Nanomaterials and biorefineries : inspiring some safety thoughts
Résumé
This presentation aims essentially at examining and discussing the potential nanosafety issues pertaining to the production of advanced bio-based chemicals that might impact their development. Nanomaterials are now used for energy storage and conversion, the production of various added-value chemicals from biomass including biochemicals, biomaterials and biofuels. Several nanomaterials are also synthetized from renewable and highly abundant feedstocks like carbonaceous nanomaterials (fullerene, carbon nanotubes) or nanocellulose. The use of nanomaterials has paved the road of multiple sustainable innovations and is perceived as rather safe because "green", i.e. avoiding the use and generation of toxic and polluting substances [1]. Safety concerns about these materials were raised by the bio-community only recently [2]. It is however important to have a closer look at their potential environmental and occupational risks. Concerning hazards related to nanomaterials, their potential toxicity is the first thing that comes to mind. However, toxicity of these materials is not the only potential hazard. Thermal stability, flammability and dust explosivity also have to be assessed as several types of nanomaterials are combustible powdered materials that may accidentally turn into explosible atmospheres. Historically, literature studies concerning the evaluation of explosion and flammability hazards of powders were essentially but several investigations are being carried out also on nanomaterials and several questions are raised through EU research projects as well as in the European Standardization Committees, CEN TC 352. Testing strategies that may be used for screening purposes at pre-commercial stages should also be discussed as they require dedicated facilities such as the S-NANO Platform at INERIS. The hazard characterization of the nanomaterials issued from bio-engineering is essential to ensure that their market deployment is not delayed by uncertainties related to their safety. This presentation gives a brief overview of the current challenges and knowledge on the topic as well as some considerations about the concepts related to the inherent safety design of these materials.