Harnessing the known and unknown impact of nanotechnology on enhancing food security and reducing postharvest losses : constraints and future prospects

Due to the deterioration of natural resources, low agricultural production, significant postharvest losses, no value addition, and a rapid increase in population, the enhancement of food security and safety in underdeveloped countries is becoming extremely tough. Efforts to incorporate the latest technology are now emanating from scientists globally in order to boost supply and subsequently reduce differences between the demand and the supply chain for food production. Nanotechnology is a unique technology that might increase agricultural output by developing nanofertilizers, employing active pesticides and herbicides, regulating soil features, managing wastewater and detecting pathogens. It is also suitable for processing food, as it boosts food production with high market value, improves its nutrient content and sensory properties, increases its safety, and improves its protection from pathogens. Nanotechnology can also be beneficial to farmers by assisting them in decreasing postharvest losses through the extension of the shelf life of food crops using nanoparticles. This review presents current data on the impact of nanotechnology in enhancing food security and reducing postharvest losses alongside the constraints confronting its application. More research is needed to resolve this technology’s health and safety issues

Knowledge politics and new converging technologies: a social epistemological perspective

The “new converging technologies” refers to the prospect of advancing the human condition by the integrated study and application of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and the cognitive sciences - or “NBIC”. In recent years, it has loomed large, albeit with somewhat different emphases, in national science policy agendas throughout the world. This article considers the political and intellectual sources - both historical and contemporary - of the converging technologies agenda. Underlying it is a fluid conception of humanity that is captured by the ethically challenging notion of “enhancing evolution”

Technologie en innovatie in Vlaanderen: Prioriteiten.

Vlaanderen;

Advances of nanotechnology in agro-environmental studies

With the increase in the world population and the demand for food, new agricultural practices have been developed to improve food production through the use of more effective pesticides and fertilisers. These technologies can lead to an uncontrolled release of undesired substances into the environment, with the potential to contaminate soil and groundwater. Today, nanotechnology represents a promising approach to improve agricultural production and remediate polluted sites. This paper reviews the recent applications of nanotechnologies in agro-environmental studies with particular attention to the fate of nanomaterials once introduced in water and soil, to the advantages of their use and their possible toxicology. Findings show that the use of nanomaterials can improve the quality of the environment and help detect and remediate polluted sites. Only a small number of nanomaterials demonstrated potential toxic effects. These are discussed in detail

A Targeted Approach to High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete Pavement (Phase I)

Unlike the conventional method of admixing nanomaterials directly in fresh concrete mixture, a more targeted approach was explored. Specifically, nanomaterials were used to improve the interface between coarse aggregate and cement paste, by coating the coarse aggregate with cement paste that contained graphene oxide or nanosilica. Using coated coarse aggregates, the mechanical and transport properties of high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete were tested to evaluate the effect of nanomaterial coating on the interface transition zone of concrete. The compressive and splitting strengths of HVFA concrete at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days and the water sorptivity and chloride migration coefficient at 28 days were studied. Results show that nanomaterial-coated coarse aggregate can improve the transport properties of HVFA concrete by reducing permeability. However, no improvement was seen in the compressive and splitting strengths when incorporating coated coarse aggregate, compared with direct mixing of nanomaterials in fresh concrete. Resistance to freezing/thawing cycles and scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of concrete samples were also investigated to obtain a more comprehensive and mechanistic understanding of nanomaterial coating

Science and Technology Governance and Ethics - A Global Perspective from Europe, India and China

This book analyzes the possibilities for effective global governance of science in Europe, India and China. Authors from the three regions join forces to explore how ethical concerns over new technologies can be incorporated into global science and technology policies. The first chapter introduces the topic, offering a global perspective on embedding ethics in science and technology policy. Chapter Two compares the institutionalization of ethical debates in science, technology and innovation policy in three important regions: Europe, India and China. The third chapter explores public perceptions of science and technology in these same three regions. Chapter Four discusses public engagement in the governance of science and technology, and Chapter Five reviews science and technology governance and European values. The sixth chapter describes and analyzes values demonstrated in the constitution of the People’s Republic of China. Chapter Seven describes emerging evidence from India on the uses of science and technology for socio-economic development, and the quest for inclusive growth. In Chapter Eight, the authors propose a comparative framework for studying global ethics in science and technology. The following three chapters offer case studies and analysis of three emerging industries in India, China and Europe: new food technologies, nanotechnology and synthetic biology. Chapter 12 gathers all these threads for a comprehensive discussion on incorporating ethics into science and technology policy. The analysis is undertaken against the backdrop of different value systems and varying levels of public perception of risks and benefits. The book introduces a common analytical framework for the comparative discussion of ethics at the international level. The authors offer policy recommendations for effective collaboration among the three regions, to promote responsible governance in science and technology and a common analytical perspective in ethics

Technology park in connection with national filing of radioactive waste

The starting project idea arises from the need to provide a national disposal for radioactive waste as required by the European Union, in order to adjust Italy to the rest of the other European countries. The site will replace the temporary disposals realized near to the four former nuclear plants in the Italian territory, to permit plants decommissioning and the subsequent environmental rehabilitation of those areas. The disposal will be realized according to the most modern standards of environmental safety and ensuring maximum sustainability of the site thus using all the ‘Best Available Technique’ for the construction of Near Zero Energy Buildings and energy production systems from renewable sources. The Project is based on data coming from SOGIN (the Italian society for the decommissioning of nuclear plants) for the national radioactive waste disposal able to contain 90,000 cubic meters of radioactive waste and divided into two parts, allowing separate storage of the waste of first and second level, respectively, in quantities of 15.000 mc and 75.000 mc. The Technology Park close to the disposal, will be done with maximum transparency criteria, so to make the site not only accessible to citizens, but even a tourist attraction and a meeting area for the scholars, university students and researchers. In this technological park there are strong requirements for high security systems and an adequate transport and mobility plan designed even for critical situations. In fact in the designed Park there are even special protection systems from physical agents with the possibility, in case of danger, of an access to the closed collection points that are able to insulate workers and visitors from fire or radiation danger

Grid infrastructures for the electronics domain: requirements and early prototypes from an EPSRC pilot project

The fundamental challenges facing future electronics design is to address the decreasing – atomistic - scale of transistor devices and to understand and predict the impact and statistical variability these have on design of circuits and systems. The EPSRC pilot project “Meeting the Design Challenges of nanoCMOS Electronics” (nanoCMOS) which began in October 2006 has been funded to explore this space. This paper outlines the key requirements that need to be addressed for Grid technology to support the various research strands in this domain, and shows early prototypes demonstrating how these requirements are being addressed