October 2008 Archives

Just wanted to greet everybody a Happy Halloween and as a treat, here are several climate change funny cartoons that I took from the web (hopefully I won't get sued for these!).

1. Carbon Credit card - No interest fee for one year!

Although the feasibility of capturing, storing and even reusing carbon dioxide to reduce greenhouse gases is now acceptable within the scientific community, skepticism still exists (like the idea of clean coal I guess) some coming from green groups themselves such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Environmental think-tank World Resources Institute (WRI) launched a preliminary guidelines and recommendations for the deployment of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies in the US specifically targeting developers, regulators, financiers, insurers, project operators, and policymakers.

California-based bioplastic manufacturer Cereplast said the use of its Biopropylene hybrid resin (which can replace up to 50% petroleum-based plastic content) emits 42% less greenhouse gas emission compared to the use of regular polypropylene.

In a study by a professor from Michigan State University, he found that approximately 1.82 kilograms of carbon dioxide are produced for each kilogram of Cereplast' Biopropylene used, compared to 3.14 kilograms of carbon dioxide emitted for the same amount of polypropylene.

"This is a very significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, especially when considering that worldwide market for polypropylene is about 45 billion kilograms, or approximately 100 billion pounds,"said Frederic Scheer, Cereplast's Chairman and CEO.

Wal-Mart is expecting a bigger demand for solar-based consumer products and is already stocking its solar charger kits for sale next year, according to this press release from Canada-based ICP Solar Technologies, a manufacturer of proprietary solar panels and products.

ICP said an estimated $1m worth of Coleman-branded solar charger kits will be sold next year in Wal-Mart's 21,000 stores across the US. This is double that of their estimated 2008 sales from Wal-Mart.

Here is a sample of ICP's solar products and how they are being used:

ICP seems to be doing well in this market and if fact just announced last week that it is buying Spain-based Ibersolar Energia, a European manufacturer and supplier of solar photovoltaic systems, solar thermal systems, and absorption units (see this week's news roundup for more info).

Here is one big reason why food manufacturers and consumer product goods retailers are still hesitant about using corn-based plastics.

According to The Oregonian newspaper, it is difficult for recyclers to recycle corn-based polylactic acid (PLA) plastics because it melts at lower temperatures compared to traditional resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This means PLA plastic has to be separated from PET plastic (either by consumers or recyclers), which is a big headache.

It is said that the estimated amount of PLA plastic needed to contaminate a PET load are as high as 4 percent and as low as one bottle in 1,000. It is much easier to dispose PLA plastic-based utensils, cups, and dishes especially in cafeteria, convention centers and sports venues because they'll be disposed with other compostable materials.

PLA plastics are said to be both recyclable and compostable according to manufacturers. The newly formed Bioplastics Recycling Consortium is said to be working on the problem.

I am way over my head this week with two articles on a deadline and trying to study for my mid-term exams (political science, English literature and classical studies if anybody is interested to know).

Expect the green blog to have some sputtering post moments in the next few days while I diligently work for ICIS Chemical Business in the morning, and try to cram federalism, Yeats, and Greek alphabets into my head at night- not at the same time.

Here is this week's news roundup!

Renewable product partnership
Elevance Renewable Sciences and start-up company Tetramer Technologies formed a partnership to develop and commercialize novel renewable specialty chemicals. Tetramer will bring to the partnership its organic synthesis, material science and analytical capabilities, while Elevance will provide marketing, technology, engineering and renewable feedstock processing capabilities.

Despite a worldwide financial downturn this past few months, venture investments for clean technology in North America, Europe, China and India are said to have reached a record $2.6bn just in the third quarter of 2008 alone, according to the market research and financial service Cleantech Group.

Investments in the past three quarters of 2008 have totaled to $6.6 billion, exceeding the full-year 2007 total of $6.0 billion, the group reported. Major sectors receiving these green backings include smart grid companies, algae companies, and thin-film solar companies.

ICIS Chemical Business released this Monday its feature on packaging and from what the magazine's editors have found out is that sustainability is definitely becoming more ingrained within this industry mostly driven by consumer demand. The benefits of cost-cutting and energy saving also add to packaging players' enthusiasm over this trend.

In the article "Green Way Packers", industry players ranging from packaging manufacturers to consumer goods retailers, reported that their companies have increased their initiatives on sustainable packaging. In turn, packaging additives suppliers in the chemical industry are responding to this trend by offering more solutions on how they can make their materials more sustainable.

