The SUN project hosts successful week of international nanotechnology events in Venice

By Stella Stoycheva in General news

The SUN project hosted successful week of events on 9 -13 March 2015

   The EU FP7 SUN project has successfully hosted a week of high ranking, international nanotechnology events in Venice on 9 – 13 March, 2015.

   The week started with the Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference 2015 – A joint EU-US Conference, with over 140 participants coming from all over Europe, United States, Jordan, Russia, Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey, Taiwan, Brazil and South Korea and speakers chosen among the most prominent experts on environmental, health and safety (EHS) implications and sustainable application of nanomaterials. Organised by the major European FP7 projects SUN (Sustainable Nanotechnologies), GUIDEnano and the US Sustainable Nanotechnology Organisation SNO, the conference not only proofed successful international collaboration, but also gave young researchers a chance to learn from the leading experts in the field. The work of three of those young researchers has been financially rewarded by the ‘Nano Pitch’ Best Student Award, sponsored by the Italian instruments distributor Alfatest.

  “The Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference 2015 was an excellent forum for nanosafety scientists to meet colleagues from industry and regulatory agencies and to present and discuss their research findings in the broader context of sustainability. The sessions and plenary speeches disseminated excellent scientific results, which will certainly have significant impact on the European objectives for safer and more responsible nanotechnology innovation,“ commented Danail Hristozov, the Principal Investigator of the SUN project, which sponsored the event.

   The week continued with the MARINA – NanoMICEX – SUN Knowledge Foundation Workshop on the 11th March 2015, which highlighted the results achieved in the two FP7 projects MARINA and NanoMICEX and discussed how they will be used in SUN in order to create synergies increasing the projects’ impact.

   The busy nanotechnology week concluded with the EU-US Communities of Research: Bridging Nano-EHS Research Efforts Workshop, held from 12th to 13th March, which was opened by the host Prof. Antonio Marcomini, the Director of the Department of Environmental EU-U.S. WorkshopSciences, Informatics & Statistics of University Ca’ Foscari Venice. Co-organised and supported by the US National Nanotechnology Initiative and the European Commission, this fourth joint workshop promotes and deepens the collaboration on nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS or nanosafety) research. The workshop brought together the EU-US Communities of Research (CORs), launched by the European Commission and the United States in 2012.

   Workshop participants reviewed progress toward COR goals and objectives, shared best practices, and identified areas for cross-COR collaboration.

   For further information about the SUN project see: www.sun-fp7.eu

About SUN

SUN – Sustainable Nanotechnologies Project – an EU FP7 project, aiming to develop strategies for safe production, handling and disposal covering the complete lifecycle of nano-enabled products and to include the results into practical guidelines for industries.

Summary Report on SUN Stakeholder workshop

By Stella Stoycheva in General news

The report on SUN Stakeholder workshop, held on 21 October, 2014 in Utrecht is now published

   A key objective of EU FP7 Sustainable Nanotechnologies (SUN) project is to build a software Decision Support System (DSS) to facilitate safe and sustainable manufacturing and risk management of nanomaterials. The aims of this workshop were to introduce potential users to the state of the art of the development of SUN Decision Support System (SUNDS), and to collect their feedback to improve the design of the tool. Participants included representatives from SMEs and large industry, policy makers, authorities, insurance companies, risk assessors and tool developers.
Plenary discussions with users was facilitated through presentations on the concept of sustainable nanotechnology, the aims of the SUN project, results of stakeholder interviews, and the initial proposal on the framework and methodology of the SUNDS Decision Support System. SUNDS was proposed to comprise of a two-tiered framework with different complexity of tools and data requirements to cater to different types of users and availability of data. Tier 1 comprises of LICARA NanoSCAN, which is a deterministic tool with low data requirements that was developed for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) by the LICARA FP7 project. Tier 2 comprises of modules based on more specialized tools developed in SUN whose outputs will be integrated using Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to produce a ranking of technological alternatives based on their cost and efficiency. Modules in Tier 2 include Risk and Environmental Impact Assessment module (which in turn includes sub-modules on Ecological Risk Assessment, Human Health Risk Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment), Economic Assessment Module and Benefits Assessment module.

