May 2008 Archives

The global green industry has been very busy this week from companies forming new green businesses to the introduction of the world's first renewable gasoline.

New slimy gasoline
Sapphire Energy said it has produced 91 octane gasoline made from algae. The gasoline is said to meet ASTM standards and completely compatible with the existing petroleum infrastructure, from refinement through distribution and the retail supply chain.

GE's green solution
Ge Energy signed a carbon sequestration alliance with Schlumberger Carbon Services to accelerate the use of "cleaner coal" technology. In another news, GE said it is expanding its Ecomagination strategy by reducing the company's global water use by 20% by 2012. GE's green portolio revenues reached $14 billion last year, up 15% from 2006, the company said.

Natur-Tec launched
Northern Technologies International recently formed a new business unit, Natur-Tec™. The business manufactures biodegradable and compostable plastic products such as shopping and grocery bags, lawn and leaf bags, can liners, pet waste collection bags, cutlery, packaging foam and coated paper products.

Biochem business formed
BioGold Fuels created its new BioGold Organic Chemicals division, which will focus on specialty organic chemicals made from processed municipal solid waste and other forms of waste. The division's initial focus will be on glacial acetic acid, an important component in plastic production.

Fuel cell funding available
The US Department of Energy issued a funding opportunity for up to $130 million over 3 years to advance the development and use of fuel cells for automotive, stationary, and portable power applications. The funding is part of the President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.

...as well as for biofiber
Stemergy said it received a $3.3 million funding from the Ontario government for its BioFibeRefinery project. Applications for the fibers include replacing plastics and fiber glass for making composites.

And in ICIS News (which requires subscription):

Wal-Mart's decision to switch to concentrated detergent will hurt chemical demand, according to a Citigroup analyst. A British study reported that men regularly exposed to paint containing glycol ethers are more prone to fertility problems. Soda ash producers gain from low US recycling rates. A global warming remediation bill called Investing in Climate Action and Protection Act will impose $8,000bn in fees from various industries to cut US emissions of greenhouse gases. And the senate-pending climate bill S-2191 would reduce domestic natural-gas production by as much as 40% and force greater dependence on foreign liquefied natural-gas (LNG) supplies, according to manufacturers.

Wood waste and sawdust could refuel Nigeria's sawmill industry.

London-based Ravonergy is building a 14 megawatt biomass-based energy power plant that will utilize wood waste and sawdust generated from the country's saw mill industry. The sawmill industry in Ondo State -Nigeria, currently suffers from chronic power shortage and frequent periods of blackout, according to the company.

"A previously discarded waste product will be the main source of much needed electricity to the industry."

There are too many solar news this week to put them in my Weekly News Roundup.

But first, according to a recent report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the US solar energy market last year saw photovoltaic manufacturing increased 74% led by thin-film production. Big-box retail stores led the PV installation boom including Wal-Mart,Best Buy, Home Depot and others. The US is said to be the fourth largest market after Germany, Japan, and Spain.

Another report from the Tioga Energy titled "Hedging Against Utility Rate Fluctuations with a Solar PPA" analyzed the cost-savings of solar energy in the long run. Using Tioga's solar savings model, the paper demonstrates a solar energy power purchase agreement's (PPA's) validity as a sound financial choice to guard against the probable electric utility rate increases caused by rising utility fuel and construction costs and environmental regulation associated with global climate change.

And finally, here are several solar announcements compiled this week:

1. Suntech Announces Strategic Investment in Shunda and 7GW Wafer Supply Agreement

2. Quantum and Asola Awarded $17 Million Solar Module Supply Contract by a Leading German Solar System Supplier

3. Signet Solar Rolls Out Industry's Largest Silicon Thin Film Solar Photovoltaic Modules

4. Q-Cells AG to invest in Mexico

5. Abu Dhabi Heats Up the Global Solar Market with $2 Billion Investment in Photovoltaic Manufacturing

6. SPG Solar and TTI Join Far Niente Winery in Unveiling the First-Ever FLOATOVOLTAIC(TM) Solar Array

7 . Enerize Corporation of Florida Invents a Major Breakthrough in Improving Performance of Photovoltaic Module with Transparent Polymers to Replace Glass

8. Yingli Green Energy Signs a Polysilicon Supply Contract with Sailing

9. SunPower Corporation Completes Two Solar Power Plants in Spain

And last but not the least,

10. Rumors are out on Solar LCD Powered iPods, iPhones and Laptops

Here's a novel green thought: Pig farmers can fight global warming by using feed enzymes.

It's true and proven, according to enzyme producer Novozymes. The company said the pork industry can reduce about 4 million tons of carbon dioxide, plus save 2.5% on feed when using enzymes in pig feed.

"2.5% does not sound like a lot, but when you consider that each year pig farmers use more that 650 million tons of feed, 2.5% really amounts to something significant."

Here's a new report from IBISWorld listing the industries that are cashing in on American's poor environmental habits.

Revenue from the waste collection industry is said to have risen 4.5 percent to $39.87 billion, following several strong years in terms of increased demand for waste management services. Recycling facilities currently generate estimated revenues of $2,981 million a year, and growth has exceeded 7 percent per year for the past five years due to rising waste volumes and increasing recyclable commodity prices.

In the business world, environmental consulting firms (and perhaps soon lawyers?) is expected to have revenues of $12.6 billion this year, up 9.7% from 2007. Next year is said to be even better with industry revenue forecast to rise another 11.3 percent to $14.07 billion. IBISWorld also pointed out the growing services of advisory firms (I thought that's the same as consulting firms??).

And of course the alternative energy sector is the most talked about industry area to invest in.