No cheating in Wal-Mart supply chain is emphasized at the company's China summit this week in Beijing, attended by the retail giant's more than 1,000 leading suppliers as well as Chinese government officials and non-government organizations.

Wal-Mart president and CEO Lee Scott said:

"I firmly believe that a company that cheats on overtime and on the age of its labor, that dumps its scraps and its chemicals in our rivers, that does not pay its taxes or honor its contracts -- will ultimately cheat on the quality of its products."

And cheating on the quality of products is the same as cheating on customers. We will not tolerate that at Wal-Mart."

A former colleague from ICIS Chemical Business (the magazine I work for) asked how could the chemical industry help play a part in energizing teaching and putting the flair back into teenage science.

One sure-fire way to attract teenagers and young adults (even old crones like me) is to put science on their electronic brainwaves especially via video games and the internet. Just look at the growth of the billion-dollar educational toys market!

For example, maybe the chemical industry can design a website-based game where teenagers can be chlorine atoms and find out if they will either explode or create beautiful products together if they hook up with several of their nitrogen and hydrogen buddies under a certain atmospheric condition...

To get to my point, I mentioned attending the Science of Survival Exhibit in Liberty Science Center in New Jersey last week, and the idea of creating your own sustainable city in 2050 using interactive games is absolutely brilliant. You get to choose your lifestyle of living involving food and drink, mode of transportation, the stuff that you enjoy, the place you live in, and finally find out how that lifestyle will affect your future.

My Green Japan article in ICIS Chemical Business is now available online. In it are some examples of how the chemical industry is responding to the issue of climate change.

The article also reported about how carbon emissions from Japan's industrial manufacturing sector (including energy, steel, chemical, petroleum, pulp and paper, cement, etc.) is closely being scrutinized by several Japanese green groups.

In relation to this, I just came across this news from Reuters about yesterday's government launch of a "voluntary" carbon trading market in Japan, which could become a forerunner of a mandatory carbon cap-and-trade scheme in the future.

International environmental groups Blacksmith Institute (US based) and Green Cross Switzerland issued the top ten worst pollution problems in the world. They said these pollutions are the main contributing factor to death and disability in the world.

"Our goal with the 2008 report is to increase awareness of the severe toll that pollution takes on human health and inspire the international community to act," said Richard Fuller, founder of Blacksmith Institute. "Remediation is both possible and cost-effective. Clean air, water and soil are human rights."

Sustainability is proving to be a good investment for General Electric (GE).

According to the company, GE's 2008 revenues from its Ecoimagination business -- GE's products and technologies that targets energy efficiency, clean technology and other environmental solutions services -- rose 21% to $17bn despite the current economic turmoil.

GE's annual green R&D investment is expected this year at $1.4bn, they said. It's Ecoimagination R&D target is $1.5bn by 2010.

Because of their green success, GE said they are raising their annual Ecomagination revenue target to $25 billion by 2010.

What a nice profit huh?

Last week's opening of the 21st Tokyo International Film Festival was celebrated with an environmental theme in mind, and our good friends from Japanese chemical company Teijin, in collaboration with Coca-Cola Japan, did their part with the unrolling of their Green Carpet.

Not only is it colored green (duh!), but the carpet is made completely from around 18,000 recycled polyethylene terephtalate (PET) half-liter bottles. Teijin, by the way, is selling their polyester fiber made out of recycled PET materials under the brand ECOPET.

Coca-Cola Japan, who has been sponsoring the film festival for 4 years, decided to further raise eco-awareness at the event by installing energy-saving vending machine called the e-40⁽²⁾; easy-to-understand panels illustrating the processes of recycling bottles and cans; and bins used for the dedicated collection of empty bottles and cans at the "Recycle Station".

Teijin also made green ties, green handkerchiefs and green ribbons for the film festival personnel (I'm sure they go well with their uniforms), using their ECO CIRCLE closed loop recycling system. The technology recycles used polyester materials using chemical decomposition and creates new materials that are said to be comparable to those derived from petroleum.

The ties, chiefs and ribbons will be recycled again into polyester fibers after the film festival.

[Photo comment: Jack Nicholson is supposed to be behind this cute Meerkat but his flight to Tokyo was delayed...]

Canada's soon-to-enact BPA ban in baby bottles is another sign that maybe polycarbonate bottle manufacturers should look for alternatives now.

