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End-of-life of nano-enabled products by thermal
decomposition: Possible environmental health and
safety implications
Georgios A. Sotiriou1,2, Dilpreet Singh2, Fang Zhang2, Lutz Hoering3,
Wendel Wohlleben2,3, Philip Demokritou2
1Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet,
Stockholm, Sweden.2Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, Department of Environmental Health,
T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, USA. www.hsph.harvard/nano3BASF SE, Material Physics, Germany.
email: [email protected]
Visit our lab website: www.sotirioulab.net
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Nanotoxicity: Realistic exposure scenarios?
So far: Nanotoxicity evaluation of “raw” nanomaterials, which is great for:
Mechanistic understanding
Occupational exposures
Realistic exposures?
Transformations of nanomaterials
during their life-cycle[1]
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 2
TG3 White Paper Draft, June 1, 2012 2
identify various potential release scenarios for CNT used in polymers and identify the greatest
likelihood of release at the various stages throughout the lifecycle of the product and article.
Figure 1: Product life cycle of products containing nanoparticles
The focus of this white paper is on release as a prerequisite for exposure. Exposure is
defined as: “Contact of an organism with a chemical, radiological, or physical agent. Exposure is
quantified as the amount of the agent available at the exchange boundaries of the organism
(e.g.; skin, lungs, gut) and available for absorption” (source http://glossary.eea.europa.eu).
Exposure scenarios are used to describe the conditions that result in exposure, for example the
REACH definition of an exposure scenario: “Set of conditions, including operational conditions
and risk management measures, that describe how the substance is manufactured or used
during its life-cycle and how the manufacturer or importer controls, or recommends downstream
users to control, exposures of humans and the environment.” However, in the context of this
white paper, we describe release scenarios and not exposure scenarios. The definition of a
release scenario is not unambiguous, however, for the purpose of this white paper a release
scenario is defined as the operational and or environmental conditions of any treatment or
stress of CNT composite material during all life-cycle phases that results into the release of
CNT/composite material into indoor environments, e.g. workplace, dwellings, and or
[1]
150 nm
[2]
[1] Nowack, David, Fissan, Morris, Shatkin, Stintz, Zepp, Brouwer. Environ. Int. 59, 1 (2013). [2] Pirela, Sotiriou, Bello, Shafer, Bunker, Castranova, Thomas, Demokritou. Nanotoxicology 9, 760 (2015).
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Knowledge gaps of nano-release at End-of-Life
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 3
Our TARGET• Obtain fundamental understanding on what
factors influence the physicochemical and morphological properties of released materials
• Burning question: Is there a nanofiller-specific effect?
[1] Wohlleben, Meier, Vogel, Landsiedel, Cox, Hirth, Tomovic. Nanoscale 5, 369 (2013).
[1]
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Integrated Exposure Generation System (INEXS)
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 4
S10
Figure S1. Schematic of the Integrated Exposure Generation System (INEXS) consisting of 3 modules,
namely, the incineration of nano-enabled product under controlled conditions, the post-release aerosol
treatment and the aerosol size-fractionated collection and exposure characterization (both in-situ and ex-
situ).
Advantages
• Versatile: Easy to change thermal decomposition scenario
• Real time equipment: Monitor particle concentration, size and composition
• Collection of mg of aerosol: Allows sufficient characterization and tox studies
• In situ inhalation studies: Direct aerosol in animal chambers
• Facile collection of residual ash
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NEPs panel
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 5
Matrix nanofiller
nanofiller loading
application
Polyurethane
(PU)
- -
automotive,
buildings, textiles
carbon black (CB)
0.1%
carbon
nanotubes (CNT)
0.1%
Polyethylene (PE)
- -
packaging, buildings,
constructions
Fe2O3 1-5% organic filler 2%
organic filler +
UV agent 2%
Polycarbonate (PC)
- - automotive, electronics CNT 3%
Polypropylene
(PP)
- - packaging,
electronics CNT 3%
Ethylene vinyl
acetate (EVA)
- - packaging,
biomedics TiO2 1-15%
Medicinal waste Ag biomedics
MA
RIN
AB
AS
F
PU-CNT
Um
ass
Low
ell
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Nanofiller effect on aerosol size & concentration?
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 6
@ConcMax
PU-based NEPs
Pure and with two different nanofillers (carbon black-CB, and carbon nanotubes-CNTs)
No effect on released aerosol concentration and size due to the nanofiller presence
Host polymer dictates the released PM
>99% organic carbon, independent of nanofillerpresence
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Is there any nanofiller in the released aerosol?
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 7
200 nm
PU-CNT (800 ˚C)
PM0.1
200 nm
PE-Fe2O
3 (800 ˚C)
PM0.1 PM0.1-2.5
SEMafter dispersion in alcohol and
drying on SEM substrate
TEMin-situ deposition on
TEM grids in CCI
ICP-MS:
0.026 wt% Fe
PU-CNT
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Nanofiller effect on chemistry of aerosol?
TGA-FTIR (in situ detection of off-gases), ex-situ NMR
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 8
PU-CNT (800 ˚C) PU (800 ˚C) PU (500 ˚C)
CO2, CO and H2O,
THF, methane,
ethylene and aldehydes
CO2, CO and H2O,
methanol, methane,
ethylene, ketones
with I.G. Kavouras, Univ Arkansas
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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) species
16 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-priority polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon (PAH) species
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 9
with V. Craver, Univ Rhode Island Singh et al., in preparation (2016).
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Is there nanofiller in the residual ash?
