•  Methods and tools to predict nanomaterials exposure and effects on humans and ecosystems;
•  Implementable processes to reduce hazard and exposure to nanomaterials in different lifecycle stages;    Innovative technological solutions for risk management in industrial settings, and
• Guidance on best practices for securing both nano-manufacturing processes and nanomaterials ultimate fate, including development of approaches for safe disposal and recycling.

In summary, SUN stands for an integrated approach for the long-term sustainability of nanotechnologies through the development of safe processes for production, use and end-of-life processing of nanomaterials and products, as well as methods reducing both adverse effects and exposure to acceptable levels.

 

EMPA coordinates Work Package 3 “Environmental Release, Fate and Exposure” (WP3), whose main goals are to develop:

• Validated tools to collect NOAA1 released from products;
• Methods to analyse and characterize NOAA released from actual products;
• Modelling tools to predict release and transformation of NOAA over the whole lifecycle, and
• Provide released and aged materials for (eco)toxicological studies.

 

Publications

Caballero-Guzman, A.; Nowack, B. (2016) A critical review of engineered nanomaterial release data: are current data useful for material flow modeling? Environ. Pollut. 213: 502-517. (pdf)

Caballero-Guzman, A.; Sun, T. Y.; Nowack, B. (2015) Flows of engineered nanomaterials through the recycling process in Switzerland. Waste Management 36: 33–43. pdf