The Government of Canada announced yesterday that it will immediately draft a regulation banning the importation, sale and advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles that contained bisphenol-A (BPA). They said that they rather take actions now to protect infants and young children amidst the scientific uncertainty of how BPA affects them despite their low level content in these baby bottles.

Environment Canada scientists also found that BPA is entering the environment through wastewaters, washing residues and leachate from landfills. Canada said it will also take action to limit the amount of BPA that is being released into the environment.

Reports have linked exposure to BPA with health problems and reproductive defects, including birth defects in boys, heart disease in adults and lower sperm counts and breast cancer in animal testing.

The green blog is having a bit of a trouble finding worthwhile news for the weekly roundup and wondering if this is a sign of possible hiccups in green investments due to the current economic crisis.

I've heard of a solar IPO being cancelled and another renewable energy company terminating their plans for an acquisition. The good news is that both US presidential nominees have big plans for renewable energy investments but research grants across the board is probably going to have massive cutbacks in the near- to mid-term, which might affect green chemistry R&D and other biobased material developments in government research agencies and university research centers.

On this somber note, here are this week's green news roundup:

Siemens partners with USDA
Siemens Energy & Automation and the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to convert second generation biofuel feedstock into fuels and chemicals.

Biofoam in Brazilian cars
Brazilian Fiat vehicles and Iveco trucks will be using BioFoam seat cushioning produced by Canada-based the Woodbridge Group. The foam uses polyols derived from plant materials.

In connection with fuel cells, I just wanted to share these new R&D breakthroughs on hydrogen production.

The green blog mentioned this week about producing hydrogen using sewage feedstock but according to researchers from the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and Ontario, Canada-based Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. (KPM), you can also extract pure hydrogen from the hydrogen sulfide that naturally contaminates unrefined oil including oil sands.

Their innovative molten copper reactor not only extracts pure hydrogen, the researchers said, but it also produces another valuable chemical, concentrated sulfuric acid, which has become a high-priced commodity in the agriculture sector.

I just went this morning to the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey to attend the North American debut of a global exhibition called Science of Survival, and what a treat it was!

The exhibition, sponsored by BASF, Nissan and HSBC, uses an interactive "kid-friendly video game" like effects that challenges visitors, both kids and adults alike, to create their own sustainable city of 2050 using the latest technology and science available.

I will tell you more about this next week as I am currently waiting for a video clip from the exhibit organizers so I can show it to you. For now, I just wanted to tell the green blog readers that during the exhibit, there was this whispers and talks about a big BASF investment for fuel cell here in the US. I tried to ask the good folks of BASF to expand on it but unfortunately, we just have to wait for the announcement. Hopefully I can get first dib on the news.

Fuel cell, by the way, was one of the three BASF technology showcased in the exhibition. BASF's technology specifically focuses on membrane electrode units (MEAs), which are said to be the core of a fuel cell - where the chemical reactions that produce energy from the hydrogen take place. You can check out how fuel cells work (in animation) in BASF's website.

A BASF official also mentioned that the company and the German Aerospace Center (DLM) conducted on September 30 the first manned airplane that can start and fly only by using a fuel cell. The fuel cell is said to be based on a high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) that uses BASF's MEA technology.

Halloween is coming and there is nothing more scary than a report that said the bottled water you're drinking has fertilizer, bacteria and drugs in it.

The US bottled water industry is trying to douse the flames of allegations made by the public health advocate Environmental Working Group (EWG), and this time it's not about plastics (although EWG mentioned a little bit about that too).

EWG released a report on Tuesday stating that laboratory tests conducted for EWG found ten brands of bottled water purchased from grocery stores and other retailers in nine states and the District of Columbia contain mixtures of 38 different pollutants, including bacteria, fertilizer, Tylenol and industrial chemicals, with some brands at levels no better than tap water.

The report mentioned contaminants found in branded bottled water being sold in Walmart's Sam's Choice in California. The contaminants are said to exceed bottled water quality standards and safety levels for carcinogens under the state's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act.

In Washington DC, Giant Food's Acadia brand reportedly contains high levels of cancer-causing chlorination byproducts found in the suburban tap water from which it is made.

Here's more drama brewing in the world of bisphenol A (BPA).

A US Congressional committee, which has been investigating the BPA issue since January, is said to be investigating a possible instance of conflict of interest involving the chairman of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel on BPA, Martin Philbert.

Philbert is said to be also the head of a research center that received a $5 million donation from Charles Gelman, a retired medical equipment manufacturer who has stated that BPA is "perfectly safe" and has also indicated that he has told Dr. Philbert of his opinion several times.

