Materials

Ricardo to review EC nanomaterial policies

Ricardo to review EC nanowaste policiesEnvironmental consultancy Ricardo Energy & Environment is to undertake a review on the environmental impact of nanomaterials to support a new European Commission (EC) policy assessment.

The purpose of the study, performed in collaboration with Milieu Consulting, which performed the last scheduled review in 2012, and the Technical University of Denmark, is to review the extent to which nanomaterials, and their associated risks, are included within EU environmental legislation.

Nanomaterials are small-scale substances, which vary in size and can be up to 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Due to their morphological variation, they often have novel and varied chemical properties. 

In its 2011 review, the EC estimated that the global nanomaterials market is valued at €20 billion (£15.1 billion), and involved 11 million tonnes of nanomaterial with 300,000 to 400,000 people employed in this sector within Europe alone.

Ricardo Energy & Environment will now consult on technical and legal aspects of the hazards of nanowaste to address current gaps in European legislation regarding waste. This will involve assessing the routes of nanowaste released into the environment, monitoring technological trends in nanomaterials and reviewing implementation experience.

Because of the size variability, they have many uses in diverse scientific and technological industries. Colloidal gold is often used as a method of targeted drug delivery whereas carbon nanotubes are involved in renewable energy capture.

However, the variation within nanomaterials also results in varying, substance-specific toxicities. According to the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) there are currently no specific regulations in place regarding nanomaterials, which allows nanowaste to be treated as normal waste. 

There are also no requirements to separate or remove nanomaterials from waste streams. However, as the nanomaterial market is expected to increase, the EC is trying to include it within the legislation.

“Struggling to manage a risk that is unquantifiable”

Several studies have been carried out previously by the EC to review the legislation and to reveal what regulations can be altered to cover nanomaterials.

Reports on the subject entitled ‘Review of environmental legislation for the regulatory control of nanomaterials’ and ‘Environmental exposure to nanomaterials – data scoping study’ were performed for the EC in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Together, these concluded that there are definite ‘gaps and challenges’ within waste legislation, but that many regulations were applicable to nanowaste.

The reports highlighted several problems, including the lack of information on nanomaterials themselves, specifically the lack of data relating to properties, toxicity, volume or behaviour in the environment. 

This lack of knowledge poses a problem to the implementation of specific nanowaste regulations as, if substances are not identified as hazardous, they are not labelled as such. There are therefore no specific requirements to separate them and they remain in the municipal waste stream.

There is also little information regarding their response to recovery in recycling or experience in the application of current regulations to their disposal. 

At present, there is no legislation in place to label nanomaterials as hazardous so no processes exist to separate and properly dispose of them. Indeed, it is not always clear which nanomaterials are hazardous in order to label them, leading the 2011 report to state that legislation was ‘struggling to manage a risk that is unquantifiable’.

A proper definition of nanowaste, as well as including nanowaste as a hazardous waste in the List of Wastes, have been recommended as options to cover nanowaste within legislation.

“Nanomaterials are having a transformative impact on the world”

Ricardo Energy & Environment, which has performed a previous study into the impact of nanotechnology in the development of sustainable tyres, will carry out the review in collaboration with several stakeholders from the nanotechnology industry. The project team will consist of nanomaterials scientists, legal specialists, chemical risk and regulatory policy experts and legal specialists.

Ben Grebot, Ricardo Energy & Environment project director, said: “From cancer treatment and solar energy capture, through to personal care products and cosmetics, nanomaterials are having a transformative impact on the world. Developing appropriate regulations for these materials is an important step to supporting this burgeoning industry. We are delighted to be working with the European Commission and our expert partners from the Technical University of Denmark and Milieu Consulting to share our knowledge of this fast-moving area. Effective legislation provides high levels of environmental protection, promotes sustainable growth and supports new industries to develop their green potential by providing cleaner solutions to societal challenges.”

End-of life-procedures

Resource spoke to Dr Mark Broomfield, project manager for the review, to ask if there was a potential for specific capture or end-of-life procedures to be put in place regarding nanomaterials. He commented that Ricardo would not specifically be focusing on engineering or environmental control measures but instead would be supporting the role of the EC as a regulator. It will, however, be looking at end-of-life procedures during the study.

The review will have two main parts, the first of which will involve developing an emission inventory for nanomaterials. The range of pathways resulting in the introduction of nanomaterials into the environment will be also investigated, including manufacture, use and disposal. The second part will involve a review of the regulations and legislation currently in place.

Manufacturers, distributors, traders and users of nanomaterials with information to contribute are invited to get in touch with Broomfield at: [email protected].

More information about the approach to nanomaterials in Europe can be found on the EC’s website.