TOWARD
TOTAL ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
VIA
EMERGING
MOLECULAR NANOTECHNOLOGY
SINCLAIR
T. WANG
With current state-of-art
technologies, human race as well as other species on earth is victimized by air
and water pollutions, threatened by hazardous and nuclear wastes. Acid rain,
global warming, ozone depletion have become household daily vocabularies.
Environmental sustainability based on technology-to-date is pessimistic.
Emerging molecular
nanotechnology in all industrial fronts, such as nanoelectronics,
nanobiotechnology, nanomaterial, nanoenergy, and etc., offer radical tools for
human society for the first time to be on the upper hand in the struggle toward
sustainable economic growth. Furthermore, it will have extra capacities for
human civilization not only to remediate environmental liabilities accumulated
since industrial revolution of 18th century, but also to produce
unlimited material and energy with ultra green processes.
This paper traces the
causes of sustainability problems and diagnoses the defects of current
industrial manufacturing processes in light of molecular nanotechnology. This
paper also analyzes and extrapolates the prospect of additional capabilities
that human may gain from the development of nanotechnology that have the
potential to ascertain environmental sustainability, restore global environment
while we still enjoy the abundance of material and energy.
Keywords: molecular
nanotechnology (MNT), top-down bulk technology (TDBT), nanoecology, nanoenergy,
artificial photosynthesis, nano-robot (nanobot), acid rain, global warming,
ozone layer depletion, toxic wastes, soil contamination, nuclear wastes.
1. Impact of Human Activities
on Environment Sustainability
All human activities are motivated by survival. For that, human
produce and consume energy, material, and products. Before molecular
nanotechnology (MNT), the technology employed for production is a top-down bulk
technology (TDBT), whether it’s of traditional or of high technology. Due to
TDBT’s inherent shortcomings, such as low efficiency, imprecise, crude, and
etc., throughout the processes, energy and material are excessively wasted;
pollutants and wastes are extensively generated. In addition, human consumption
also consumes large quantity of energy and material, and generates dramatic
amount of pollutants and wastes. All above threatens the sustainability of our
environment.
Human survival activities can
be summarized into energy production, material production, product
manufacturing and consumption, (see Fig. 1). Due to technology-to-date (TTD) is
primitive in contrast with the emerging MNT; all human activities are exerting
tremendous pressure on the environmental sustainability. In addition, current
pollution abatement technologies are based on TDBT; secondary pollution
generated essentially cancels the benefit. Available data indicate global
environment is still worsening. Human is suffering from degrading environmental
quality, diminishing natural resources, and environmental related illness. If
there is no fundamental technological or non-technological paradigm shift, a
catastrophic destruction is predicted.
Fig. 1. Impact of Human Activities on Environmental Sustainability
While MNT is still under developing, it's worthwhile
to diagnose the causes and effects of current environmental sustainability
predicament; therefore the targets for MNT R&D specific for green production
and products, as well as restoring the environment can be identified.
1.1.
Environmental Impact from Energy Production
Major
energy production processes adopted currently are hydroelectric, fossil fuels,
and nuclear. They are the major pollution sources and destructive forces to the
environment. Combined they produce more pollution and destroy more
environment than any other single industry (1,2,3). Figure 2 summarizes the causes and effects of energy
production to the environmental destruction.
Figure 2.
Environmental impact from major energy production processes
Other
minor power generation processes are solar, wind, geothermal, ocean thermal
energy, tidal, and other renewable resources. They are the ad hoc energy
production alternatives, in response to the serious ecological impact of the
major processes or depletion concern of nonrenewable fossil fuel. Nevertheless, renewable energy
facilities also affect wildlife, involve hazardous wastes, or require cooling
water, and due to their lower production quantity
and higher cost, the effect in enhancing environmental sustainability is
limited (4,5,6,7).
1.2. Environmental Impact from Production and Consumption
For ages, human has been
employing TDBT to obtain raw material and manufacturing products. In the process, wastes and pollutants
are generated and discharged to the environment; thereby the environment
encroached. Material consumption
and waste generation rates are ever increasing. Pollution abatement and waste reduction technologies based
on TDBT offer no radically solutions; only transfer or distribute problems to
less immediate impact areas, meanwhile generate secondary pollution. Figure 3
summarizes the causes and effects of environmental destruction by human
production and consumption processes.