Do you know that information and communications technologies (that includes your laptops and PCs, data centers and computing networks, mobile phones, and telecommunications networks...) is going to be, if it isn't yet, one of the biggest carbon emitters on earth?

Now you know...

P.S.1 If you want to know more, just register for free. And no, I don't work for McKinsey...and yes, I'm being lazy.

P.S.2 If McKinsey's advice doesn't work, you can always shelve out more cash and ask for advice from IBM's new Green Sigma Consulting.

P.S.3 Or just buy Apple's new green MacBook line, which was launched yesterday. The new MacBook line is said to meet stringent energy and environmental standards; do not contain brominated flame retardants; use only PVC-free internal cables and components; and use energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury- free and made with arsenic-free glass.

"In California, they don't throw their garbage away - they make it into TV shows." - Woody Allen.

In terms of news, we previously posted GE's project of using chicken biogas in Beijing; the happy California dairy cows biogas project by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.; and yesterday's post of producing hydrogen from sewage by reserchers from the Oregon State University.

In May, Reuters also featured several trashy articles on the growing profitability of garbage.

Some more recent research in the market of rubbish includes production of biofuels from the biorefining of combined municipal solid waste and after-harvest ag waste, being developed by the research agency of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA); turning swine waste into electricity to be developed by Progress Energy Carolinas and GreenCo Solutions, Inc.; and more biogas from liquid waste such as sewage, sludge, manure and certain industrial and oil-based liquid wastes, with the technology already being commercialized by Magnegas Corporation.

Truthfully, it is really good to hear about these projects progressing. Garbage is one thing that the world is happy to get rid of... although now that I think of it, if we don't have garbage, I wonder where will rats and worms get their food from? This could be the start of several species extinction...

Speaking of wind energy, there have been so many global investment news lately in this area which I'll cite some examples in another post.

For now here are the top ten state spenders on wind turbine technology, as reported by consulting firm BCC Research. The report also estimated the state's forecast expenditures for wind turbine components and systems by 2013.

Good news for bat lovers! Wind energy supplier Iberdrola Renewables is conducting a study on the interaction between bats and wind turbines because of the growing concern of high death rates of bats near wind farms.

Iberdrola has partnered with conservation group Bat Conservation International (BCI) for wildlife data collection at a southwestern Pennsylvania wind power project. Researchers from both groups are conducting a controlled experiment from late July to early October in which selected wind turbines at the Casselman Wind Power Project in Pennsylvania were stopped during certain wind conditions.

The researchers are trying to check if shutting down turbines at certain wind speeds and during periods when bats appear most vulnerable (such as during late-summer migration seasons) will reduce bat deaths.

"Although it was crucial for this study, curtailing turbine operations is not likely to be the complete solution to reducing the impact on bats in all circumstances, just one part of it," company officials said. "The new information generated by the Casselman project will be useful in improving many techniques for reducing wildlife risk at those wind power sites where there are significant impacts to bats.

ICIS Chemical Business (the magazine I work for) published yesterday its feature on Innovations and most innovations nowadays it seems is focused on the environment.

Specialty chemicals company Rhodia is certainly on top of this trend as they talked about how sustainability issues are largely affecting their R&D projects during my visit to their Center for Research and Technology in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Rhodia said 30% of their overall company sales last year are generated by products that offer sustainable solutions.

A consultant from UK-based Sagentia, Chris Richardson, also talked about green chemistry, what it means, and how chemical companies can capitalize on its opportunities.

"Business leaders should review both business development and technology strategies in order to understand how to deploy green chemistry to improve their environmental credentials, secure the bottom line and gain essential commercial advantage."

organizations that are able to embrace the sustainability challenge are more likely to succeed.

Finally, ICIS also published yesterday in the magazine the winners for its 5th ICIS Innovation Award, which was sponsored by Dow Corning. The winners include:

1. ExxonMobil Chemical and Tonen Chemical for their polymer-based battery separator film for lithium ion batteries;
2. Virent Energy Systems for their processing technology in producing hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals from plant sugars
3. DSM Nutritional Products for their "Sight and Life Project" with the United Nation World Food Program;
4. Dow Chemical in their project to reuse city wastewater effluent as process water.

According to John Baker, who launched and runs the awards at ICIS:

"Environmental and social benefits formed a strong theme in this year's entries, regardless of which category was being entered. This is an encouraging trend, highlighting the fact that companies are taking wider issues into account when planning and prioritizing innovation projects."