"Companies dealing with innovative solution to climate change are expected to benefit at the prospect of big breakthroughs and the funds that will pour through in future years if they are able to develop cost-effective, environmentally-friendly alternatives to petroleum."

Whether green buildings will be voluntary or mandated in New Jersey, the overall green construction trend is booming despite the US housing slump.

Green home building has already gone mainstream and is expected to be worth $12 to $20 billion (6%-10% of the market) this year, according to a new report from McGraw-Hill. The report said that 40% of builders think green building helps them market their homes in a down market.

"We have hit the tipping point for builders going green. This year has seen an 8% jump over last year, and we expect another 10% increase next year."

While major businesses such as Kohl's, Roche, Chevron, among many announced their green building investments, chemical companies, on the other hand, are trying to cash in on this trend with new environment-friendly/energy-saving construction materials.

Rohm and Haas is promoting its elastomeric roof coatings to help reduce cooling costs; cellular PVC materials for green decking; and water-based paints as alternative to solvent-based products.

Berry Plastics said its formaldehyde-free Thermo-ply protective sheating is a non-toxic 100% polyvinyl alcohol, which reduces home energy use by lessening air infiltration. The sheating is said to be also constructed with 100% recycled materials (80% post consumer waste and 20% post-industrial material), and is 99% recyclable.

With asbestos and lead paint litigations still nipping some chemical firms' heels, and if green building will potentially be mandated in some states, it is advisable for both construction and chemical industries to look for friendlier alternatives.

In a related issue, the consulting firm EH&E recently released a white paper to help building owners, developers, and others minimize the looming risks and costs caused by the discovery of PCBs in their construction materials.

Should New Jersey lawmakers require new buildings in the state to be green?

According to an environmental attorney at the law firm LeClairRyan, they should think twice before mandating green buildings in New Jersey, where several bills are already working their way through the state's legislature

James A. Kosch, who is also director of the New Jersey State Bar Association's environmental law section, said these bills could raise costs and thus force developers to scuttle worthy projects, or stifle innovation by setting in stone-literally-government-favored approaches to the fast-evolving trend of green design.

The raft of bills would, among other things, require developers to offer solar power to residents of certain high-density housing developments; allow municipal planning boards to weigh the "greenness" of projects when deciding the fate of proposed master plans; and mandate that new state buildings and units of affordable housing be built to uniform green standards.

Kosch pointed out some of the ramifications and impact of these bills. He noted that the green building trend is still at an infancy stage and that there are still a lot of challenges in this market as well as legal questions related to insurance, water reuse, energy generation, tax credits, economic incentives, etc.

A Europe-wide campaign promoting green driving tips was recently launched by the European Commission in association with the European Petroleum Industry Association (EUROPIA).

Under the "Save more than fuel" campaign, over 45,000 petrol stations across 29 European countries will distribute around 30 million leaflets containing 10 driving tips (seems more paper waste to me).

The initiative is said to be in line with the EU's commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and focus on energy efficiency.

You think that will appease angry European drivers over the soaring fuel costs? According to this article from Time magazine, fishermen, truck drivers, and farmers across Europe are threatening to bring entire economic sectors to a halt with protests because of crippling fuel costs currently averaging around $8.70 for a gallon of gas.

Other businesses are said to be planning to join the protest movement. The same will probably happen in the US once gas price reach around $5/gallon.

The US glass industry wants the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to tighten the guidelines for recycled packaging marketing claims under the agency's new Green Guides rules.

According to the Glass Packaging Institute, several marketers are inappropriately using the term recyclable such as in trash bags where it is unlikely to be used again once it is thrown out in the garbage, and in multi-layer aluminum and plastic-coated paperboard packaging products where recycling facilities rarely exists in the US for such products.

The Institute also wanted the agency to look into the SPI resin identification codes; to add further guidelines on using the terms degradable and compostable; and to clearly define the meaning of sustainable and renewable in marketing claims.

I wonder which is more sustainable to use in packaging - glass or plastic?

The German steel industry could buckle under the competitive pressure driven by Europe's carbon emission trading.

According to steel maker ThyssenKrupp, steel production outside Europe is not being impacted by costs for CO2 certificates leading to a divergence in competitive conditions. As a consequence, the industry could abandon Europe as a production location.

"As a consequence of a costly EU solution for emissions trading, we expect investments in steel production to be stopped, jeopardizing our integrated iron and steel making site in Duisburg with more than 10,000 jobs."

Heinz is planning to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2015 some of them via its potatoes and tomatoes operations.

Some of the initiatives include converting potato peels into biofuels as well as recycling 90% of the water used in daily potato production; expanding domestic source of its tomato worldwide to lessen shipping; reduce water and fertilizer consumption to grow tomatoes using hybrid seeds; reduce waste through recycling; reduce packaging materials as well as use alternative packaging; improve distribution efficiency; and others...

Heinz said it is also working to combat malnourishment worldwide through its Micronutrient Campaign.

Another sustainable food news is from Dean Foods who announced last week that it is developing an anaerobic digester on a dairy farm in Idaho. The digester will capture the methane gas from the waste of 4, 700 cows and turn it into electricity. The operation will start in early 2009.

Very appetizing news to food investors...

Proliferating news on leaching chemicals in kids' mattresses, bottles, toys, and electronics have driven three government officials to introduce a new US chemical regulatory proposal targeting kid safety.

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and representatives Hilda Solis (D-Ca) and Henry Waxman (D-Ca) introduced the 'Kid Safe Chemicals Act of 2008' that would ensure for the first time that all the chemicals used in baby bottles, children's toys and other products are proven to be safe before they are put on the market.

