December 2008 Archives

The incoming year could be a big year for Green chemistry. US president-elect Obama promises to boost the green energy market while industry talks of more chemical restriction from Congress will also boost development of alternative "green" chemicals. Another major development is California's Green Chemistry Initiative where the state has already jumpstarted its rule-making process to restrict certain chemicals and increase development for green chemicals. California also adopted the first statewide green building standards in the US which will become mandatory in 2010.

My 2008 prediction of more chemical restriction has taken place. Phthalates in certain kids' products will soon be banned under the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act in the US. Norway bannedthe flame retardant deca-BDE in April while Canada bans polycarbonate baby bottles with bisphenol-A. European Union's Reach (registration, evaluation, authorization of chemicals) is ongoing although there seems to be trouble implementing that regulation.

Another prediction that took place (yes, I'm already patting myself on the back) is the record clean tech investment this year despite global recession that started in the second half of the year. I am predicting that more clean tech investments will take place in 2009.

Plastic bag and water bottle bans will continue plaguing the chemical industry just as what happened this year, while PVC, BPA and phthalates will still be a big issue for consumer advocates. California, by the way, is also proposing to ban polystyrene food containers.

The chemical industry overall might be in the slump right now but I don't think R&D on green chemicals/product innovation will slow down. In fact, green innovation might speed up in 2009 as this is one way to boost demand from their customers. We will see if I'm right (or wrong) in the second half of next year.

Finally, climate change will still be at the center of debate and regulatory policies worldwide. The world might be in recession but if (heaven forbid) another natural calamity struck, you can bet environmental groups and some scientists will blame it on global warming.

Here's a nice video to wish you all a Happy Green New Year!

California's Environmental Protection Agency created a wiki website inviting anybody and everybody who has interests in the agency's ongoing Green chemistry rule making process. The agency says it will spur discussions and new ideas as the state's green chemistry regulations are being drafted.

"This wiki information gathering process is a precursor to the formal rulemaking process required by the California Administrative Procedure Act (APA) which Cal/EPA's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) will begin when a full set of draft regulations have been developed."

The holiday season again brought more toy safety issues from consumer advocates and although this advice is probably late (since most already threw out tons of ripped boxes that house their kids' gifts), it might still be worthwhile checking in the internet to see if your toys are safe, according to nonprofit group Ecology Center.

The group released early this month its second annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in toys at www.HealthyToys.org. In their list of 1,500 popular children's toys tested for lead, cadmium, arsenic, PVC and other harmful chemicals, one in three toys tested were reportedly found to contain "medium" or "high" levels of chemicals of concern.

Slow news during the holidays enable me to compile two weeks worth of green news roundup. Here they are in no particular order:

Ford likes Sabic resins
Ford might be too busy begging for bailout money but its R&D for fuel-efficient car is still ongoing (R&D is definitely needed for them to survive!). Sabic says its lightweight Noryl GTX resins is being incorporated in Ford's all-new Kuga model to help meet fuel economy and emission targets.

Lithium ion joint venture
GS Yuasa and Honda Motor Co. formed a joint venture company which will manufacture, sell and conduct R&D for high-performance lithium-ion batteries focusing on hybrid vehicles. The two companies will begin establishing the new company around spring 2009.

I wonder if any kids (or adults) got this cool hydrogen racing car for their holiday present? According to Amazon.com, this 3-pound H-Racer uses a real fuel cell and has its own on-board hydrogen storage system.

I saw this car in Liberty Science Center in New Jersey and I heard BASF supplied the fuel cell component (I have to check this information though).

Along with the car includes a fueling station, instruction Guide and solar panel. You can make your own hydrogen fuel by just adding water to the stations tank and flick the switch. Fueling is said to be animated by a special blue light display. The H-Racer requires about 20 minutes of simple assembly and will operate for about 4 minutes (or approx. 100m) from a full hydrogen tank.

Arbor Scientific sells the product for $87+. If anybody got this for Christmas (or Hannukah/Kwanzaa), let me know what you think about it.

Unfortunately this model does not have remote control capability but if you really want that, you have to wait until March 2009 for the new H-Racer 2.0. Arbor Scientific says it will have infrared remote control and steering capability. Hint: My birthday is in March!

Christmas is over, school is out (at least temporarily) and I am finally able to get a few moments to access the internet and wish the green blog readers a very Happy Holidays!

I've been compiling news announcements of several green consumer products launch for months in time for the holidays. I wonder if they're really eco-friendly or is this just another marketing ploy to grab consumers' green bucks. The question is: With the economic recession in full force, will green product innovation suffer?