Hopefully with these new ideas, the chemical industry will soon regain its former glory as the champion of innovation (that crown I think is now in the hands of the electronics industry), and be able to help Mother Earth be healthy again at the same time.

California's prison system is aiming to be the greenest in the US as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) already started installing 16 energy efficiency projects that expects to save more than 28 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, 650,000 therms of natural gas and 22.5 million pounds of carbon-dioxide gases.

Completion of all projects is expected by the end of 2008 and are projected to result in $3.2 million in annual savings to California taxpayers, according to CDCR.

"These energy conservation and retrofit projects are great examples of the innovative public-private partnerships that I envisioned when issuing my Green Initiative Executive Order," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "By utilizing green technology, our prison system is improving the environment and maximizing taxpayer dollars, and it is my hope that others across the state and nation will follow this example."

No, you won't see any soybean plant sprouting in men's bathroom anytime soon.

This No-Flush urinal does not only saves water but the resin being used is made up of 30% soybean-based resin. US-based Waterless Company LLC, the maker of the urinals, said the weight percentage of soy resins in their product will likely increase as the manufacturing technology evolves.

"The High Performance Composite urinal models look and function just as its other waterless urinals do," says Niki Bradley, marketing manager for Waterless Co. LLC. "Users will notice no appearance or functionality difference. However, each urinal will come with a label stating that it is made partially with soybean resin."

Here is an instructional video on how to clean and maintain a Waterless urinal. It sounds a little gross but my big question is why do men throw away bottle caps and bubble gums in their urinals???

Here's one interesting development in the hydrogen arena.

Researchers in the College of Engineering at Oregon State University said they have developed a technology for producing hydrogen gas using several types of biowaste including ordinary municipal sewage. The hydrogen produced is said to be at a much lower cost than using the traditional "electrolysis" technology.

"In the laboratory we're already quite close to the Department of Energy hydrogen cost goal of $2 to $3 per gasoline gallon equivalent, or GGE," said Hong Liu, an OSU assistant professor of biological and ecological engineering. "With some additional research it should be possible to scale these systems up to levels needed for commercial use."

Imagine sewage systems all over the world that produces hydrogen and clean water at the same time!

The blog's weekly green news will now appear every Monday as it seems easier to gather information while watching Sunday night football...

Brazil likes bioplastic
US bioplastic producer Cereplast is supplying 2 million pounds of Cereplast Compostable resin to Canguru Embalagens Ltda., a Brazilian manufacturer of single-use food service items, and to a Brazil-based subsidiary of a global agribusiness and food company, for the next two years.

Bioenergy in chem production
Specialty chemical company Lanxess is building a biomass-based cogeneration plant in Porto Feliz, Brazil, to supply energy to the company's inorganic pigments manufacturing facility located within the site.

Here is a sneak peek of my incoming article "Green Chemicals Movement in Japan" for ICIS Chemical Business' October 27 issue.

This is an excerpt of my interview with Junko Edahiro, co-founder and co-chief executive of the non-profit group Japan for Sustainability (JFS).

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JAPAN MIGHT be considered one the greenest industrialized countries in the world (if not the greenest), but nonprofit group Japan for Sustainability (JFS) thinks there is still room for improvement, especially in the country's manufacturing and energy sectors.

JFS co-founder and co-chief executive Junko Edahiro points out that the Voluntary Action Plan initiated by Japan Business Federation Nippon Keidanren in 1997 has not really been effective in lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Under the Keidanren plan, 35 industry sectors, which include the chemical industry, are expected to lower their GHG emissions below the 1990 level of 512m tons of CO2 equivalent. In Keidanren's 2007 report, overall CO2 emissions in 2006 were said to be 0.2% lower compared with the level from a year earlier, and 1.5% lower versus 1990.

The country's largest taxi fleet association, Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (MTBOT), is making its heaviest case against the mandated use of hybrids for cabs in New York City.

Not only are hybrids currently expensive but according to MTBOT's research , they are not manufacturer-approved to be used as taxicabs and they are found to be unsafe when modified with the partitions required by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC).

MTBOT's attorney said hybrid manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, Ford, GM and Nissan have all refused to certify the crashworthiness of their hybrid NYC taxicabs modified with hard, bulletproof partitions, and shifted the responsibility to the federal government.

So far, MTBOT said the government does not require crash-test for the hybridized modified taxi. I wonder what Mayor Bloomberg will say to this...as soon as he takes off his mind about a possible run for a third term re-election.