Highlights of the bill include:

• Require Basic Data on Industrial Chemicals
  
• Place the Burden on Industry to Demonstrate Safety
• Restrict the Use of Dangerous Chemicals Found in Newborn Babies
• Use New Scientific Evidence to Protect Health
• Establish National Program to Assess Human Exposure
• Expand the Public Right to Know on Toxic Chemicals
• Invest in green chemistry
  

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) did released a statement last week Wednesday pointing the pros and cons of the bill. The Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) also released a statement noting that the bill's REACH-like regime would deter and delay the introduction of beneficial new products and that it would hasten the movement offshore of U.S. manufacturing destined for export.

One thing for sure is to expect more chemical-related bill proposals this year.

Caught your attention didn't it? Here's several titillating articles (especially if you're in the waste business) from Reuters on the growing issues and potential profitability of rubbish.

1. Trash and burn: Singapore's waste problem - With growing population and little land mass, Singapore needs to find new ways to eliminate waste as alternative to incineration, and fast.

2. Garbage is dirty, but is it a clean fuel? - Environmentalists quibble on the green-ness of landfill gas but waste management businesses are seeing trash-to-treasure potentials.

3. Modern-day alchemy: turning trash into power - General Electric is tweaking its gasification technology to convert garbage into electricity.

4. Venture capitalist sees waste as feedstock for energy - An interview with venture capitalist Bill Green of VantagePoint Venture Partners about financial potential of waste as energy feedstock.

It was remissed of us (ICIS Chemical Business, the magazine I work for) not to include this important news in our next week's logistics issue. To compensate, I decided to put this as the blog's green feature of the week!

Presenting:
The revolutionary Ipee, a disposable, biodegradable, single-use urine device. It converts the urine into a solid in seconds utilizing an organic absorbent. After use, the device is safely discarded in the trash. There are no harmful chemicals -- and it is completely environmentally-friendly, unlike conventional units that require special waste disposal.

"Truckers are no longer forced to pee in bottles," says John Regan , VP Business Development of the iPee® is a division of the SuperSlab 100® Corporation.

"Urine-filled containers often referred to as "Trucker Bombs" are tossed onto North American highways by the millions every month. iPee provides truckers much needed relief when required, and it helps to save the environment. It also helps save taxpayer money in highway cleanup crews -- and potentially high fine charges!"

There will be no peace for game console manufacturers unless they fully comply to GreenPeace's demand.

According to the group's new study "Playing Dirty", three major electronic manufacturers continue to use chemicals and materials GreenPeace deems hazardous in the game consoles Wii (Nintendo), Playstation (Sony) and Xbox (Microsoft). Through a series of testing, GreenPeace said they found traces of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, beryllium and bromine indicative of brominated flame retardants (BFRs).

The group, however, admitted that all products comply with the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive and that each manufacturer had avoided or reduced uses of individual hazardous substances in certain materials within their consoles.

The technology is already available for manufacturers to design out harmful toxics and produce cleaner game consoles now. It's time that not only Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft but all electronics manufacturers start to play fair.

If anybody doesn't want their (new) Wii anymore after reading this report, the blog's author is accepting donation. All for experimental purposes of course...

ExxonMobil shareholders seem to think that the oil company is lagging behind competitors when dealing with climate change.

Several major investors, which include ExxonMobil's largest share owners plan to vote next week in a resolution that will force the company to address climate change risks. The investors hold over 91 million ExxonMobil shares currently valued at more than $8.6bn.

According to Ceres, a coalition of investors and environmental groups who helped organize the shareholder resolutions:

"While industry peers including Chevron, BP and Shell have already invested billions of dollars in renewable energy and set company-wide greenhouse gas reduction targets, Exxon Mobil has yet to take substantial action to deal with the economic, competitive, physical and regulatory risks resulting from climate change. Exxon also stands alone among many of its peers in opposing national climate policies to curb greenhouse emissions."

Come to think of it, I did not hear any presentations from ExxonMobil nor saw any representatives from the company when I last attended BIO's World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Processing. But maybe this is just a coincidence...

JetBlue is changing its color to green through its new environmental initiatives. Here are some of them:

• Hook up with Carbonfund.org to offer their customers the opportunity to offset their own carbon emissions..via donations.
• Partnered with Airbus, Honeywell and International Aero Engines for possible future use of biomass-based fuel.
• Recycling spent jet fuel and oil, and waste cooking oil (from their concession providers) for use in another application.
• Reduce paper consumption (such as not offering inflight magazines and paper tickets).
• Eliminate disposable headsets. Meaning BYOH (Bring your own headsets)!
• And other energy-reducing and greenhouse gas reducing solutions...

Another bright idea to lower cost of solar technology came from the minds of children, according to IBM.

Like using a magnifying glass to burn a piece of paper with the use of the sun's rays, IBM constructed a really large lens to capture the sun's power using a technology called concentrator photovoltaics. The trick, IBM scientists said, is the ability to cool the tiny solar cells before it burst into flames or be melted.

The race is on and it will be interesting indeed to see whose technology will win the commercialization prize!

Here's another reason why we have to reduce/eliminate ozone-depleting chemicals.

According to the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), ozone might help solve the mystery of the bees' reduced population by making their hives cleaner and safer.

ARS scientists said ozone could break down pesticide residues in the hives as well as kill certain insects and pests that attacks young honeybees and damage their combs.

Last night's news on CBS reported the concerns on human exposures to brominated flame retardants especially the chemical Deca, a polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) produced in the US.

