Nano-wastes and the Environment: Potential Challenges and Opportunities of Nano-waste Management Paradigm for Greener Nanotechnologies

Abstract

Although nanoscience has been positioned as the source of the next revolution of novel technology benefits, progress moving nanoscience from the laboratory to develop planet-friendly nanotechnologies was slow over the last decade. This is because of knowledge gaps and a number of major uncertainties in regard to understanding the new nano-hazard behavior and fat in the environment as well as the lack of specific policies to identify, monitor, and manage associated nano-risk due to the unknown environmental transformation processes that affect nano-toxicity exposure mechanisms. Recognition of these challenges will require a new eco-friendly knowledge and guidelines for the legalization of risk-associated nanomaterials, for effective design greener ``benign'' nano-innovation-based technologies wherever possible in the immediate future. In the present chapter, one has to consider the combination of different life cycle assessment (LCA) concepts with the evolving knowledge from nano-waste risk assessment and their end-of-life cycle thinking to design nano-products at zero-waste level. The data provide a nano-waste basis and legalization opportunities for abatement of nano-pollutions by the industry and regulators. In this context, this chapter can be useful to policymakers in developing the framework of perspective and post-active for safe nano-production to assess the environmental sustainability performance for future development into the largest industrial and economic sectors.