Educational Platform For The Analysis Of The Life Cycle Of Treatments Based On Nanoparticles Applied To The Construction Industry (NanOER)

Research Project, 2023 – 2024

Nanometric products began to become popular in the 1980s, encompassing particles in the range of 1 to 100 nm. In July 1990, one of the first international symposia on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology was held in Baltimore (USA), in which the study of nanomaterials and nanotechnology was formally defined as a subarea of ​​basic sciences.

The rise of nanomaterials has led to their introduction in various sectors in recent years. One of them is the construction sector, where nanomaterials are often used in the form of additives, coatings and treatments. Studies carried out in Switzerland and Japan show that nanomaterials such as Ag, CeO2, Fe2O3, SiO2, TiO2, ZnO and Al2O3 are already present in the construction sector.

Despite their presence in various construction materials, products that contain nanoparticles in their composition and are used in the sector continue to be niche products in Europe and currently very little information is available about them, both in the healthcare and industrial fields. environmental.

In 2009, the European Union, through the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (CCRSERI), claimed to have demonstrated the health and environmental dangers of several manufactured nanomaterials. The existence of an emerging risk has made the implementation of actions related to nanotechnologies with an integrated, safe and responsible approach a central element of EU policy.

To address the environmental aspect, and try to make the construction sector more sustainable, this project proposes to promote the use of the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology in nanoparticulate products among professionals in the sector, so that they are able to select the nanoproducts that provide the best performance to the construction material, but always from a sustainable point of view and minimizing the environmental impact generated by the construction sector.

Train future agents of change using an OER created by the partners of the different EU countries, which contains innovative, transversal and international knowledge and in which the rest of the EU partner countries can also make their contributions. If you wish, it is a necessary change. Providing students with this knowledge will allow, in the near future, to improve some environmental aspects of construction, contributing to trying to meet the objectives set by the EU in the "2030 Climate Target Plan", mainly with the training of personnel for performance of green jobs.

GOALS

To contribute to the solution of what was described above, the main objectives of this project are:

- Personal and professional development of professionals related to the project topic. This will also contribute to their employability at European level through the acquisition of new skills towards modernization and reduction of environmental impact.
- Increase in the number of professionals from public organizations and construction companies who will use the NanOER learning application with the consequent reduction of the environmental impact through the LCA of nanoproducts applied to construction materials, making their selection based on the criteria learned and making use of nanotechnology in an environmentally friendly way that does not endanger health.
- Raising awareness among professionals in the construction sector, nanoproduct manufacturers and environmental managers of the importance of the environmental impact of nanotechnology products.
- Integration of the innovative curriculum created in the NanOER project into the study plans to introduce knowledge in LCA of nanotechnology products for the professions of the future. These curricula can be taught at the universities participating in this project, but also have potential use outside of these universities.