Deca is also a focus of attention in Europe although a recent study from the European Union indicated that the flame retardant do not pose any risk. In CBS' report, the EPA is said to be currently reviewing the safety of Deca.

In connection with the show, I received an email from Friends of the Earth today regarding their "Killer Cribs" study. The group is asking the crib manufacturer Graco to stop using PBDEs and also pointed out that California is currently passing a bill that will end the use of PBDEs.

If PBDEs are unsafe then an alternative is definitely needed. The recently concluded EU study seems to negate that view, however. I wonder who will be sued for a fire accident that occurred because of the lack of flame retardants? Definitely not the public advocates.

Attending even just one day and I'm bombarded by green product offerings at last week's New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC) annual trade show in New Jersey.

My day started with Evonik's Lauren Kjeldsen who talked about their new natural cosmetic actives from their partnership with Sabinsa. Evonik also noted that 54 of its natural cosmetic ingredients are already certified by Ecocert.

Ecocert seemed to be the word of the day as National Starch Personal Care, Dow Chemical's Amerchol, and International Specialty Products (ISP) all pointed it out on their new product press release. I also saw a big "Ecocert certified" sign in one of the booths at the show but I was too busy munching free chocolate chip cookies and eating ice cream between breaks to stop by and talk to the company. If you know who you are, feel free to send me your press release.

National Starch's Maria Tolchinsky, by the way, emphasized that their new biopolymers are certified organic, which are not that common of an offering coming from specialty chemical companies. In case the word Ecocert was missing from Amerchol's Zinclear IM press release, the specific product certified was ZinClear IM 50CCT, according to Denise Elias-Costrini.

ISP's Sangeetha Subramanian said their alternative organic acid-based preservative system, Optiphen BSB-N ingredients are compliant with ECOCERT and also fulfill the German BDIH recommendations for natural cosmetic products. Optiphen BSP ingredients also fulfill Conseil de l'Europe recommendations for natural cosmetic products, she said.

I was not able to talk to Cognis, Dow Corning, Beraca, and Botaneco that day but they did send me their green product press release even before the show. The most notable, in my opinion, is Dow Corning's new product soy wax as alternative to petrolatum.

Other green-tinge product news I've gathered during the show was Amerchol's surfactant-free SatinFX delivery system emulsion (less chemicals use, the more green it is -- according to Elias-Costrini), and HallStar's solvent-free Solasil-PSF photostabilizer (again less chemicals use...).

I also was not able to attend Kline & Company's green cosmetic market presentation the next day of the show but they did kindly sent me a copy. According to Kline's Gillian Morris, the global natural personal care product sales represent only 2% of the $180bn total personal care sales at a manufacturers' level. Growth, however, is estimated at 15% compared to the overall global market growth of 5%.

And that's the last (but not the least) of my interview/swagging-filled cosmetic day in Edison, New Jersey. Stay tune for the HBA show here in New York City in September!

If not, then you can sign up in this petition by the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, which is urging the US government to reject the Kyoto Protocol and any other climate change proposals.

The Institute has already gathered signatures from 31,000 US scientists, according to this report from ICIS news.

I just finished my article about California's Green Chemistry Initiative and one of the key elements that most industry and manufacturing trade groups would like to see is incentive-based programs instead of mandatory policies (no surprise there!).

With that note, here are some of this year's green awards that I came across within the two-month period. Just to let you know ICIS (Disclosure: I work for ICIS) is calling for entries to this year's ICIS Innovation Awards. Deadline for entries is July 4.

1. Dow named "Best of the Best" winner by ESS for their sustainability projects.

2. North Carolina gave Syngenta their Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Award for this year.

3. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) presented Patrick Gruber, Gevo's CEO, its new George Washington Carver Award for innovation in industrial biotechnology.

4. Schnitzer Steel Industries bag the Steel Manufacturers Association's "Recycler of the Year".

5. Eastman Chemical earned the American Chemistry Council's energy efficiency awards for the 15th consecutive year.

6. National Biodiesel Board and the Soap and Detergent Association awarded researchers from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) with their 2008 Glycerine Innovation Award.

ICIS Chemical Business (Disclosure: I work for ICIS) published today an article about one of my colleagues, Andy Brice, trying to live for a week without polypropylene plastics.

This challenge came about during a "going cold turkey" discussion in the chemical community forum ICIS Connect. No matter how the chemical industry is continuously being targeted by public advocates, nobody in their right (and even bended) minds could say that they can do without chemicals in their lives.

Check out how Andy survived for the week.

Also featured in this May 19 issue of ICB is John Richardson's article about China's environment protection problems, and Philippa Jones' article about Chinese ethics and politics.

PS
Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims of the recent earthquake in China and the disaster in Myanmar.

Here's a great idea from the UK-based information services company j4b, who recently launched the database website, green grants machine.

The site is designed to help UK businesses find the fundings that they need to help them be more green whether by purchasing hybrid fleet vehicles, install solar panels, introduce a recycling scheme in the workplace or to invest in green packaging to name a few.

The site says there are more than 350 green funding schemes worth over GBP 1.2bn ($2.3bn) available in the UK.

I'd better post the weekly news roundup early before this blog banishes into thin air...for a few hours anyway.

Coming soon: CO2 Transformers
Carbon Sciences' carbon dioxide transformation technology found its first application in the production of precipitated calcium carbonate. Demand for PCC, according to the company, is projected to grow to 10 million tons by 2010, due to increased global paper consumption and construction in Asian countries.

Greasing turbines with glycerin
XcelPlus Global Holdings acquired from Maverick Biofuels a new technology that converts biodiesel-based glycerin into a turbine engine fuel branded as Gly-Clene. The fuel can be made from any crude glycerol, regardless of the feedstock, including yellow grease.