Figure
3. Environmental impact from production and consumption processes
2.
Environmental Protection and Remediation by MNT
MNT's capability to precisely
manipulate atoms and molecules makes it possible to revolutionize TTD for
energy and material production, and our ways of living (8,9). Facing survival threat, it's vital to
direct MNT innovations toward environmental protection and remediation through
integration, so that a sustainable, pollution-free, resource-abundant, green-wealthy
nanoecology can be ascertained.
To that aim, we can a
double approaching method. The first is to control pollution at source. Taking
full advantage of MNT so that pollution and waste generation can be minimized
or even eliminated. The second is to remedy accumulated environmental problems
via MNT.
2.1.
Control of Pollution at Source by MNT
Source control is most effective for TTD, and it
remains so for MNT. TTD has been
usurped to minimize human activity impact on the environment. Its mediocre effect is obliterated by
attached secondary pollution and consumption rise. Net damage to the environment
still exceeds nature's recovery capacity (8,9). Using TDBT to meet climbing material demand
rendered further environmental damage inevitable and sustainability impossible.
MNT’s revolutionary production processes promise eventual total elimination
of all pollution sources, needless to mention control, treatment or abatement.
2.1.1.
Control of Pollution from Energy Production by MNT
Energy production
processes are extremely destructive to the environment (2,3). To control pollution from energy
production, the first approach is to minimize energy consumption from demand
side. Integrating nanoelectronics,
nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS), nanomaterial and etc, a series of novel
devices will replace all that developed by TDBT. Lighter yet stronger material, more energy efficient and
less friction enabled by MNT will automatically lead to less energy
consumption. Take illumination for
example, Shapiro and his colleagues are developing energy saving InGaN quantum-well structure type of LED to replace all
incandescent fixtures (11).
The second approach is from the supply
side to develop cleaner and more efficient energy production processes. There are 300 watts of raw solar energy
irradiating each square meter of the Earth daily (9). Harvesting solar energy using TDBT was proven to be not
economically feasible during last energy crisis (4). However, results from frontier nanoelectronics and
nanoenergy R&D indicate soon that will both technologically and
economically feasible.
Nanoenergy developers currently are
contemplating on methods to reap this clean and abundant energy. Drexler (9)
proposed to resurface existing roads with a coating of high-efficiency solar cells
topped by a layer of tough diamond. Battelle researchers are developing a way
using solar energy to convert water into oxygen and hydrogen. AIST Japan has successfully using an
artificial photosynthesis system to split water into hydrogen and oxygen under
visible light (12). Scientists at
CSIRO Australia are using biomimetic engineering to produce food with solar
energy (13,14). Bennett’s team has
developed an artificial photosynthetic membrane can convert sunlight into
energy (15). IMEC is conducting researches on
thin-film crystalline Si solar cells, GaAs solar cells, and on new materials
and technologies such as plastic solar cells to improve the efficiency and cost
of solar cells (16). Alivisatos and
colleagues are developing polymer type solar cells (17). US Nanosys Inc. and Japan’s Matsushita
Electric Works have teamed up to develop nanotechnology based solar cells to be
incorporated into building materials for residential and commercial buildings
in about four years.
From
ongoing nanoenergy researches, future energy production system can be
visualized. Combusting fossil fuels and even renewable fuels for energy will
become obsolete. Dam and powerhouse will be demolished and rivers will return
to their original meandering courses. Nuclear reactors will be mothballed and
all radioactive substance wait to be safely retrieved contained and properly
stored or treated. Energy production processes that generate CO2, SO2,
NOx, radioactive wastes and other pollutants will be all banned. Replacing them into the energy
production arena will be entirely solar based; either photoelectrolysis
hydrogen fuel energy or photovoltaic energy.
Photoelectrolysis
hydrogen fuel energy system uses self-replicating nanobots mimicking first half
of photosynthesis to produce hydrogen gas. Fuel cells made of carbon nanotubes
are used to interface with all energy consumption. The hydrogen fuel energy system is conceptualized as Fig.
