Environmental and Societal Impact of Nanotechnology

Abstract

The ability to measure, understand, manipulate, organize, engineer and control matter on the nanoscale has been opening up the wealth of possibilities that were otherwise non-existent at higher scales. At this scale, basic research principles and tools in biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering converge and have led to all-inclusive applications of nanotechnology. Despite the innovative applications and promising potentials of nanotechnology, there are concerns about its short and long-lasting impacts on humans, nature and the environment. In an attempt to address these concerns, a number of researches have been conducted. Evaluations of studies addressing the issues of nanotechnologies and their impacts are necessary to give insights for further studies that will advance the technology for the true benefit of mankind and nature. This study, thus, provides a detailed review of studies on nanotechnology applications and the positions of stakeholders on the impact of nanotechnology. Among other things, the outcome of this survey shows that there are numerous successful applications of nanotechnology. Public perceptions are pivotal in determining the extent of revolution and transformation that nanotechnology will have on the environment. Religious beliefs and moral concerns; trust in governmental regulatory agencies and the industry; the level of inclusion of the society in the product design, development, and commercialization process is critical to the extent of acceptance of nanotechnology inventions. Expression of objective views concerning the benefits, limitations & risks, and adequate education of the public, risk regulators & all stakeholders are crucial in determining the fate of nanotechnology.

Marketing of non-timber forest products as a means of income generation in Oja-oba market, Iseyin local government area, Oyo State

“…This shows that the marketing of NTFPs is a worthwhile commercial enterprise in the study region. This was consistent with the findings of [12,13] that NTFPs are any biological resources collected from the wild by rural human beings for direct intake and income generation…”

“…According to the table, the majority of respondents (51.4%) were between the ages of 31-40 years, while the least (5.1%) had been between the ages of 51 and above years. This become consistent with the findings of [13], who said that the enormously productive age group involved in forestry activities is 31-50 years. It was found out that 51.3% of respondents were female, even as 48.7% have been male Indicating that extra women were involved the marketing of non-timber forest products (NTFPS).The table additionally found out that 73.…”

Integrative approach in a safe by design context combining risk, life cycle and socio-economic assessment for safer and sustainable nanomaterials

“…Indeed, its application e.g. in green manufacturing and chemistry, clean energy technologies, CO 2 conversion, capture and storage, and water purification (Babatunde et al, 2020;Diallo et al, 2013;Rodrigues et al, 2017;Serrano et al, 2009;Solanki et al, 2015) is in line with many of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development goals. 1 But despite all these advantages and benefits, environmental, health and safety (EHS) issues of nanotechnology still require to be better elucidated and addressed (Falinski et al, 2018;Jacobs et al, 2010;Salieri et al, 2018).…”

A Review on Polymer Nanocomposites and Their Effective Applications in Membranes and Adsorbents for Water Treatment and Gas Separation

“…This is a result of the noxious property of nanocomposite graphene and fire outbreak risk of nanocomposite graphene owing to their thermal conductivity and fire retardancy properties. In addition, there are worries regarding unidentified damaging impacts of nanomaterials and the detrimental effects of toxicity of nanomaterials [ 215 ]. Hence, adequate methods of evaluating toxicity in polymer nanocomposite is very important for the confirmation of their practical and commercial applications.…”