Another glyce-ning idea
France-based industrial biotech company METabolic EXplorer produced its first sample of crude glycerin-based 1.3 propanediol (PDO) with a 99.5% purity. via fermentation. The potential worldwide market for PDO is estimated at $3.5 billion.

Bioplastics in trash
Not to confuse with another industrial biotech company, US-based Metabolix will start supplying its bio-based resin Mirel to Heritage Plastics for the production of its BioTurf compostable film. The market for compostable bags and trash bin liners is said to be growing at over 15%/year.

Golden solar wafer deal
Chinese solar wafer producer ReneSola signed a 6-year 525 megawatt supply with Gintech Energy Corp. starting mid-2008. Gintech manufactures solar cells and is publicly traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Green seal for Save Your World
Natural cosmetic manufacturer Save Your World bags Whole Foods' Premium Body Care standard seal of approval for its natural body lotion, which will soon be sold nationwide. A portion of the proceeds from every product Save Your World sells goes toward saving a South American rainforest.

In ICIS News (which requires subscription):
The Canadian government is planning to add a toxic label to vinyl acetate monomer which is used to make polyvinyl acetate in chewing gum. Dow Chemical said the tightening regulations in the coatings industry should be viewed as opportunities instead of a problem. Hexion Specialty Chemicals does not expect the recent bisphenol-A issues in polycarbonates to affect their profits. And National Starch enters the organic personal care market with its new biopolymers line.

This blog will disappear for three hours on Saturday 17 May 2007 between 9am and 12 noon (UK summer time) for server maintenance. It will then magically re-appear.

Wind energy investments seem to be neck and neck with the solar market.

This week alone I came across three wind energy investment announcements: Fluor building the world's largest offshore wind farm in the UK; GreenHunter Wind Energy planning to develop China's first wind energy project; and Mesa Power LLP also planning to build the world largest wind farm in Texas.

According to a recent clean energy market report from Clean Edge:

• Wind power is expected to expand from $30.1 billion in 2007 to $83.4 billion in 2017. Last year's global wind power installations reached a record 20,000 megawatts (MW), equivalent in size to 20 conventional fossil-fuel power plants.

• Solar photovoltaics (including modules, system components, and installation), which totaled $20.3 billion last year, will more than triple to $74 billion by 2017. Annual installations in 2007 were just shy of 3,000 MW worldwide.

On a hot seat from the European Union's legal challenge, the Swedish government decided on May 8 to lift its ban on the use of Deca-BDE flame retardant in textiles, furnitures and some electronic cables.

According to the European Brominated Flame Retardant Industry Panel (EBFRIP), the ban imposed on late 2006 was inconsistent with the positive 10-year EU risk assessment of Deca-BDE which did not identify any significant risks justifying restrictions on the flame retardant.

"The EU has established that Deca-BDE is safe for continued use in all its applications, so there is no scientific basis whatsoever for any national or EU-wide restriction on Deca-BDE" said EBFRIP chairwoman Veronique Steukers.

If melting polar ice caps and increasing hurricanes and tornadoes do not convince skeptics of earth's rising temperature, maybe the high tech gadgets and scientific views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) could do the trick.

According to NOAA scientists, the global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global climate change, increased by 0.6 percent, or 19 billion tons last year alone. The burning of oil, coal and gas is the primary source of increasing CO2 emissions, the group reported.

The levels of methane, which is 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas (GHG) than carbon dioxide was said to have risen for the first time since 1998.

"Rapidly growing industrialization in Asia and rising wetland emissions in the Arctic and tropics are the most likely causes of the recent methane increase," said scientist Ed Dlugokencky from NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory.

I guess they're looking at the wrong chart and seeing oil and gas price rise instead of the rise of greenhouse gas.

It's official. Polar bears are becoming extinct, according to the US Department of the Interior (DOI).

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced today that he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because of the continued loss of sea ice affecting their habitat.

A 60-day public comment period for the proposed ESA rule is available at the DOI site.

Wind power could be the next hot energy source according to the Department of Energy's (DOE) recently released report.

The DOE said wind can provide as much as 20% of US electricity needs by 2030. In that scenario, installations of new wind power capacity would increase to more than 16,000 megawatts per year by 2018, and continue at that rate through 2030.

"The U.S. wind energy industry invested approximately $9 billion in new generating capacity in 2007, and has experienced a 30 percent annual growth rate in the last 5 years."

I guess with the DOE's report, the feasibility of wind energy is not anymore just full of hot air.

For just one day of green news scanning and out came five solar articles (I'm sure I missed several more). No wonder the solar industry has one of the fastest growth among other industrial markets.

1. Kohl's will convert more than 50 of its existing New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland locations to solar power making the company the largest solar system user among retailers in the world.

2. PPL Renewable Energy will construct and operate a 1.7 megawatt solar system for Schering-Plough in New Jersey, which the company said will be the largest rooftop solar installation in the US.

3. SunPower has produced a full-scale, five inch prototype solar cell with an efficiency of 23.4 percent, said to be a world-record for a large area solar cell.

4. HelioVolt has produced thin film solar cells with 12.2 percent conversion efficiencies in a record setting six minutes making HelioVolt’s Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) devices among the highest performing solar thin film products on the market today.

5. Applied Materials has signed a multiyear agreement to provide T-Solar Global S.A. of Spain its Applied SunFab Thin Film Line. Using 5.7m² glass panels, the SunFab Line can reduce the cost of utility-scale photovoltaic installations by more than 20%.