   The workshop resulted in some practical design recommendations for the SUNDS tool discussed above that will be incorporated in the next step of the project. It is also recommended to coordinate the development of the SUN and GUIDEnano tools to develop a three tiered approach. The first (LICARA) tier could address the needs of SMEs, the second GUIDEnano tier could be used in a regulatory context of Manufactured Nanomaterials risk prioritization and identification of testing needs and the third would be the most data demanding SUNDS tier 2.

You can download the report here.

SUN organizes successful 1st Sustainable Nanotechnology School

Sustainable Nanotechnology Training School

Sustainable Nanotechnology Training School

   The SUN project has successfully hosted the first Sustainable Nanotechnology School, which was attended by over 70 participants coming from all around Europe as well as United States and Brazil. These participants were exposed to 21 of the most prominent experts working in the fields of environmental, health and safety (EHS) risks and industrial applications of nanomaterials. Commercial products containing nanomaterials were the protagonists of the lessons: They promise innovations but also pose questions regarding their effects on humans and ecosystems.

   “Imagine a new nanotechnology for the treatment of cancer, which would cause damage to the environment” – says Igor Linkov, professor at Carnegie Mellon University and a senior scientist at the US Army Engineering Research and Development Centre –“Nanomaterials can potentially revolutionize medicine, but their impact on the environment is unknown and so the question is: How do we balance the risks of nanotechnologies with their economic and social benefits, taking into account the interests of their developers, producers, end-users and the general public?”

   The attendees of the School had the opportunity to find answers to this question thanks to the experience of scientists who have long worked in the research field. Among the speakers were Antonio Marcomini, director of the Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics & Statistics, hosting the school at University Ca’ Foscari Venice as well as Georgios Katalagarianakis and Hugues Crutzen, who represented the European Commission.

  Organized by the major European FP7 projects SUN (Sustainable Nanotechnologies), GUIDEnano, MARINA, and the MODENA Cost Action, the School proofed not only a very successful collaboration among these initiatives, but also gave the participating young researchers a chance to learn from the experience of leading experts in the field.

   One of these experts is Danail Hristozov, the Principal Investigator of the EU FP7 SUN project, who commented:

  “The current uncertainties around the EHS risks of nanomaterials are raising societal concerns that can block the benefits from nanotechnologies. The introduction of unsafe nanoproducts to the market can cause over-balancing regulations and demolished consumer confidence. In order to avoid future liabilities, sound scientific analysis of the EHS risks of nanomaterial  is required, taking into consideration all stages of their life cycles. This is the only way to protect the safety of workers, downstream users, consumers, ecosystems, and the general public. In this context, there is a growing demand across both the public and private sectors for nano-EHS research experts. This school aims to contribute to the training of this new generation of creative and innovative young researchers, able to face the above challenges and to convert the resulting multidisciplinary knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit”.

   The scientific community in the field of nanotechnology sustainability will gather again in Venice for two other important events. The first will be the Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference 2015, organized by the projects SUN and GUIDEnano and the US Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization on 9-11 March 2015. After that, on 12-13 March 2015, a workshop of the EU-US Communities Of Research: Bridging Nano-EHS Research Efforts will be hosted by SUN at University Ca’ Foscari Venice. This two-day workshop is co-organised and supported by the US National Nanotechnology Initiative and the European Commission.

First year project results

By Stella Stoycheva in General news

Successful first year for the SUN Project

In their two day annual meeting, held in Utrecht, The Netherlands, from 22-24 October 2014, 35 partners from 12 EU countries presented their exciting results of the first 12 months of the SUN – Sustainable Nanotechnologies Project.   pic

SUN is a three and a half year EU project, running from 2013 to 2017, with a budget of about €14 million. Its main goal is to evaluate the risks along the supply chain of engineered nanomaterials and incorporate the results into tools and guidelines for sustainable manufacturing.

As a result of the work of the first 12 months, the project consortium has highlighted nanoscale Copper Oxide (CuO) as one of the case studies to evaluate nano-EHS risks. Nanoscale CuO is commonly used in antimicrobial wood coatings. It was decided that CuO will be evaluated as additive in a high-gloss acrylic wood coating, where the anticipated antimicrobial activity of CuO would provide an additional functionality for the coating.