1. Eco-friendly mattress - Simmons Bedding Company launched early this year its Natural Care mattresses featuring natural latex, soy-based polyols from Dow Chemical, and fabric cover made from wood fibers. I hope they don't come with natural bedbugs!

The green blogger is apologizing for the erratic posts as she is banned from spreading her cold virus including using her keyboard and mouse. Right now she is sneaking in to post this very important news about president-elect Obama announcing his new climate change gurus for his Science and Technology Team.

Physicist and climate change policy advocate John Holdren will become Obama's Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Assistant to the President's Council of Advisers for Science and Technology (PCAST). Holdren is a professor and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, as well as President and Director of the Woods Hole Research Center.

Another climate change expert who has advocated forceful government policy is Jane Lubchenco, who was nominated to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Lubchenco is an environmental scientist, ecologist and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Other nominations include Eric Lander and Harold Varmus as co-chairs of PCAST. Varmus served as Director of the National Institutes of Health during the Clinton Administration while Lander is the Founding Director of the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard and said to be one of the driving forces behind mapping the human genome.

The next four years will definitely see a very different environmental policies compared to the eight years of Bush administration. For more on Obama's plans on science and global warming issues, you can watch his announcement on the video below:

California's Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) released yesterday its final Green Chemistry Initiative proposals that aims to eliminate or reduce toxic chemicals in California's products and manufacturing processes.

Six policies were recommended:

• EXPAND POLLUTION PREVENTION and product stewardship programs.

• DEVELOP GREEN CHEMISTRY WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING through new and existing educational programs and partnerships.

• CREATE AN ONLINE PRODUCT INGREDIENT NETWORK to disclose chemical ingredients for products sold in California, while protecting trade secrets.

• CREATE AN ONLINE TOXICS CLEARINGHOUSE, an online database of chemical toxicity and hazards populated with the guidance of a Green Ribbon Science Panel to help prioritize chemicals of concern and data needs.

• ACCELERATE THE QUEST FOR SAFER PRODUCTS, creating a systematic, science-based process to evaluate chemicals of concern and alternatives to ensure product safety and reduce or eliminate the need for chemical-by-chemical bans.

• MOVE TOWARD A CRADLE-TO-CRADLE ECONOMY, establishing a California Green Products Registry to develop green metrics and tools (e.g., environmental footprint calculators, sustainability indexes) for a range of consumer products and encourage their use by businesses.

It turns out that hybrids are not recession-proof after all. Prius manufacturer Toyota said that they are suspending the construction of their new plant in Mississippi because of the downfall in US auto demand.

The plant was expected to produce Prius hybrids beginning in mid-2010. Toyota said they have no timetable in resuming the project.

According to Associated Press, the facility is 90% completed but equipments have not been ordered yet. Total US Toyota sales is said to have fallen by 34% in November.

The world's first biobased-succinic acid plant with a capacity of 2,000 metric tons/year is already under construction in Pomacle, France, according to white biotech company Bioamber, a joint venture between US-based DNP Green Technology and France-based ARD.

Bioamber was launched in April 2008.

The biosuccinic acid can use various renewable feedstock such as sugar cane, wheat, corn, rice, lignocellulose and glycerin. Succinic acid and succinate esters are used as building blocks in the production of chemicals such as plastics, resins, deicers, solvents and fuel additives.

Bioamber is expected to announce in the coming months new strategic partnerships, contract sales of bio-based succinic acid and the out-licensing of the technology platform to third parties through turn-key packages.

The plant, which is being financed by ARD for $27m, will begin production in the fall of 2009.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is sharing some holiday tips when it comes to recycling. ACC says Americans will generate this holiday season an extra 5 million tons of garbage.

"During the excitement of the holidays, it's easy to forget about the extra waste we generate, but recycling plastics can be refreshingly easy," says Jennifer Killinger with the ACC. "Turning reuse and recycling tips into household habits will help reduce trash, and help protect our environment, year-round."

President-elect Barack Obama plans to hold a press conference today to formally announce members of his energy and environment team, according to the NY Times. The rollout is expected to include Steven Chu for energy secretary, Lisa Jackson as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Carol Browner to lead the policy council on environment and energy, and Nancy Sutley to direct the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu is said to be a strong advocate of alternative and renewable energy research and would be the first Asian-American to lead the department. Scanning the world wide web of intrigues, it seems that Chu is against coal but a proponent of nuclear energy. I wonder how that will sit with environmentalists? But according to several other green blogs, Chu will be very much welcomed in the bossom of green groups.