The town of Picher in Oklahoma devastated by a deadly twister last week is being tested for toxic air because of the blown-off massive piles of lead and zinc mining waste, according to Associated Press.

The area was already declared a Superfund site long ago because of the mining waste but this disaster will force the dwindled residents to accept the state or federal buyout offers for their land.

The Environmental Protection Agency said initial tests revealed no immediate public health hazard but more tests are further needed.

Another disaster yesterday, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in China's southwest Sichuan province has destroyed two chemical plants which resulted in several hundred deaths, according to ICIS News (this article requires subscription).

Around 6,000 people where said to have been evacuated from the collapsed plants as 80 tonnes of ammonia have leaked. The earthquake reportedly killed more than 8,500 people.

[Photos courtesy of AP and New York Times]

Speaking of lead paint issue in Rhode Island, the National Paint and Coatings Associations (NPCA) reprimanded the show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for misleading its viewers about lead-based paint and the show's unsafe work practices regarding lead-contaminated areas.

NPCA says the show's methods used to tear down the home were dangerous and unhealthy to the workers involved, and were not consistent with lead-safe work practices outlined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and EPA.

"Should a contractor or homeowner who watched your show attempt to abate a lead-contaminated area in such a manner, such activity would not only exacerbate the problem, it would create an even worse lead hazard."

I'm off tomorrow attending a big cosmetic chemicals suppliers show in New Jersey. It seems that more chemical players are offering new natural-based ingredients for cosmetics and toiletries this year. I'll let you know how it goes and with that note, I'll leave this news about major drugstore CVS joining the crowd of other retailers in initiating more stringent cosmetic standards by launching early this year its new Cosmetic Safety Policy.

This is the first cosmetics safety policy to be released by a major drugstore retailer in the US, according to the consumer watchdog coalition Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

CVS said it will also launch this year a new private label personal care product line called Vickery & Clark Natural Apothecary, which will only use natural ingredients. The line will have facial care, lip care and body care products as well as health remedies such as detoxifying bath soak.

Strawberry fields might not stay forever if an alternative to the banned pesticide methyl bromide will not be developed soon.

According to the info service Chemie.de, Spanish researchers at the Instituto Tecnologico Agrario de Castilla y Leon have been looking for an effective and safe alternative for three years and still has no luck in replacing methyl bromide.

"It is necessary to continue evaluation of alternative fumigants for strawberry nurseries to focus on commercial field-scale demonstrations. Moreover, European Union regulatory restrictions may require the use of non-chemical alternatives in the near future. The need for evaluations of chemical and non-chemical soil disinfestation methods is urgent."

I was assigned to do a market overview of the global solar (photovoltaic) industry for ICIS Chemical Business' June 14 electronics materials issue. Watch out for that as well as some of the latest issue on consumer electronics especially on e-waste problems and tightening regulations on electronic chemicals especially in Europe.

For now, here is a sneak peek of the organic photovoltaic market by industry analyst NanoMarkets.

According to the new report, the organic PV market will generate nearly S1bn in revenues by 2015. Also, 2008 will be the first year that organic PV products will be available commercially and that progress in the organic PV sector is being made possible by the substantial venture capital and strategic investments that have been made in this sector in recent years.

Hearings on court are getting technically savvy and this one's webcast on May 15 will broadcast an appeal from former lead paint manufacturers, Sherwin-Williams , NL Industries and Millennium Holdings, to overturn a 2006 lead paint ruling in Rhode Island, which will force them to pay billions of dollars to clean up contaminated paint around the state.

According to this Reuters article, the paint makers are claiming that landlords should be held accountable as lead paint was banned since 1978. The use of lead paint was said to be still widespread especially in older homes in the Northeastern US.

The webcast will be of interest, Reuters said, as the court decision could influence others in several states, counties and cities where lead-poisoning lawsuits are pending.

I'm actually giving my Mom just a bunch of tulips and a pink cute address book (she likes to call a lot of people) with a pink pen attached. However, for those who really like to splurge for their environmentally-conscious moms, here are some suggestions:

1. Eco-Lux Mattress - Your mom might stop complaining about her aging aches and pains with this new organic mattress courtesy of Vivetique. The $3,700 queen size bed is made up of organic cotton, wool and natural latex for support.

2. Gift of green - If you really want to wow! your mom this Mother's Day, why not give her a blank check using online deposit (less paper to use!) or green credit cards that give out carbon offset rewards points. She'll be proud to have such a generous son/daughter!

3. Green house cleaning - Give your mother a respite from cleaning even your own place by offering her a month's worth of green house cleaning service by Maid Green. Unfortunately, you have to live in San Francisco to get their services.

4. Green hotels - Treat your mom to a nice relaxing stay at a Sofitel Hotel, which purchases wind power for some of its facilities, or book several nights at the Kalahari resorts, which has several green initiatives such as water recycling systems and solar hot water systems.

5. Other green stuff - For those who are still waiting to get their rebate checks (including me), other gifts worthwhile mentioning include eco-friendly fragrances by rue21; more chic eco-friendly underwear by figleaves.com; and cosmetics with biodegradable packaging made by Cereplast.

Happy Mother's Day!!

I received a suggestion to break out the Weekly News Roundup and make it as an individual post. That can be done but let me know what you think about it. For now, here's this week's news bites from ExxonMobil's CO2 remover to Solvay's garbage-powered plant in Germany.

A cool way to remove CO2
ExxonMobil is building a commercial demonstration plant in Wyoming to showcase its Controlled Freeze Zone (CFZ) technology, which can reduce the cost of carbon dioxide removal and storage from produced natural gas. The $100m plant will process 14m cu.ft. of gas per day.