4. A MNT photovoltaic solar energy
system is also conceptualized as Fig. 5.
In this system, quantum dots type of solar cell coating is applied to
building external surface, road pavement, and if necessary specially designed
solar trees. Though MNT does not
meddle with atomic nuclear, NEMS will make triggering nuclear fusion easy
(18). Community own small-scale
nuclear fusion power plant is possible.
Nevertheless solar energy is ample for us; so far there is no need to
tap into fusion energy source.
Fig. 4. MNT Photoelectrolysis Hydrogen Fuel
Energy System
Other
impact from energy production is power distribution system. High voltage transmission
lines and towers not only destroy environment but their electromagnetic wave
also potentially harmful to human. Developments
such as highly advanced solar cells, inexpensive hydrogen fuel cells, and
micro-generators of electricity will make many of our electronic products
and appliances highly mobile. On-demand and on-location
power generation will make decentralized power supplies
extensive, affordable, and environmentally clean. (See Fig. 5) In light of above, it's quite apparent
that Three Gorge Hydroelectric Project in China with massive dam construction
could be a major decision mistake due to no foresight into MNT's near future
energy capability.
Fig. 5. MNT Photovoltaic Solar Energy System
2.1.2.
Control of Pollution from Material Production and Product Manufacturing by
MNT
Civilization
based on TDBT tends to overexploit nature resources, generate pollution and
waste during material processing and product manufacturing. MNT will render that obsolete. MNT processes will be pollution-free,
wastes few and 100% recycled as raw material (9); thereby, waste and pollution
dilemma is controlled. In addition,
environmental remediation can proceed by nature and MNT. MNT self-assemblers
will manufacture most of the materials.
Materials with high
performance, unique properties and functions that traditional industrial
processes are impossible to create will be produced. In addition, the serviceability of nanomaterial will exceed
that of material from nature (22).
Therefore except justifiable harvest for ecological balance, all nature
exploitation activities will cease. Usage of petrochemical based material
will terminate; environmentally destructive mining also will stop.
Nano-photosynthesis
can produce sugar, starch for food; further synthesis of cellulose for paper
and wood to avoid clear-cutting forests.
Nano-biotechnology can yield protein and collagen to stop animal
slaughtering. Carbon retrieved
from atmosphere and recycled from existing wastes by MNT will be used to make
carbon nanotubes, that are far superior than steel. Carbon will be the most
common structural and functional element for a MNT based civilization (9). A carbon based MNT material production
model is conceptualized as Fig. 6.
If there is specific need for metal, nanofactory with trillions of
nanoassembler can synthesize steel (9), copper and alloy to skip mining and
refining. Thereby, industrial
wastewater, wastes and air pollution will all vanish.
Fig. 6. MNT Carbon Based Material Production
System
Nevertheless
to preserve quality and style of living, some farming activities will persist.
Highly efficient MNT farming will use no pesticide and herbicide, occupy less
land and generate no agricultural waste. Drexler
(8,9) suggested that nano-robots (nanobots) built and maintained,
high-performance greenhouses covering approximately 10% of current farmland
could feed the world's population and free-up millions square miles of land to
return to native habitat and thus the great extinction of species halted and
sustainability assured.
One other essential material for human survival
is drinking water. Global population is increasing while fresh water supplies are
decreasing. United Nations
predicts that by the year 2025 that 48 countries will be short of fresh water
accounting for 32% of the world’s population (19). Ecological recovery by dint of MNT will make raw water for water supply cleaner
and more abundant; however drinking water treatment still necessary.
TDBT potable water treatment consumes large
quantity of chemicals for coagulation, flocculation and disinfection. The process also needs to dam the river
and produces chemical sludge that are harmful to the environment. The treated water contains disinfectant
residual and in some cases trihalomethanes (THMs) that are detrimental to human
health. The costly water
distribution network not only encroach the environment but also provide chances
for chemical and biological recontamination.
