Direct and Embodied Ecological Impacts across the Fullerene Life Cycle

整个富勒烯生命周期的直接和体现的生态影响

• 批准号: 1438280
• 负责人: Callie Babbitt
• 金额: $ 30.09万
• 依托单位: Rochester Institute of Tech
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-01 至 2018-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1438280&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Direct; Embodied; Ecological; Impacts; across; Direct; Embodied; Ecological; Impacts; across

PI: Babbitt, Callie W. Proposal Number: 1438280The rapid pace of innovation in engineered nanomaterials (ENM) has led to a very large growth in new applications that take advantage of the unique properties of these materials. Fullerenes (carbonaceous ENM, e.g. 60-carbon nanospheres) are used in diverse applications, ranging from biomedical science (e.g., drug delivery), cosmetics (e.g., free radical 'scavenging'), to renewable energy systems (e.g., polymer photovoltaic cells). However, the impact of fullerenes on the natural environment is poorly understood, particularly as the fullerenes, like other ENMs, can undergo significant changes over their life cycle, changes that can affect their manner of transport and partitioning between environmental compartments. This proposal will develop a life-cycle analysis of fullerene materials by considering two diverse pathways of fullerene utilization: renewable energy (photovoltaics) and personal health (cosmetic creams). The PI and Co-PIs will utilize an ecosystem assessment approach and use toxicity data for a life-cycle assessment that will compare the eco-toxicity impact from the totality ('embodied') of upstream production of fullerene to that of the 'direct' eco-toxicity of the materials, when they are released into the environment. A successful outcome can inform sustainable ENM process design, material handling, disposal practices, and help guide policy and decision-making. The proposal also has a varied and strong outreach and educational plan, especially the incorporation of opportunities for underrepresented K-12 students to engage in sustainable nanotechnology research. Specifically, this proposal will address key issues about life cycle impact of fullerene-based materials, which will be translatable to life cycle assessments (LCAs) for other ENMs as well. They propose to create new life cycle metrics that can account for systems-level impact of fullerenes on select ecosystem functions by combining laboratory microcosm studies of freshwater ecosystems under fullerene exposure with emerging life cycle accounting techniques for ecosystem services. This data will enable the investigators to assess the eco-toxicity impact from 'embodied' versus 'direct' eco-toxicity of the materials. The end goal of this research is to create a comprehensive life cycle assessment of fullerene ecological impact that reflects realistic variability of fullerene materials, life cycle stages, and end uses. The ability to distinguish between direct and embodied ecological eco-toxicities will enable prioritization of life-cycle stages and intervention strategies that have the highest opportunity for environmental improvement. Outcomes from this effort can inform environmentally low-impact fullerene production methods, identify risks associated with fullerene-containing products at end-of-life, enable proactive policy-making for ENMs.

PI：Babbitt，Callie W.提案编号：1438280工程纳米材料（ENM）的创新快速速度已导致新应用的增长很大，利用了这些材料的独特属性。富勒烯（例如60个碳纳米球）用于多种应用，范围从生物医学科学（例如药物输送），化妆品（例如自由基“清除'），到可再生能源系统（例如，聚合物光电电燃料细胞）。但是，富勒烯对自然环境的影响很少，尤其是因为富勒烯像其他ENM一样，可以在其生命周期中发生重大变化，这种变化可能会影响其在环境隔间之间的运输方式和分区方式。该提案将通过考虑富勒烯利用的两种不同的途径来对富勒烯材料进行生命周期分析：可再生能源（光伏）和个人健康（化妆品霜）。 PI和CO-PIS将利用生态系统评估方法，并使用毒性数据进行生命周期评估，该评估将比较富勒烯上游产生的整体（“体现”）与材料的“直接”生态毒性的整体产生（“体现”）的影响。成功的结果可以为可持续的ENM流程设计，材料处理，处置实践提供信息，并帮助指导政策和决策。 该提案还制定了多样化，强大的外展和教育计划，尤其是为代表性不足的K-12学生提供了从事可持续纳米技术研究的机会。具体而言，该建议将解决有关富勒烯材料生命周期影响的关键问题，富勒烯材料的影响也可以转换为生命周期评估（LCAS）的其他ENM。他们建议创建新的生命周期指标，以通过将淡水生态系统的实验室缩影研究与富勒烯暴露的实验室缩影研究与新兴生命周期的生态周期会计技术相结合，从而解决富勒烯对精选生态系统功能的系统级别的影响。这些数据将使研究人员能够评估材料的“体现”与“直接”生态毒性的生态毒性影响。这项研究的最终目标是对富勒烯生态影响进行全面的生命周期评估，以反映富勒烯材料，生命周期阶段和最终用途的现实变化。区分直接和具体的生态生态毒性的能力将优先考虑生命周期阶段和干预策略，这些策略具有最大的环境改善机会。这项工作的结果可以为环境低影响的富勒烯生产方法提供信息，确定与富勒烯产品在寿命末的风险，并为ENM提供积极主动的政策制定。