In a first stage, several other case studies – simulating all stages of the life cycle – have been conducted to determine the release of nanoparticles from different product matrices (e.g. Silica from food, TiO2 from self-cleaning coatings for ceramic tiles, carbon nanotubes from anti-fouling coatings and lightweight, conductive plastics) and to artificially age them by subjecting them to luminosity, weathering, leaching, incineration, and/or immersion.

These nanomaterials have been used to test their physic-chemical characteristics, hazard, exposure, risk and environmental impact and to compare the results to their pristine counterparts. Some environmental studies involved in vivo microbial communities, whole organisms (soil, sediment and water invertebrates) and in vitro tests with cells. In order to estimate human health risks, inhalation and ingestion in vivo experiments were performed. The first in vitro screening results showed relatively low toxicity of most nanomaterials, but some results point to cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory responses. At the same time, project partners have developed practices, methods and tools to facilitate safe production, handling and disposal of nanomaterials. First results show, that considering the properties of a nanomaterials and its uses and exposure, it might be possible to rethink its engineering in order to process a safer product. For example: if the toxicity of a particular nanomaterial comes from its small size, “enlarging” would reduce its toxicity. Surface engineering modification applied to CuO will provide a first strong input for the development of new risk management guidelines.

The knowledge and tools produced will be integrated into the SUN Decision Support System, a software for industry and regulators to estimate the risks from nanomaterials and to evaluate the technical and cost effectiveness of the available technologies and practices in risk prevention and control. Development on the tool has started; the SUN Decision Support System will be launched in 2017.

SUN is funded by the EU 7th Framework Programme, contract no. 604305.

 

 

Speakers announced for European – US Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference

By Stella Stoycheva in General news

Speakers announced for European – US Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference

The Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference has announced speakers for its 2015 Conference, to be held in Venice from 9-11 March 2015. Confirmed speakers include:

- Antonio Marcomini, Università Ca’ Foscari VeneziaSNO conference

- Danail Hristozov, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia

- Elena Semenzin, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia

- Socorro Vázquez-Campos, LEITAT Technological Center

- Barbara Karn, Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization

- Omowunmi Sadik, SUNY-Binghamton, & Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization

- Wendel Wohlleben, BASF

- Teresa Fernandes, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

- Michael Steinfeldt, University of Bremen

- Bernd Nowack, EMPA

- Vicki Stone, Heriot-Watt University

- Janeck Scott-Fordsmand, Aarhus University

- Flemming Cassee, RIVM

- Ineke Malsch, Malsch TechnoValuation

- Anna Costa, ISTEC

- Terry Wilkins, University of Leeds

- Derk Brower, TNO

- Keld Alstrup Jensen, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Denmark

The Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference is a forum for nanotechnology researchers, industry, and regulators to present and discuss research findings on the interface between nanotechnology and sustainability. Jointly organized by the US Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO), and two large EU research projects, SUN and GUIDEnano, the Conference will cover perspectives on the implications and applications of nanotechnology provided by leading experts in the EU and US.

“The Conference is a great opportunity both for academia and industry to explore the environmental, societal and economic aspects of sustainable nanotechnologies. We from the EU FP7 SUN Sustainable Nanotechnologies Project are extremely proud to host this conference in co-operation with the GUIDEnano project and with SNO,” says Dr Danail Hristozov, Principal Investigator of the SUN Project.

The Conference will address critical aspects of sustainable nanotechnology such as life cycle thinking; environmental release and fate of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs); environmental, occupational and consumer exposure to ENM; environmental and human health impacts of ENMs; safe production, handling and disposal of ENMs; regulatory and industrial decision support for sustainable nanotechnologies; nanotechnology applications for sustainability; societal implications of nanotechnology and curriculum and training for sustainable nanotechnology.

The Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference is now open for registration. Abstracts can be submitted till 10th December 2014.

For a detailed programme and further information go to www.susnano.org/conferenceOverview2015SNO-SUN-GN

About the Organisers

SUN – Sustainable Nanotechnologies Project - an EU FP7 project, aiming to develop strategies and objectives for safe nanoscale product and process design covering the complete lifecycle and to include the results in guidelines for industries.

Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO), a USA based non-profit organization dedicated to advancing sustainable nanotechnology through education, research, and responsible development.

GUIDEnano - an EU FP7 project aiming at the assessment and mitigation of NM-enabled product risks on human and environmental health and will develop new strategies with the final aim of creating a web-based guidance tool for nanotech industries.