A series of nanodevices can be devised to
revolutionize water treatment process. Nanobots like nanoflocculant or
nanocoagulant can be devised to neutralize the surface charge of suspended
solids. They are non-chemical and 100% reusable. Smart non-fouling nanomembrane
or nanoseparator can be developed to selectively separate dissolved solids
while keeping beneficial minerals in the water, or to desalinate brine water
(20,21). Nano-disinfectant such as
UV nanobots can accomplish germicidal task without leaving toxic residual and
producing no THMs. Nanocondenser can be developed to extract water from air.
Integrating these unit nanoprocesses and powered by abundant nano-solar energy,
different water treatment systems can be designed to fit specific geographical
conditions. Such development will make huge waterworks with messy piping system
obsolete. On-demand and on-location
generation of drinking water from liquid or vapor will make decentralized water
supplies extensive, affordable, and environmentally clean. A MNT’s future on-demand and on-location generation of
drinking water system is conceptualized as Fig. 7.
Fig. 7. MNT On-demand and On-location
Generation of Drinking Water System
2.1.3.
Control of Pollution from Human Consumption MNT
Distributed pollution sources from human
consumption cumulatively have contributed significantly to destruction of the
environment. Air pollution from living, municipal wastewater and solid wastes
are the subjects to reinvestigate under MNT for novel solutions.
Consumer products and their packaging will be
100% biodegradable or recyclable to terminate solid waste problem. Products
during or after consuming may create pollution will be replaced with
environmental friendly nanomaterial. CFC propellants can be replaced by
non-halogen gas; VOC emitting solvents can use nanowater (9) as
alternative. TTD is making great
stride on this issue; yet with MNT, it will become a technological and
economical surety. This eventually
will stop air pollution originated from our consumption process.
MNT has no means to change municipal wastewater
generation, unless lifestyle is altered.
Nevertheless, MNT can revolutionize wastewater treatment (10). Wastewater will be 100% human waste, contain
no heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Human waste contains organics that are resource to nature,
yet current treatment process uses electricity generated from fossil fuels
to “waste” a resource, no wonder it can’t solve the problem to the root. Future MNT wastewater treatment will discard
the large-scale centralized wastewater treatment plant philosophy. Decentralized on-site treatment will eliminate
the environmental impact from odorous and costly sewage treatment and collection
system. MNT can develop smart
nanobots to separate water and solids at each household or small community.
Separated water can be recycled and further treated as discussed above
for drinking water. Extracted solids can be stabilized biologically,
if needed with the assistance of nanobots, and then consumed as fertilizer
or animal feed.
2.2.
Remediation of Existing Environmental Problems
Since 18th century industrial revolution
till 20th century information age, we have accumulated a grave
environmental liability (8,9) that result in several potentially harmful problems.
Among them the most notorious are acid rain, global warming, ozone
layer depletion, contaminated water and soil, and large piles of nuclear waste. Due to technological and economical limitations, we can only
deal with the most threatening by transferring it to less threatening, “out
of sight, out of mind” is the general adopted philosophy. MNT now first time in human history offers
us the capability to payoff the accumulated debt and return nature to its
pristine state.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen
oxides (NOx) are the primary causes of acid rain and smog (23,24). Acid rain
causes acidification of lakes and streams and contributes to damage of forests
and forest soils. In addition, acid rain accelerates the decay of building
materials and paints, including irreplaceable buildings, statues, and
sculptures that are part of our civilization's heritage (25). The strength of
the effects depends inversely on buffer capacity of the waters and soils
involved. While in atmosphere, SO2
and NOx gases and their derivatives, sulfates, nitrates and ozone, contribute
to visibility degradation and harm public health (24).
Once MNT enabled solar
energy become exclusive energy source, our long-term energy umbilical cord that
ties with fossil fuel can finally
be severed. In addition, future
vehicles that constructed with nanomaterial, driven by nanoelectromechanical
system and powered by hydrogen fuel cell or solar cell will totally eliminate
transportation related SO2 and NOx emission. Therefore, the anthropogenic SO2 and NOx that assault our
atmosphere since industrial revolution can be ceased; thus further
acidification to the environment and threatening to human health can be
relieved.