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 10
• CNTs in residual ash
• Homogeneously dispersed
throughout the ash
• 18 times higher
concentration than raw NEP
500 ˚C
EC (%) OC (%)
PU 85 15
PU-CB 77 23
PU-CNT 82 18
PU-CNT
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Effect of nanofiller on residual ash composition
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 11
PE-Fe2O3
Td,final = 500˚C (PE-Fe2O3)• Presence of Fe2O3 facilitates
full polymer decomposiiton
500 ˚C
EC (%) OC (%)
PE 78 22
PE-org 75 25
PE-Fe2O3 - -
• Change of Fe2O3 crystal phase
for final T = 500 ˚C (reduced
from hematite to maghemite)
ICP-MS:
75% wt% Fe
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Summary
Novel integrated exposure generation system for the end-of-life thermal
decomposition of NEPs
Main question: Is there any nanofiller-specific effect?
Released aerosol:
• Not in released aerosol concentration and size
• Yes in chemical composition
Residual ash:
• Most nanofiller remains in ash
• Physicochemical properties of remaining nanofiller might not be the same
as in raw materials
Outlook
Collect and extract enough PM for tox studies (in vitro and in vivo)
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 12
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Acknowledgements
HSPH
Philip Demokritou
Dilpreet Singh
Fang Zhang
BASF
Wendel Wohlleben
Lutz Hoering
Univ Arkansas
Ilias G. Kavouras
Marie-Cecile Chalbot
Carnegie Mellon
Gregory V. Lowry
Eleanor Spielman-Sun
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 13
• NSF (grant nr. 1436450)
• BASF AG
• Swiss NSF
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Thank you for listening
More info:[1] G. A. Sotiriou, D. Singh, F. Zhang, W. Wohlleben, M-C. G. Chalbot, I. G. Kavouras & P. Demokritou*.
“An integrated methodology for the assessment of environmental health implications during thermal
decomposition of nano-enabled products” Environ. Sci.: Nano 2, 262-272 (2015).
[2] G. A. Sotiriou, D. Singh, F. Zhang, M-C. G. Chalbot, L. Hoering, I. G. Kavouras W. Wohlleben & P.
Demokritou*. “Thermal decomposition of nano-enabled thermoplastics: Possible environmental health
and safety implications” J. Hazard. Mater. 305, 87-95 (2016).
[3] D. Singh, G. A. Sotiriou, F. Zhang, J. Mead, D. Bello, W. Wohlleben & P. Demokritou*. “End-of-life
thermal decomposition of nano-enabled polymers: effect of nanofiller loading and polymer matrix on by-
products” Environ. Sci.: Nano in press DOI: 10.1039/C6EN00252H (2016).
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 14
Open PhD student position in our lab
visit: www.sotirioulab.net
for more info
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22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 15
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22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 16
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Released aerosol concentration and size (PU-CNT)
22 november 2016Georgios A. Sotiriou 17
• route 1 (no treatment) Td,final: final thermal decomposition temperature
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NANOTOX 2012
G.A. Sotiriou, E. Diaz, M. S. Long, J. Godleski, J. Brain, S.E.
Pratsinis, P. Demokritou, “A Novel Platform for Pulmonary and
Cardiovascular Toxicological Characterization of Inhaled Engineered
Nanomaterials”, Nanotoxicology 6, 680-690 (2012).
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SMALL 2013
A. Pratsinis, P. Hervella, J-C. Leroux, S.E. Pratsinis, G.A. Sotiriou,
“Toxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Macrophages”, Small 9, 2576-
2584 (2013).
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[3] Sotiriou, Pratsinis, Environ. Sci. Technol. 44, 5649 (2010).
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ACS SUST
CHEM 2013
S. Gass, J. Cohen, G. Pyrgiotakis, G.A. Sotiriou, S.E. Pratsinis, P.
Demokritou, “Safer Formulation Concept for Flame-Generated
Engineered Nanomaterials”, ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 1, 843-
857 (2013).
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ES:NANO 2014
G.A. Sotiriou, C. Watson, K.M. Murdaugh, T.H. Darrah, G.
Pyrgiotakis, A. Elder, J.D. Brain & P. Demokritou. “Engineering
Safer-by-Design, Transparent, Silica-coated ZnO Nanorods with
Reduced DNA Damage Potential”, Environ. Sci.: Nano 1, 144-
153 (2014).
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P&FT 2014
N.V. Konduru, K.M. Murdaugh, G.A. Sotiriou, T.C. Donaghey, P.
Demokritou, J.D. Brain & R.M. Molina. “Bioavailability, distribution
and clearance of tracheally-instilled and gavaged uncoated or silica-
coated zinc oxide nanoparticles”, Part. Fibre Toxicol. 11:44 (2014).
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ES:NANO 2015
G. A. Sotiriou, D. Singh, F. Zhang, W. Wohlleben, M-C. G. Chalbot,
I. G. Kavouras & P. Demokritou. “An integrated methodology for the
assessment of environmental health implications during thermal
decomposition of nano-enabled products” Environ. Sci.: Nano 2, 262-
272 (2015).
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NANOTOXICOL
OGY 2015
S. Pirela, G.A. Sotiriou, D. Bello, M. Shafer, K. Lee Bunker, V.
Castranova, T. Thomas & P. Demokritou. “Consumer exposures to
laser printer-emitted nanoparticles: A case study of the life-cycle
implications from nano-enabled products” Nanotoxicology 9, 760-768
(2015).
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