, more rigorously geared towards developing a positive model for development, one capable of influencing the direction of development, i.e., moving toward “sustainable” technological development (demand/problem pull innovation).

6. Conclusions, the outlook, and need for action

Abstract

In the course of the above-mentioned research project, specific products and processes were analyzed to determine to what extent the application of nanotechnological contributions could contribute to environmental relief, and to what extent these possibilities can be realized. This emphasizes the dimension of opportunity offered by nanotechnology with a focus on contributions to resource efficiency and reductions in environmental pollution. It can be seen in the majority of the case studies that nanotechnology offers foreseeable eco-efficiency potentials. As an example, the chosen nanotechnological applications in the display field (OLED, CNT-FED) show higher energy efficiencies in the use phase (in some cases by a factor of two for reduced energy usage) as compared to previous solutions. Even greater potentials for efficiency increases by nanotechnological applications could be seen in selected cases in the area of industrial coatings and lacquers, as well as in catalytic applications. In the lighting field, however, nanotechnology-based products will have to undergo further development before they are able to compete with other energy-saving light sources with respect to resource and energy usage.

Backmatter

Titel: Nanotechnologies, Hazards and Resource Efficiency
verfasst von: Michael Steinfeldt
Prof.Dr. Arnim von Gleich
Ulrich Petschow
Rüdiger Haum
Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-540-73815-2
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-73882-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73815-2

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