Thanks to Jeff (of Apco Worldwide) for providing me with this news about Dow Corning investing several billion dollars to construct a new monosilane manufacturing facility in Hemlock, Michigan, and a new site in a new site in Clarksville, Tennessee, to increase manufacturing capacity for polycrystalline silicon.

Dow Corning says the investment will provide critical raw materials to solar cell manufacturers. Crystalline-based solar cells use sliced polysilicon as its main semi-conducting material, while thin-film solar cells are made by depositing a thin film of silicon, enabled by monosilane, onto a sheet of another material such as glass.

The company also emphasized the fact that this kind of manufacturing investment will provide new, high-paying jobs to revitalize the US economy. These type of investments could also prove that the chemical manufacturing industry in the US is far from dead. We need chemical manufacturing in order for the world to be green and stay in modern civilization at the same time!

You can read the official press release here. Other recent solar-related announcements made by Dow Corning are also listed on the press release.

The weird NY warm/freezing weather of December (and deadline work/school pressures) has unfortunately struck the green blogger with a very bad case of cold and unable to form a coherent post.

She will try to get some worthwhile green information while recovering but for now will leave you with last week's news roundup.

Air Products in Solar
Air Products has signed a turnkey gas supply contract to provide on-site gases, liquid bulk gases, specialty gases and gas equipment to China's Best Solar Hi Tech Co., Ltd, which is building a new thin-film photovoltaic (PV) facility in the Wuzhong Economic Development Park in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.

Bioproducts trials
Packaging distributor Vital Products has conducted several additional commercial trials of its new Bio-Based packaging foam technology. The company says it has begun the process of converting their customers over to their new Bio-Based foam products.

The green blogger is indisposed for the next three days due to assignments and deadline overload. She'll be back as soon as she's resuscitated by small doses of shopping.

Instead of love, it's "give lead on Christmas Day...", according to environmental analyst Joe Laqatra of Cornell College of Human Ecology.

According to his study, which is published in the December issue of the Journal of Environmental Health, lead levels in indoor/outdoor Christmas lights that they tested were all said to be above regulatory limits for equivalent areas of windowsills and floors set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Unfortunately, there are no standards for lead content that exist as of yet for Christmas lights, according to the researchers.

Lead (about 2-5%) is said to be used in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) jacketing of the Christmas light cords to make them resistant to heat, light, and moisture damage. The researchers said lead in the Christmas lights could be ingested from hand-to-mouth contact after handling the lights; and can also be released into the air during installation and removal. At present, they said that there is no way to know how much lead exists in jacketing or in various products without independent testing.

I sometimes see used and [or] broken wooden cabinets, chairs and even tables on the sidewalk during recycled trash pick-up and often wonder what is their worth for recycling. Now that I know wood chips for fuel are in demand worldwide, I might have to start supplementing my meager income by picking up wooden trash (and maybe a few aluminum and glass containers) on the street.

According to Green Energy Resources, it is currently soliciting 500,000 tons of woodchips from New York metropolitan area suppliers including Long Island and Philadelphia to meet export demand in 2009. They said they will accept clean recycled wood for a tipping fee to generate new revenues as well. Right now, Green Energy Resources offers NY/ NJ Suppliers $30 Per Ton for Clean Hardwood Chips.

The company said it just expanded its Linden, New Jersey port operations for export of wood pellets, cubes and briquettes. It also has its Staten Island port that stores over a million tons of woodchips and biomass for international and domestic consumption.

Members of the European Union are finding out that it is not that easy to implement any type of green-based regulations as what is happening with their Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and Electronic Recycling Law.

A report from ICIS News (subscription required) alerted the green blog that the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) - the US Congress' "detective" agency - released a study this week stating that the first phase (2005-2007) implementation of EU's ETS has currently minimal impact in lessening their greenhouse gas emission as well as driving clean technology investments, partly blamed by the the short time frame in the ETS implementation.

With the next US administration also looking to implement its own version of carbon emissions trading, GAO advices that based on the EU ETS experience, the Congress should consider [1] the importance of historic emissions data availability and reliability; [2] the need for long-term certainty to encourage investments in less-carbon-intensive technologies; and [3] the importance of the design and implementation of allocating carbon allowances, which will have significant economic effects.

Many energy intensive industries such as power/electricity companies, refining, chemicals, steel, cement, etc., are afraid that the government implementing any carbon trading regulation will force companies to be less competitive to countries that don't have any climate policies and will ultimately drive them to relocate production overseas.

