Form-Specific Prospective Environmental Risk Assessment of Graphene-Based Materials in European Freshwater

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Graphene-based materials (GBMs) offer significant application potential.
• Environmental risk assessments are crucial for GBMs.
• Understanding GBM environmental fate and risk is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the environmental fate and risk of GBMs in European freshwaters.
• To predict production volumes and distribution of GBMs.
• To evaluate aquatic ecotoxicity across various species.

Main Methods:

• Dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis (DPMFA) for GBM distribution.
• Probabilistic species sensitivity distributions (SSD) for hazard assessment.
• Analysis of 113 datasets covering 26 aquatic species.

Main Results:

• Predicted environmental concentrations for GBMs in European freshwaters by 2030 are low (approx. 0.67 ng/L for pristine graphene, 0.33 ng/L for graphene oxide/reduced graphene oxide).
• Distinct environmental distribution patterns were observed for different GBM forms.
• Risk characterization ratios (RCRs) were significantly below 1 for all GBM forms.

Conclusions:

• GBMs exhibit negligible environmental risk in European freshwaters under assessed scenarios.
• Findings support regulatory decisions and sustainable GBM design.
• Further research into GBM environmental fate is warranted.