Nanobots such as nano-desulfurizer can be sent
up to the atmosphere to capture SO2 gas, reduce it to sulfur and
precipitate to earth surface as dust; nano-sulfur-precipitator contains calcium
or magnesium ion can be sent up into sky to oxidize SO2 and then
form CaSO4 or MgSO4 salts. Nanobots like nano-catalytic-converter
can also be sent up into atmosphere to converter NOx into nitrogen and oxygen.
If the agriculture technology still needs fertilizer, nanobots like nano-
NOx-reducer can be sent up to capture NOx and transform it into ammonia and
bring it down to the ground. For ground level treatment, the acidified waterbodies
and soil, we can disseminate a troop of nano-buffer to increase their buffer
capacity in resisting acidity. We can also deploy an army of nano-neutralizer
to dynamically adjust pH in water or soil to their original condition, either
by capturing H+ from the environment or giving off OH-
to the environment.
The culprit of
global warming is the excess greenhouse effect gas-CO2 that our
fuel-burning civilization has dumped into the atmosphere. Before MNT, something like 300 billion
tons of excess CO2 have been added to the atmosphere (10). Climatologists project that climbing
carbon dioxide levels, by trapping solar energy, will partially melt the polar
caps, raising sea levels and flooding coasts sometime in the middle of the next
century (26). By
applying MNT to energy production will enable solar power to be generated at an
affordable cost. This will eliminate
fossil fuel power generation as well as CO2 emission; and thereby
relieve the worry of a flooding catastrophe.
MNT will also
enable us to develop nanomachines or nanobots such as nano-photosynthesizer
(11,12,13) nano-chlorophyll, nano-carbon-fixer, and etc. Powered by the cheap solar energy,
these nanobots not only can be manipulated to extract all the 300 billion tons of
excess CO2 from atmosphere, but also can transform them into
valuable materials. The carbon
extracted by nanobots can be used in synthesizing functional and structural
materials. It can also be
extracted by other nanobots and further synthesized into sugar, starch, and
cellulose to supplement our demand for food, paper and etc. (See Fig. 6). This can meanwhile relief the pressure
we exert on farmland and forest.
If there should have excess carbon remained, we can place it back into
the coal seams and oil fields from which it came.
The chief threats to the ozone layer are
CFCs and halons (27). Of the 682
million kilograms of CFCs consumed globally during 1991, 32 percent for
refrigerants, 28 percent for blowing agents, 20 percent for cleaning agents,
and 18 percent for propellants.
Among that each one molecule of chlorine in CFC is capable of
degrading over 100,000 molecules of ozone before it is removed from the
stratosphere or becomes part of an inactive compound (28). Facing the destructive power of these
ozone-depleting substances (ODS) (29,30), The
Montreal Protocol, an international agreement is drafted by world governments
to protect the ozone layer (31,32).
The relative potency of the different ODS depends on the stability
of the reservoir compounds. Bromine reservoirs, such as HBr and BrONO2 are 10
to 100 times more effective than chlorine at destroying ozone (28). The non-reactivity of ODS, so desirable
to industry, allows them to drift for years in the environment until they
eventually reach the stratosphere.
High in the stratosphere, intense UV solar radiation severs halogens off
of the ODS, and it is these unattached halogens that are able to catalytically
convert ozone molecules into oxygen molecules (29). Different ODS require different time to remove from the
stratosphere. It ranges from 50 to
over 200 years; so while it is cheering to see that the growth-rate of ODP (Ozone
Depletition Potential) in the atmosphere is starting to drop, without MNT
stepping in, the impact of ODS on stratospheric ozone will continue well into
the 22nd century.
Future MNT mainly will sparingly use
water as solvent, and can 100% recycle them (9). Even at this pre-breakthrough stage, ODS refrigerants can be
replaced at a higher cost. MNT will help lower that cost to negligible. Therefore the growth rate of ODP in ODS
reservoir will be become zero. As
to the ODS remaining in the reservoir, Drexler (9) proposed using sodium
containing balloon type nanobots.
The nanobots powered by nano-solar cells collects CFCs and separates out
the chlorine in the stratosphere. Combining this with sodium makes sodium
chloride. When the sodium is gone,
the balloon collapses and falls.