Soybean-based food products for infants and kids such as soy milk (even soy sauce and edamame?) that are imported from China is now ban from Europe, according to today's statement from the European Commission.

The Commission was informed by the Member States of the European Union that high levels of melamine have been found in China-imported soybean meal. As a precaution, baking powders from China area also being tested for melamine levels.

Europe is said to import about 68,000 tonnes of various soy-based products (worth EUR 34m) that includes soybeans, soy flour and meal, soy sauce, soy protein concentrates and textured protein substances.

Plastic packaging is not the only one seeing big changes (e.g. more demand for recycled, bio-based plastic products). Pulp and paper companies are also being affected by the green demand in packaging, whether from their industrial or consumer-based customers.

Soy ingredient company Solae, for one, is changing all of its product packaging by eliminating as much chemicals that it used as possible. Solae says starting this month, it will use brown kraft paper bags like the one in grocery stores, instead of bleached white bags. The company said Kraft paper is a 100% biodegradable natural product and decomposes within a few weeks.

I thought all paper, white or brown, are biodegradable and compostable???

All of their packaging bags will be made of Kraft paper by July 2009.

Green bucks is usually the best donation for a worthwhile cause but I guess biobased materials will also do.

Cargill said it teamed up with its customer Healthier Choice, a premium carpet cushion manufacturer, in donating over 1,500 square feet of carpet cushion and underlayment made in part with Cargill's BiOH polyols to Habitat for Humanity's eco-friendly homes somewhere in Crystal, Minnesota.

The polyol is made of vegetable oils such as soybean. Cargill said Healthier Choice started using BiOH polyols throughout their product line since January 2008.

The donated cushion and underlayment will be installed in Habitat's first Twin Cities home to seek "green" certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Cargill will also be making additional donations of environmentally friendly furniture and mattresses directly to the family that will be living in the home upon completion of construction.

Various groups, companies, associations and industries seem to be eager to present their own blueprints to the incoming administration on how to create green American jobs starting next year.

In this instance, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), comprised of over 800 member companies that manufacture, distribute, sell, design, own, install and finance solar power plants and systems in the US, is asking the incoming Obama administration to set up economic and energy policies that will guarantee new jobs coming from the solar industry.

Immediate priorities, which can create (according to SEIA) more than 1 million jobs by 2011 if enacted by the end of 2009, include improve solar tax credits; increase government procurement; tax incentives for manufacturing; and a federal renewable portfolio standard.

I seem to be getting a lot of animal-based news this week. Here's another one forwarded by my secret informant from the American Oil Chemists Society.

A company called Mr. Ellie Pooh (yes, that is really their name) has recently received CO-OP America's 2008 Green Business Leader Award. This innovative Brooklyn, NY-based company sells 100% handmade journals, stationery, office supplies and various grades of paper made partially from Sri Lankan elephant dung.

Mr. Ellie Pooh paper products are said to be made up of 75% elephant dung and 25% post consumer paper. Only basic bonding agents such as alum and rosin, and water soluble salt dyes for coloring are used in its process.

According to CO-OP America, Sri Lankan elephants are killed not for their tusks, hides or meat but because they are in the way of agricultural crops, and that Mr. Ellie Pooh is working to encourage farmers to see elephants as a sustainable economic resource.

Along with their Sri Lankan partner and paper-production company Maximus, Mr. Ellie Pooh plans to introduce "Project Peace Paper," which would open paper re-cycling plants in rural areas, train villagers in paper making techniques and sell finished goods worldwide in order to contribute to the local economy.

Congratulations to Mr. Ellie Pooh and may your company prosper! Now that's a cause that should not be sniffed at!

The emperor of retailers has formed its own Green Jobs Council comprising representatives from Wal-Mart's kingdoms ..err..divisions, as well as representatives from its suppliers across various industries.

Wal-Mart said the Green Council will facilitate the creation of US green jobs starting off with Wal-Mart's recent initiative to source some of its Texas stores' electricity from wind farms.

"..by bringing these companies together and working collaboratively we can help develop a larger green job workforce in this country."

Wal-Mart said more than 30 suppliers participated in meeting, including large and small companies such as BP Solar, Dematic, General Electric, HydroPoint Data Systems, Lennox, ReCold, Schneider Electric, SwissLog, Systecon, Thermastor, and Zurn.

An interesting development from the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) is the manufacture of polymethyl methacrylate, also known as acrylic glass, made from natural sugars, alcohols or fatty acids using a certain enzyme called 2-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA mutase.