Portugal heats up
German companies Qimonda and Centrosolar will jointly build and operate a silicon-based solar cell plant in Portugal. The EUR70m ($108m) plant will have initial capacity of 30m/year solar cells and will start producing in the second half of next year.

...and China not far behind
DuPont is building a solar research center in Hong Kong and a manufacturing facility for crystalline silicone and amorphous silicon thin film in Shenzhen. DuPont expects growth in the photovoltaic market to exceed 30 percent in the next several years.

Steeling air quality standards
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing stronger air quality standards for lead for the first time in 30 years. The proposal will revise the existing standard of 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air to a level within the range of 0.10 to 0.30 micrograms per cubic meter.

Garbage powers chemicals
Belgian chemical group Solvay is constructing a refuse-derived power plant in Bernburg, Germany, to supply energy to the company's sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide plant, which will start in the second quarter of 2010. The power plant will use mixture of used plastics and wood from furniture and buildings, textiles, paper and cardboard and will have Solvay's sodium bicarbonate technology to freshen its gaseous smell.

And in ICIS News (which requires subscription):

Two US congressmen have asked infant formula manufacturers to stop using bisphenol-A in their food packaging. Several Chinese villagers have been hospitalized after a poisonous gas leak at a phosphorous trichloride plant in Handan City. And California's academia blame the current lax federal policy in inhibiting development of green chemistry innovation.

Biodiesel might be upstaging some of soybean oil's industrial use but the quest continues to find new application for the versatile vegetable oil.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) discovered a new potential use for soy oil in pharmaceutical and and personal care markets. Soy oil-based polymers known as hydrogels have been developed by the USDA chemists as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic polymers such as polyacrylic acid and polyacrylamide.

The soy hydrogels can be used in drug delivery, wound dressings and hair care products.

Last year also saw a lot of new soy-oil based chemicals and products, according to the United Soybean Board. You can also check out information on some of the newly launched soy-based chemical alternatives on USB's Biobased Newsletters.

Soy oil price might be record-high right now but [so far...] it is not deterring Illinois power company ComEd to use them as transformer oils. The company, which has been using soy oil transformer fluid since 2002, says it will eliminate the need for about 56,000 gallons of petroleum-based mineral oil per year.

Providing sustainable solutions will be a high growth business for DuPont's Performance Materials segment, according to the group's vice president Diane Gulyas.

In Bank of America's Basics/Industrial conference, Gulyas highlighted DuPont's participation in high growth, end-use markets such as photovoltaics for solar cells, advanced metals replacement, and renewably sourced polymers. She said that a critical element of the segment's plan is to extend cost productivity initiatives to enhance profitability and counter further increases in ingredient costs.

Definitely expect more new sustainability-focused products and applications for the company in the coming months and years. That's where the money trail seems to be leading as far as new profitability source is concern.

Plastic is the beverage industry's best friend.

Despite the ongoing hoopla on bisphenol-A and plastic bottle pollution, the beverage industry would rather have the cheaper and more energy-efficient plastic than using glass bottles. Manufacturers are instead assuring consumers that their plastics are recyclable, BPA-free, and soon, some will even be biodegradable.

Healthy beverage company Fuze resorted to using PET plastics instead of its usual glass bottles. Fuze said its number 1-assigned plastic bottles can be recycled into fiberfill for winter coats, sleeping bags, life jackets, other plastic bottles, etc.

Pepsi is touting a greener beverage plastic bottle by reducing their size by 20%. Pepsi says its lighter 500ml non-carbonated beverage bottle will eliminate 20m lbs. of waste from the environment.

The UK's Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), meanwhile, is targeting half of its milk packaging to come from recycled materials by 2020, according to a report from Plastics and Rubber Weekly. 80% of UK's 6.5bn milk sold in retail is in plastic containers, the article said.

Leading bottling companies are looking at biodegradable PET bottles as their next green step, according to bioplastic producer Diamant Art Corp. The company says its proprietary bottling additive technology enables the biodegradability of PET bottles.

US environmental group Sierra Club is giving mothers across the country a mercury-free bag of lawsuits against coal-powered plants.

Sierra Club is asking the 30 coal plant developers across the US to go back to the drawing board and develop new plans to control mercury and other toxic pollution before the plants may be built or else face a lawsuit from the group.

"There are affordable technologies widely available today that can substantially reduce mercury and other toxic pollution," said Pat Gallagher, Director of the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program.

Last I heard from the Department of Energy that current technologies available to cut mercury emissions from coal power plants are costly. I wonder where Sierra Club got its information on affordable mercury-reducing technologies?

After giving a warning to several natural personal care products manufacturers on their supposed organic labeling misdemeanor, organic soap manufacturer Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps filed a suit last week against the said manufacturers the company calls organic cheaters.

The suit also included organic certification group ECOCERT and the newly formed OASIS.

Hain Celestial, Kiss my Face and Nature's Gate all probably wanted to say kiss my.... in a mild-mannered way but released a mild-mannered statement instead in response to the suit's allegations.

As long as there's no harmonized organic labeling rules, I bet these kind of lawsuits will continue to proliferate. The organic personal care market is a money-growing industry after all.

Sustainable Business.com reported the growing business model of using Sustainability as a Status Symbol. Do you think this is tacky? I don't think this is a subtle form of greenwashing but I could be wrong.

I personally think this will help boost the sustainability cause and if renewable energy companies can get money out of it, so much the better. Maybe it will make renewable energy more affordable for consumers without resorting to government subsidies.

The recent Canadian ducks' death need to be avenged and not just by mere apologies.

