US EPA

180377 

Journal Article 

Environmental assessment of single-walled carbon nanotube processes 

Healy, ML; Dahlben, LJ; Isaacs, JA 

2008 

Yes 

Journal of Industrial Ecology
ISSN: 1088-1980
EISSN: 1530-9290 

12 

3 

376-393 

English 

10.1111/j.1530-9290.2008.00058.x 

WOS:000259525200014 

http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2008.00058.x
Exit
 

The environmental assessment of nanomanufacturing during the initial process design phase should lead to the development of competitive, safe, and environmentally responsible engineering and commercialization. Given the potential benefits and concerns regarding the use of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), three SWNT production processes have been investigated to assess their associated environmental impacts. These processes include arc ablation (arc), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and high-pressure carbon monoxide (HiPco). Without consideration of the currently unknown impacts of SWNT dispersion or other health impacts, life cycle
assessment (LCA) methodology is used to analyze the environmental impact and provide a baseline for the environmental footprint of each manufacturing process. Although the technical attributes of the product resulting from each process may not be fully comparable, this study presents comparisons that show that the life cycle impacts are dominated by energy, specifically the electricity used in production. Under base case yield conditions, HiPco shows the lowest environmental impact, while the arc process has the lowest impact under best case yield conditions. 

environmental impact; industrial ecology; life cycle assessment (LCA); manufacturing; nanomaterials; nanotechnology