The scientists involved in the project discovered the enzyme in a newly isolated bacterial strain they found while searching for bacteria to break down the pollutant MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether).

It is expected that will take about four years to establish the bacterial system in pilot plant for natural acrylic glass manufacture.

You'd think the chemical industry has big problems when it comes to carbon emissions, but the US agriculture industry is said to be in a state of panic about the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

The EPA has been gathering comments, which ended last week Friday, about its proposed GHG rule, and according to several farmers association, it would include regulating GHG emitted by dairy and livestock farms.

According to the New York Farm Bureau, any operation with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs would have to obtain GHG permits from the EPA in order to continue to operate, claiming that farm animals are emitting massive amounts of greenhouse gases.GHG fees for the animals could be as high as $175 per cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle, and $20 per hog.

The Texas Farm Bureau also commented that farmers will not be able to pass along such costs, and that the proposed rule will drive them overseas or out of business altogether.

"While American producers will be pressured economically by a higher cost structure, foreign producers would benefit by the economic crisis imposed on the American farmer."

The proposed rule also garnered several resounding "NO WAY" comments from chemical companies as well as companies and associations from other energy-intensive industries such as coal, petroleum, cement, electric power, aviation, dairy foods, etc.

ICIS co-blogger Barbara Ortner told me two weeks ago that my post about the top 10 wind turbine spenders in the US are registering more than a hundred visits per day. Meanwhile, I've been getting so many press release about wind energy investments, joint ventures, etc. in the past few weeks (see some examples below).

The NY Times also reported yesterday a story about wind generating companies in Wyoming offering deals to various land owners so they can set up their wind turbine farms. Instead of the old Gold and Oil rush stories, I guess several states are now seeing the equivalent of Wind Rush fever.

I just hope the US wind energy market is more resistant to economic recession for the market to continue to expand. According to Houston, Texas-based wind energy company National Wind Solutions (NWND), there have been reports of canceled alternative energy projects including up to $1 billion in wind power projects as of last week. NWND says even with the current economy, it is determine to "face the wind" rather than turn its back on it.

Of course, there is the incentive that the Obama Administration will give lots and lots of tax credit for alternative energy investments starting next year...

Here are some of the new green chemicals introduced in November. I'm predicting a lot more of these new "green" alternatives will come out next year...

1. Ticona's green flame retardant - Ticona Engineering Polymers launched its halogen-free enhanced Celanex® 6842 flame retardant series with improved processability and equivalent properties that give designers and manufacturers a "drop-in" option for use in eco-friendly electrical and electronic components.

2. ICL reduces mercury emissions - ICL Industrial Products launched its Merquel(TM) inorganic bromides product line for reduction of mercury emissions from coal fired power plants, kilns and incinerators.

Now that California is implementing its Green Chemistry law, the state's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is looking for candidates to fill its Green Ribbon Science Panel slots. The Panel is comprised of experts that will provide advice on scientific matters, chemical policy recommendations and implementation strategies. DTSC says the Panel will ensure that implementation efforts are based on a strong scientific foundation.

California's Green Chemistry law establishes authority for DTSC to develop regulations that create a process for identifying and prioritizing chemicals of concern, and to create methods for analyzing alternatives to existing hazardous chemicals. It also allows DTSC to take certain actions following an assessment that range from "no action" to "restrictions or bans."

I'm looking at my green crystal ball and see a lot of changes within the chemical industry next year...

I am back this week and proud to say that I [along with my sisters] did our best to help our ailing economy by shopping non-stop for two days. I am not sure, however, if I want to see my bills that will arrive before Christmas.

Speaking of shopping, there was no noticeable plastic shopping bag ban or limited use of plastic bags imposed in any supermarket and other stores that I came across for the past 5 days. I did not notice any promotion of green-theme products although most of the appliances (and some electronics) I saw already have energy-saving features on them.

I guess when money is tight, cheap still prevails over environment-friendly unless the products are cheap and green. We will continue to monitor the green shopping trend for the rest of the year, but for now, here are the blog's green news roundup.

Bio-succinic on the way
The University of Georgia Research Foundation has licensed to French specialty chemical company Roquette the production and sales of bio-succinic acid and its salts. A demonstration plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2009, and multi-ton production is expected to start in 2010.

Enzymes for chemicals
Codexis has licensed Dyadic International's C1 expression system for large-scale production of enzymes in certain fields including biofuels and chemical and pharmaceutical intermediate production.