Nanomaterials and their applications in the chemical industry: Safe development of nanomaterials, nanocomposites and bionanomaterials

However, they must meet two requirements: on the one hand, to be accepted by industry and end users, biomaterials must have functional properties for large-scale applications and function similarly to fossil-derived materials; On the other hand, to achieve the goals set by European climate neutrality policies, they must be safe and sustainable.

The advantage of nanomaterials for advancing the development of new materials is based on the fact that, due to their high specific surface area and aspect ratio, they provide a high degree of interaction with the materials in which they are incorporated and are able to impart new properties to them. required in many sectors such as mechanical, thermal, rheological, optical, barrier and active.

To demystify and promote the acceptance of this type of material by industry and end users, the BIONANOPOLYS project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program, seeks to enhance the circularity of bio-based nanomaterials using an approach fully aligned with sustainable development. using biomass from lignocellulosic waste to avoid resource loss and diverting it from landfills to develop innovative bionanocomposites.

In the first half of the project, the participating technology centers, including ITENE, focused on improving the technologies and processes implemented in many pilot plants. The goal of these improvements was to optimize methods for synthesizing and modifying different types of nanomaterials to achieve more robust processes, as well as increasing process throughput and production capacity, and improving the degree of dispersion of nanomaterials. biopolymer matrices and cellulose substrates so that their properties can be compared with those achieved using materials from non-renewable sources. The safety of nanomaterials developed as part of the project, which are used in demonstrators for critical applications such as cosmetics or food packaging, was also assessed. Thus, the developed nanomaterials consist of high value-added compounds of renewable origin, such as cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals, nanolignin, metal nanoparticles, block copolymers, nanocapsules with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and modified nanoclays.

Following these improvements, industrial partners and with the support of technology centers are working to validate the nanomaterials produced and modified in the project in twenty-one use cases across a variety of sectors, including plastic containers for flexible and rigid applications. , cellulose packaging, foam parts for the automotive, cosmetics and textile industries.

Currently, some of the most promising demonstrators are cosmetic bottles made from biodegradable biopolymers reinforced with nanoclay to improve oxygen and water vapor barrier properties by 30-40% compared to the base biopolymer material (Figure 1). ).

Three demonstrators are currently being assessed to determine their resilience at the end of life. In the case of bottles and fabric, their behavior is assessed under industrial composting conditions, and in the case of film, their recyclability is assessed in accordance with the design guidelines for flexible films based on polyethylene from ResiClass.

From a safety perspective, use case demonstrators related to food or cosmetic packaging, among others, are also assessed to ensure they do not pose a health risk.

Despite their widespread use in many applications, there is a scientific gap in understanding how the structure, size, interactions, or reactivity associated with nanometric materials may affect human health or the environment. This is especially true in the case of, for example, multicomponent nanomaterials (MCNM), high aspect ratio nanomaterials (HARN), as well as industrial nanomaterials (ENM) and nanostructured products (NEP).

To align the development of advanced materials with the strategic objectives of the European Commission, policies and recommendations exist to promote the adoption and application of methodologies and approaches that enable the development of safer and more sustainable materials.

Thus, the European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS), formulated as part of the European Green Deal ambitions, comes as a response to the need to ensure that the products we use and consume are as safe and sustainable as possible. from a life cycle point of view. As a tool for this, the European Safety and Sustainability Framework was created based on the SSbD (Safe and Sustainable by Design) project, which was created with the aim of moving from the early stages of R&D to its completion. useful life, developing safer and more sustainable materials and chemicals (also focusing on processes during production) in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Thus, SSbD, in addition to attempting to minimize and replace the use of hazardous substances, is also key to the transition to climate neutrality, the circular economy and the zero-pollution ambitions of the European Green Deal.

In this context, and in order to guide the European chemical industry towards sustainable development in line with SSbD objectives, at ITENE we are actively working on various work streams aimed at developing and implementing SSbD strategies that mitigate potential adverse impacts on humans and environment. health.

The SbD4Nano project, funded by the EU under the Horizon 2020 program, therefore aims to address current challenges related to the development of nanomaterials, NEPs and ENMs, taking into account the application and implementation of the SSbD macro. To this end, we have worked to develop and validate new approaches and tools that allow us to ensure the safety of processes and products, taking into account the entire life cycle of nanomaterials and nanoproducts, from the design of the material itself to the implementation of process improvements to better control risks, with a particular focus on such industrial sectors such as coatings, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and medical technologies, as well as structural and functional nanomaterials.

To achieve these goals, work was carried out to develop mathematical models that were integrated into the electronic infrastructure software platform. The purpose of this platform is to enable the identification, development and implementation of strategies for the development of nanomaterials, nanoproducts and safe processes. At the same time, it seeks to promote dialogue and collaboration among participants in the nanotechnology supply chain with the goal of identifying knowledge-based safe design approaches based on hazard, exposure, product performance, and cost criteria.

The framework has been validated in a variety of use cases and work is currently underway to implement it at scale to help and guide industry, regulators and civil society in developing well-balanced security, functionality and cost strategies. The goal of the system is to reduce potential risks associated with nanomaterials and nanotechnology products at an early stage of the development process.

For its part, the DIAGONAL project, funded by the Horizon 2020 program, aims to provide new methodologies to guarantee long-term nanosafety throughout the entire life cycle of MCNM and HARN. The project is based on the implementation of SSbD strategies and methodologies in seven industrial cases that test the redesign of nanomaterials and the application of strategies (functionalization or encapsulation) aimed at reducing toxicity. To this end, DIAGONAL analyzed the physicochemical properties, toxicology, behavior and environmental impact of materials, as well as human safety throughout their life cycle, and developed multi-scale modeling tools capable of predicting and characterizing nano-specific properties.

As a final outcome of the testing of the strategies implemented in these seven case studies representing the nanomaterials industry, a SSbD best practice guide will be produced to support the industry in developing safer nanomaterials.