UK Releases Report on Environmentally Beneficial Nanotechnologies

On May 17, 2005, the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) released a report entitled Environmentally Beneficial Nanotechnologies: Barriers and Opportunities, which provides the results of a study exploring ways in which nanotechnology could reduce the use of non-renewable energy sources and greenhouse gas emissions. The study investigated the opportunities and potential obstacles to adoption of a number of environmentally beneficial nanotechnologies. The resulting report explores the application of nanoscience in the areas of insulation, photovoltaics, electricity storage, engine efficiency, and the hydrogen economy.