Nanowaste: Another Future Waste, Its Sources, Release Mechanism, and Removal Strategies in the Environment

Zahra Zahra, Zunaira Habib, Seungjun Hyun and Momina Sajid
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Zahra Zahra: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Zunaira Habib: Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Seungjun Hyun: Plamica Labs, Batten Hall, 125 Western Ave, Allston, MA 02163, USA
Momina Sajid: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2200 Engineering Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: Nanowaste is defined as waste derived from materials with at least one dimension in the 1–100 nm range. The nanomaterials containing products are considered as “nanoproducts” and they can lead to the development of nanomaterial-containing waste, also termed as “nanowaste”. The increased production and consumption of these engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) and nanoproducts that generate enormous amounts of nanowaste have raised serious concerns about their fate, behavior, and ultimate disposal in the environment. It is of the utmost importance that nanowaste is disposed of in an appropriate manner to avoid an adverse impact on human health and the environment. The unique properties of ENMs, combined with an inadequate understanding of appropriate treatment techniques for many forms of nanowaste, makes nanowaste disposal a complex task. Presently, there is a lack of available information on the optimized standards for identifying, monitoring, and managing nanowaste. Therefore, this review highlights concerns about nanowaste as future waste that need to be addressed. The review focuses on ENMs waste (in the form of NP, nanotubes, nanowires, and quantum dots) generated from the manufacture of a wide variety of nanoproducts that end up as nanowaste and adversely affect the environment. Furthermore, the review considers different types of ENMs in waste streams and environmental compartments (i.e., soil, water, and air). Detailed studies are still required to identify data gaps and implement strategies to remove and control this future waste.

Keywords: nanowaste; future waste; engineered nanomaterials; release mechanism; environment; removal strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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