Environmental Footprint Assessment of Emerging PLA/MXene Nanocomposites
Vasileios Tzatzadakis, Alexandros Thomos, Franceska Gojda, Fanourios Krasanakis, Akrivi Asimakopoulou, Αθανάσιος Σκούρας, Kiriaki Chrissopoulou, Evridiki Patelarou, Spiros H. Anastasiadis, Minas Μ. Stylianakis
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The European Union (EU) has increasingly embraced Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) policies over the last decades to achieve sustainability goals. In this frame, investigation of the development of versatile and eco-friendly polymers to serve as matrices incorporating various nanofillers to advance their properties has been intensified. Especially in the field of additive manufacturing, poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a well-studied thermoplastic biopolymer, and its nanocomposites have been widely utilized to realize unique multifunctional products. Motivated by very recent advancements in the field, the environmental sustainability of PLA/MXenes nanocomposites was studied and assessed in this work for the first time, aiming to highlight the need for optimization of the preparation processes to mitigate any impact on human health and the environment. Although CO 2 emissions, corresponding to the synthesis of Ti 3 C 2 T x, were calculated as high as 14.6 kg of CO 2 per gram, MXenes contribute minimally to the overall environmental impact because of their very low loading in the final PLA/MXene nanocomposite (3.2 × 10 –3 wt %), as the global warming potential (GWP 100 ) was estimated to be 193 g of CO 2 -eq per gram of nanocomposite. To this end, further research is required to establish optimal synthetic routes with minimal environmental consequences as well as to fully understand any immediate threat and/or long-term effects on human health and the relevant ecosystems. As the technology of MXenes keeps proliferating across various scientific domains, understanding and mitigating its environmental impact remain a priority to ensure a sustainable future.