Here are some of the new industrial developments in the soybean arena brought to you by the United Soybean Board:

Soy is hip for skaters
Comet Skateboards has partnered with e2e Materials to develop a new skateboard made from soy-based products. The new skateboards are made entirely from plant fibers and a resin derived from soy protein.

Soy bioresin everywhere
UK-based Cambridge Biopolymers is developing different products made from soy bioresin. Some of the applications for the bioresin include timber boards, laminates, furniture, moldings, glass-fiber insulation, foundry sands and casting materials and non-wovens.

Soy: Good for you, bad for mosquitoes
A methyl soyate larvicide is currently being developed in partnership with Stepan Company and BVA oils to control West Nile Virus mosquitoes. The first aerial testing was done in July and further aerial testing is expected next year.

Can the green industry help reverse the current unemployment rise in the US?

According to the NY Times last week, the Department of Labor reported the month of September as the worst unemployment record in five years, with 760,000 jobs lost in the past nine consecutive months.

This does not even include the effects of the recent Wall Street collapse.

This recent report from the Department of Energy might ease some of the pain if commercialization of fuel cells in transportation, stationary and portable power sectors will come to fruition.

According to the DOE, around 675,000 jobs could open over the next 25 years if Congress could aggressively implement President Bush's 2003 Hydrogen Fuel Initiative worth $1.2bn (seems paltry compared to the $700bn bailout, doesn't it?)

Unfortunately, the first fuel cell vehicles are expected to come out on the market by 2010-2012 so there are still a few more years to wait before these job openings will start trickling in.

The green blogger is back although still shaken from the aftermath of hurricane "office work". Before beginning to scan the world wide green news, this tidbit of information from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) caught the attention of the blog, which might make someone think twice about people carrying their laptops or cameras on the plane.

From January 2007 to September 25, 2008, twenty-one battery incidents around the world - most of them involving lithium - were listed by the FAA . 96 air incidents involving batteries were recorded since March 20, 1991.

Here's one example that happened on August 8, 2008:

While in flight, a passenger on American Airlines flight 1539 from Washington National to Dallas Ft Worth, noticed his Dell laptop was smoking. The passenger removed the battery pack and gave it to a flight attendant. The flight attendant placed the battery in a coffee pot in the aft gallery and poured water and Sprite on it. Dell has been advised of the incident.

You can't check-in batteries that are not installed in electronic devices. Carry-on or checked in gadgets with batteries that have more than 25 grams (~300 watt hours) of lithium ion content are also not allowed. And passengers are limited to just two large spare rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in carry-on baggage.

So, in addition to checking the amount of shampoo and conditioner you carry in your air travels, you might want to check the content of lithium ion in your electronic gadgets as well.

And always have two free cups of water (as you might have to pay for the Sprite) just in case your flight seat mate likes to use his/her computer a lot.

A press release sent by Organic Monitor reported that the European Market for Natural & Organic Cosmetics is expected to break the US $2 billion barrier for the first time this year.

"High market growth rates are occurring across Europe as consumers increasingly demand 'chemically-clean' and ecological cosmetics. Mainstreaming is leading to new product launches in supermarkets, hypermarkets, discount stores, drugstores and department stores."

In the past ten years up to 2007, global sales of fairtrade products is said to have grown seventy-fold to reach an estimated total of $3.5bn in 2007, with sales increasing by 47% in 2007 alone.

Posts from the green blog will still be sporadic for the next three days due to increasing work pressures (say it ain't so Joe!). I am happy to note, however, that the weekly roundup was made possible by sheer persistence (and late night caffeine) despite its delay.

Biofoam in cushions
Cushion manufacturer Carpenter Co. has adopted Cargill's soybean-based BiOH polyols for its new Renew™ brand of foam cushioning, that are said to be fully recyclable and available in a wide assortment of firmness and densities.

Asbestos haunts Exxon
The Louisiana First Court of Appeal affirmed a trial court's 2006 judgment awarding substantial damages to the family of a former ExxonMobil employee, Bruce Spillman of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who died of mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer, in 2005.

The green blogger is indisposed for the rest of the week doing her real job. She promised to make it up for it next week. For now, here is September's new green chemical picks to chew on:

1. Rohm and Haas plastic additive - Rohm and Haas showcased a new additive Paraloid™ BPMS 250 melt strength enhancer for use in polylactic acid plastic in clear packaging applications such as thermoform or vacuform disposable, clamshell-type food containers.