Weekly News Roundup

The green blog was off for the holiday (Independence Day) last Friday and in the author's rush to go to the nearest beach to cool some of this climate change effects lingering in New York City, the weekly news roundup was a little delayed....

Still quoting the blog's favorite motto: "Better late than never!"

Rapeseed oil transformed
Siemens has built power transformers that use rapeseed oil-based insulating liquid for German utility company EnBW. The transformers can only be operated under stringent environmental conditions such as in inner cities or in industrial production facilities.

Sancon steps on recycled glass
China-based Sancon Resources Recovery has developed raw material uses for recycled glass-based powder in mould making systems, architectural applications, finishing and building materials, paints and varnishes, and cosmetics. Sancon will sell the glass powder raw materials in the third quarter.

Fertilizers from food waste
Converted Organics has begun processing its first shipment of 70 tons of liquid food waste to organic fertilizer. The fertilizers will be available for shipment by July 15.

Four powers unite
New Mexico's four largest utility providers, El Paso Electric, Xcel Energy, PNM, and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association are planning to build a solar plant, said to be the first the state, to be operational by 2012. The facility will deliver between 211,000 and 375,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year.

CO2 recovery in Pakistan
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries licensed its carbon dioxide recovery technology with Engro Chemical Pakistan Limited (ECPL), the second-largest producer of urea fertilizer in Pakistan. Slated for completion in July 2010, the recovery units can capture 340 tons/day of CO2.

Cognis cosmetics ecolabeled
Thirty ingredients (oils, emulsifiers, actives and surfactants) from Cognis have achieved the BDIH (Association of German Industries and Trading Firms) certification for use in natural cosmetics.

And in ICIS News (which requires subscription):
Members of US Congress accused the Department of Defense of not cleaning toxic chemicals from three of its Air Force bases. Green Earth Technologies' fat-based motor oils can degrade over 90% in nine days exceeding degradable ratings standards. The European Commission's emissions trading scheme could cost up to €2bn annually, according to the German chemical industries association (VCI).