Eventually, a grain of salt and a biodegradable speck fall to Earth. The
stratospheric CFC can be removed soon.
Extending from Drexler's idea, nanobots
containing other metals such as calcium and magnesium can also be devised
to remove stratospheric CFC. Among
ODS, halogens other than chlorine, such as bromine can be neutralized by using
the same tactics: deploying an army of airborne solar energy powered metal
containing nanobots into the stratospheric ODS reservoir. The originally expected 200 years' drag
of ODS impact can be shortened to just a few years after the actual deployment
date of the halogen neutralizing nanobots. Fig. 8 is a conceptual idea of how ODS reservoir in the stratosphere
can be resolved by solar powered airborne metal nanobots to relieve ozone
depletion problem.
Fig. 8. MNT Solution to
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Substance
2.2.4.
Toxic Wastes and Water and Soil Contaminations
Toxic wastes whether collected in piles or in
contaminated surface water, groundwater, or soil concern us because they can
harm living systems. The
contaminants can be organic or inorganic.
The organic contaminants, such as PCB, Dioxin, and etc. actually consist
of harmless atoms arranged into noxious molecules. The inorganic contaminants contain toxic elements, such as
lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium.
In the prospect of MNT, worldwide existing
"Love Canal" contaminated dumpsites can be easily clean up. After
identified the chemical properties of the organic contaminants, specific
nanobots for attacking specific contaminants at their weak points can be
devised. An army of these nanobots
can then be deployed into contaminated site, whether it’s in water or soil to
render the contaminants harmless by rearranging their atoms. The nanobots can be designed decayable,
so no retrieval needed after mission completed. They can also be designed reprogramable, so after each task,
they can be retrieved and reprogrammed for other cleaning tasks.
Inorganic contaminants can also be collected by
specifically designed nanobots.
Trillions of them can be sent into contaminated waterbodies or soil to
detect these toxic elements and store them inside. The nanobots are then retrieved from the site, instructed to
release toxicants, and then ready for other tasks. The released concentrated
metal ions can be rebuilt into rocks in the mines by nanobots or fused to
stable form by nanomachine and returned to nature. If there is any material additives demand for specific metal
ion, they can be used as raw material.
MNT cannot treat nuclear wastes and
render them harmless directly, for MNT only work with atoms and molecules, not
nuclei. Yet indirectly, by
lowering the cost of energy and equipment, MNT can offer us the means for a
clean, permanent solution to the untreatable nuclear wastes left over from the
nuclear era.
Nuclear wastes can be collected, concentrated by
specific nanobots. Products of MNT could help with conventional approaches to
dealing with nuclear waste, helping to store it in the most stable, reliable
forms possible. Using
nanomachines, we could seal them in self-sealing containers and powered by
cheap nano-solar energy (10).
These would be more secure than any passive rock or cask. When MNT has developed cheap, reliable
spacecraft, the concentrated nuclear wastes can be transported to the moon and
bury them in moon’s dead, dry rock by nanobots, or to other planets that still
radioactive, or even shoot them directly into the sun.
Underground nano-atom smasher powered by
cheap solar cells can also be devised to treat nuclear wastes. This is a
reverse process of nuclear engineering.
Instead of smashing nonradioactive target and harvesting for radioactive
substance, the nanomachine will smash radioactive target and harvest for
nonradioactive substance. The
smashing and harvesting process will continue stability is achieved. Fig. 9 illustrates a few routes for
resolving nuclear waste piles that accumulated in the environment and TDBT is
at loss on dealing with them.
Fig. 9. MNT Solutions to Accumulated Piles of
Nuclear Waste on Earth
MNT is powerful and realizable
within our lifetime, yet it's a tool.
To survive with quality, we need a real sustainable environment. MNT has great potential to restore the
environment to its original pristine state and ascertain sustainability.
However, the development of MNT now is sporadic, much is aimed at further
economic growth and less is at environmental sustainability. System integration of MNT is vital for
sooner realization of MNT's benefits.
Redirect some MNT R&D to environmental remediation is essential for
true environmental sustainability.
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