SouthWest NanoTechnologies
(NHI Nanoblog) SouthWest NanoTechnologies, Inc., now has full U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval to both make and sell multi-walled carbon nanotubes, according to a company press release.
According to the release, the EPA recently granted the Oklahoma-based company the same permission it already had for single-walled carbon nanotubes. Since the agency effectively considers each CNT product separately under the Toxic Substances Control Act, SouthWest is the first two obtain approval for both single-and multi-walled tubes, the release said.
SouthWest had been making and distributing multi-walled tubes under an earlier, more limited approval. The company also can dispose of the water used in manufacturing, company official Philip Wallis said earlier this year in discussing the company’s safety efforts.
The company said its tubes are allowed to be used for resins and other plastics, as well as coatings for parts of products such as batteries and clothing.
The EPA is keeping a close eye on CNTs, which are light, ultra-tiny carbon cylinders, because of concerns about their impact on people, animals and the environment. While the nanotubes are highly prized for the ability to strengthen materials without adding significant weight, their fiber-like nature has raised questions about safety, especially in manufacturing.