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Oct. 15, 2003 – Researchers are applying the principles of green chemistry — using fewer or alternative materials for more efficient, eco-friendly results — and the advantages of nanotechnology and microsystems to “do things green from the get go.”
By cutting or eliminating waste from manufacturing processes and fostering better materials, green chemistry and nanotechnology intersect to allow more efficient production, the effective breaking down of hazardous material, and alternatives to solvents or high temperatures that can damage the environment, according to researchers such as University of Oregon’s James Hutchison, associate professor of chemistry and director of the Materials Science Institute.
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“It became pretty obvious that there are a lot of ways nano can be important for the environment,” Hutchison says of his work in both green chemistry and nanoscience.
Hutchison, the University of Oregon and its partnership with Oregon State University are working to employ the advantages of nanotechnology and microsystems to “do things green from the get go, as opposed to greening it after the fact,” he says.
Hutchison says nanoscience will most likely produce environmental benefits first in the areas of fuel cells and in microelectronics, where small has already succeeded in benefiting the Earth to some degree.
“There have been changes to the electronics industry to make it greener,” Hutchison says.
He also refers to the semiconductor industry and a greener design approach made possible by nanoscience, which is the basis of a molecularly integrated circuit.
“It used to be a block of materials and chiseling it down,” Hutchison says. “By taking a bottom-up, building block approach, you have less waste. The nanoscience revolution will help us make better materials.”
Sathyaraj Radhakrishnan, an analyst for Frost and Sullivan’s Technical Insights, sees that approach taking off and cutting down on waste and chemical storage in semiconductor manufacturing.
“In a few years we will see the total elimination of chemicals that are used to chip away materials used in the fabrication of integrated circuit chips, which would in turn eliminate wastage and storage of these chemicals in large storage tanks,” says Radhakrishnan.
The analyst also referred to other green nanotech applications near commercialization: nanosensors and nanoscale coatings to replace thicker, more wasteful polymer coatings that prevent corrosion; nanosensors for detection of aquatic toxins; nanoscale biopolymers for improved decontamination and recycling of heavy metals; nanostructured metals that break down hazardous organics at room temperature; smart particles for environmental monitoring and purification; nanoparticles as a novel photocatalyst for solar applications; and other nano-based environmental catalysts.
Working with University of Oregon to combine nanotechnology and micro-scale devices, Oregon State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are also finding green gains through small tech.
OSU associate professor and co-director of PNNL’s Microproducts Breakthrough Institute Kevin Drost says the green chemistry goals of minimized materials for production also can be attained by combining nanoscale functionality and microscale devices.
“We believe we can do many more times yield with the production of nanoscale features,” Drost says. “We can get a 100 or 1,000 factor more per unit of input because we have a higher degree of control.”
With microscale control of factors such as temperature and chemistry, Drost explains that applications including improved batch production, microscale reactors and more energy efficient power systems all represent classic applications of green chemistry and technology.
Drost points to the combination of Oregon’s thin thermoelectric generator (TEG) and Oregon State’s high-flux combustion system and heat exchange as an example of an environmentally beneficial application of nanotech and microdevices.
“We think the combination is a perfect fit and a desirable combination for portable power supplies,” says Drost, who adds microscale combusters are already in commercial use.
PNNL’s Landis Kannberg, co-director of the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute, says the micro-size heat exchanger is closest to commercialization and refers to improved performance as an environmental gain.
“The more you improve performance, the more it helps in terms of any waste generated as well,” he says, calling microtechnology the logical vehicle to realize potential benefits of nanotechnology.
Drost also notes the environmental impact of shipping hazardous materials can be avoided using technologies and systems that allow production when and where it is needed.
“If there was a problem the solution is you make a microscale system that produces the nanosystems right where you need them, when you need them,” Drost says. “We’re working on just-in-time nanosystem production models.”
While environmental groups such as Greenpeace concede the potential benefits of nanotechnology, they also point to non-technical challenges.
“Whether these beneficial applications are developed and deployed effectively are governed by issues that go beyond the technology itself,” says Greenpeace chief scientist Doug Parr.
“Cleaner production processes will find it hard to be developed and deployed when it is cheap to pollute. Solar power will not be developed if R&D money goes into using fossil fuels more efficiently.”