Greenpeace Canada says big oil players are ducking (sorry, just can't help it!) their responsibility in the deaths of more than 500 migratory birds because of their oil sands project in Alberta.

The project's operator, Syncrude, apologize profusely in its website as well as in several Canadian newspapers, according to reports. Canadian officials said they are investigating the matter and the death of these ducks will not go unpunished.

Syncrude's owners such as ConocoPhillips and Imperial Oil are reportedly investigating as well.

I agree with Greenpeace that a $1m fine is a mere drop in the company's $298m first quarter profit. The world needs more energy source and oil-sands could be part of a solution but these companies should have more adequate animal protection program than their audible noise makers, which to me sounds like just putting up scarecrows in their facility's basin.

Last week's World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing conference in Chicago was a well of news and information for green journalists. The debate on food versus biofuel was a constant issue while biomass refineries was the most talked about topic for the whole 3-day meeting. Attendance of major oil companies were most noticeable and according to the organizer of the show, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), this year's attendance number was a record-high.

Most investors don't think so, according to this article from BusinessGreen.com. Leading green investors are looking at renewable and clean technology funding as a long term investment and according to them, there are still a lot of money out there especially from venture capital.

A hoi-polloi of green news this week with bisphenol-A issue continuing to plague the packaging industry. Also on ICIS News (which requires subscription), some snapshots of what's going on in the global industrial biotechnology industry.

Caustic potash is free!...of mercury
Oxychem has finished converting its chlorine plant manufacture from mercury cell-based into using membrane cell technology, which will produce mercury-free caustic potash as byproduct. OxyChem said it is the first mercury-free caustic potash-producer in North America.

BPA issue spreads in metals
The North American Metal Packaging Alliance (NAMPA) is assuring consumers that the epoxy liners containing bisphenol-A in metal packaging for foods and beverages are safe. NAMPA said the Food and Drug Administration confirmed the safety of the BPA-contained epoxy coatings for food packaging.

Cheaper solar energy
Sunrgi said they developed a new solar energy system called XCPV (Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics), which will make it possible to produce electricity at a cost of 5 cents/kilowatt hour. The system will make solar energy as affordable as traditional-sourced electricity, the company said.

The world's biggest biogas plant
Linde Group and Waste Management Inc. are building the world's largest biogas from landfill in California. The $15m plant is expected to produce 50,000 liters/day of liquid biogas, and will begin operating in 2009.

Building green in India
Nova Chemicals and Reliance Industries formed a building and construction joint venture to capitalize on India's $60bn construction market that is growing 20%/year. The joint venture will leverage Nova's green building and construction technology.

And in ICIS News:
Startup of Metabolix's and Archer Daniel Midland's bioplastic plant in Clinton, Iowa, was delayed due to severe Midwest weather. Draths Corporation is developing benzene derivatives made from sugar-based renewable feedstock. And several research companies are looking to develop bioplastics made from switchgrass, sugarcane and glycerol.

Not only is China ready for green, it is already one of the biggest producer of green-based chemicals, according to the life science and chemicals firm DSM China Ltd.

China ranked number #1 in the production of sodium glutamate, citric acid, lysine and vitamin C, while in bioethanol and lactic acid, it ranked #3. All the chemicals are made via fermentation or enzyme processing.

"Ambitious goals have already been set in China with strong policy supports specifically for industrial biotechnology," said DSM China president, Wei-Ming Jiang, who spoke at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing conference on April 29 in Chicago.

Here are other reported environmental goals in China such as in renewable energy and auto recycling.

China's recent announcement of its 11th 5-year plan produced some cheery investment sentiments. Chinese waste management and recycling company Sancon expects to benefit greatly from the environmental initiatives, while DuPont said it also sees major growth opportunity in sustainability development in China.

These initiatives need to be implemented fast as several negative environmental news about China continues to pour in the mainstream media. In March, Wal-Mart CEO announced its aggressive efforts to push Chinese suppliers to go green. The big box retailer also hired an outside consulting firm to speed up its Green China efforts.

Another month passed and more green chemicals have been launched. After attending this week's World Congress on Industrial Biotech and Bioprocessing conference in Chicago, I'm pretty sure there will be much, much more new ones to come.

For now, here's several new environment-friendly or renewable or sustainable or energy-saving or biodegradable...etc. chemicals that caught my roving green eye:

1. ICI Green paint - ICI Paints and the Home Depot launched their VOC-free Freshaire Choice™ Paint. The residential, tinted paint product is said to be the first GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® certified in the industry.

2. Rhodia Eco-solvent - Rhodia will manufacture its new eco-friendly solvent Rhodiasolv® IRIS in a new facility in Santo Andre, Brazil. The non-toxic, readily biodegradable, nonflammable and low VOC dibasic ester solvent is used in industrial cleaning, foundry resins, paints and coatings formulations.

3. China Sun Group Eco-filter - Cobalt series producer China Sun Group High-Tech Co. developed an eco-friendly white steel filter that improves air quality in the company's facilities by 30% as well as improve production by 35% through cobalt oxide recycling.

4. BioSource Solutions BioSorb 2008™ - BioSource says its proprietary complex polymer & enzyme system BioSorb 2008™ makes it easier to handle, and in case of spills of liquid hydrocarbons such as gas, fuel and oil, to clean them up by turning them into solid, rubber-like floating mat.

5. DuPont surface materials - DuPont's newest collection of surfaces – the Zodiaq® Terra Collection is said to contain at least 50 percent pre-consumer recycled glass. Zodiaq® and the sealants and adhesives from DuPont Surfaces are also GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified®