3.4.8.3 Nanotechnology for Carbon Storage and Carbon Sequestration
Global warming, one of the top most threat of twenty-first century is mainly caused
and contributed by the huge amount of emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas from
natural as well as anthropogenic sources (IPCC 2007). To maintain carbon balance
of environment, carbon capture, sequestration and storage is an important required
action of time. Many efforts are being made to make it happen but each one of them
has some associated cons. As a result attention is now diverted towards the fabrication of such nanomaterials that are efficient carbon capturers with long life and
regeneration potential. Carbon sequestration of a material is directly proportional to
number of assembled carbon adsorbing nanolayers in the unit. Layer-by-layer
assembly of nanocoatings of CO 2 adsorbing materials for the sorption of gas
provides a potential alternate of conventional methods (Srivastava and Kotov
2008; Li et al. 2011).
Metal organic framework of silica with nanopores incorporated in it provides a
porous substrate for the storage of CO 2 gas due to adjustable chemical functionality
and enhanced thermal stability (Millward and Yaghi 2005). A zeotype porous
nanocubic structure (chromium terephthalate) is utilized to capture and store CO 2
emission from smokestacks and tailpipes of thermal power plants (Ferey et al. 2005).
Using molecular simulation Chen and Jiang had made efforts for exploring pre and
post combustion CO 2 capture with the help of bio-metal-organic framework
decorated with nano-sized channels having numerous sites of Lewis bases (Chen
and Jiang 2010). Nanotechnology has cut short the time required for natural process
of carbonate formation with the help of nanocrystals of magnesium oxide to force
CO 2 to get attached to the solid adsorbing substrates with significant rate and
quantity (Ruminski et al. 2011). From the grounds of present data this technology
is considered to be facile, easy to operate and deprived of any serious environmental
constrains.
3.4.8.4 Nanotechnology for Food Safety
Nanotechnology has been marketed as enhancer of food industry in terms of taste,
production efficiency, safety and food characteristics. Mostly they have been utilized
in out-of food industries but recently efforts are being made to include them in edible
stuffs. Iron oxide Nps have been utilized as food colorant whereas titanium dioxide
Nps are used as edible food pigment (He et al. 2019). Temperature sensitive Nps act
as indicators for food storage which shows colour change when the temperature of
the foodstuff fluctuate from the required reference range, thus avoiding the chances
of food poisoning in the consumers (Cerqueira et al. 2018).
Nps derived from naturally occurring polysaccharides are excellent food coating
material because of the associated properties of thermal sensitivity and photo
protective nature along with enhanced antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity against variety of microbes (Kritchenkov et al. 2019). Nanotechnology provides
better dispersion capacity of poorly soluble or insoluble materials along with
sustained-release potential of drugs (Chuacharoen and Sabliov 2016). Curcumin
loaded nanoemulsions showed negligible or delayed degradation in the presence of
visible and UV-light and alter in vitro digestion of lipolysis of nanoemulsions
3 Environmental Nanotechnology: Its Applications, Effects and Management
57
Global warming, one of the top most threat of twenty-first century is mainly caused
and contributed by the huge amount of emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas from
natural as well as anthropogenic sources (IPCC 2007). To maintain carbon balance
of environment, carbon capture, sequestration and storage is an important required
action of time. Many efforts are being made to make it happen but each one of them
has some associated cons. As a result attention is now diverted towards the fabrication of such nanomaterials that are efficient carbon capturers with long life and
regeneration potential. Carbon sequestration of a material is directly proportional to
number of assembled carbon adsorbing nanolayers in the unit. Layer-by-layer
assembly of nanocoatings of CO 2 adsorbing materials for the sorption of gas
provides a potential alternate of conventional methods (Srivastava and Kotov
2008; Li et al. 2011).
Metal organic framework of silica with nanopores incorporated in it provides a
porous substrate for the storage of CO 2 gas due to adjustable chemical functionality
and enhanced thermal stability (Millward and Yaghi 2005). A zeotype porous
nanocubic structure (chromium terephthalate) is utilized to capture and store CO 2
emission from smokestacks and tailpipes of thermal power plants (Ferey et al. 2005).
Using molecular simulation Chen and Jiang had made efforts for exploring pre and
post combustion CO 2 capture with the help of bio-metal-organic framework
decorated with nano-sized channels having numerous sites of Lewis bases (Chen
and Jiang 2010). Nanotechnology has cut short the time required for natural process
of carbonate formation with the help of nanocrystals of magnesium oxide to force
CO 2 to get attached to the solid adsorbing substrates with significant rate and
quantity (Ruminski et al. 2011). From the grounds of present data this technology
is considered to be facile, easy to operate and deprived of any serious environmental
constrains.
3.4.8.4 Nanotechnology for Food Safety
Nanotechnology has been marketed as enhancer of food industry in terms of taste,
production efficiency, safety and food characteristics. Mostly they have been utilized
in out-of food industries but recently efforts are being made to include them in edible
stuffs. Iron oxide Nps have been utilized as food colorant whereas titanium dioxide
Nps are used as edible food pigment (He et al. 2019). Temperature sensitive Nps act
as indicators for food storage which shows colour change when the temperature of
the foodstuff fluctuate from the required reference range, thus avoiding the chances
of food poisoning in the consumers (Cerqueira et al. 2018).
Nps derived from naturally occurring polysaccharides are excellent food coating
material because of the associated properties of thermal sensitivity and photo
protective nature along with enhanced antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity against variety of microbes (Kritchenkov et al. 2019). Nanotechnology provides
better dispersion capacity of poorly soluble or insoluble materials along with
sustained-release potential of drugs (Chuacharoen and Sabliov 2016). Curcumin
loaded nanoemulsions showed negligible or delayed degradation in the presence of
visible and UV-light and alter in vitro digestion of lipolysis of nanoemulsions
3 Environmental Nanotechnology: Its Applications, Effects and Management
57