January 2009 Archives

I just received a press release from the American Chemistry Council (ACC) berating Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to tax New York city residents on their use of grocery plastic bags.

City Hall proposed that stores charge customers a 5 cent fee for each plastic carryout bag, which would raise $84m/year for the city. New York City would be the only major U.S. city to charge its residents a tax on grocery bags, says ACC.

"Taxes on plastic bags don't make sense for the environment. The overwhelming majority of states and cities that have looked at this issue have concluded that recycling is the sound solution for reducing waste and controlling litter," said Sharon Kneiss, ACC vice president of products divisions.

As a NYC resident, I totally agree. I use cloth bag but it's not often that I remember to carry it with me when I impulsively decide to go to the corner pharmacy or grocery store. And it will now cost me 5c. just to line my little bathroom waste can!

Phosphates' doomed fate in detergent cleaners will probably be sealed this week as big box retailer Wal-Mart announced its plans to reduce phosphates in laundry and dish detergents sold in the Americas by 70% by 2011.

Wal-Mart said phosphates from detergents are a significant contributor to water pollution. Wal-Mart pointed out Procter & Gamble's Ariel Ecomax which is said to be Brazil's first phosphate-free detergent as an example of a successful phosphate reduction process by the cleaning products manufacturers.

Another sustainability initiatives in detergents announced this week by Wal-Mart is to have more concentrated laundry detergent products (2-3x more concentrated) in their shelves by 2012. Leading to that is their goal of a 5% packaging reduction in the Americas by 2013.

The retailer giant said they are going to work with their suppliers and various governments in the Americas to make sure their goals will be fulfilled. Wal-Mart said on their Sustainability Milestone meeting this week that they already cut down on the size of packaging used in its U.S. stores and that there were no phosphates in the detergent they sold in the US.

As the blog mentioned in the past, there's no doubt that the green trend is very much prevalent within the cleaning chemicals market although they prefer to call it more as sustainability. Within my first day at the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) meeting held in Florida, a sustainability wall postered with consumer product goods and chemical companies profiling their sustainability agenda for the cleaning market, greeted my arrival when I registered for the event.

Based on several interviews this week, one theme is always remarked upon: sustainability within the cleaning market is here to stay for the long run with the chemical industry as it's backbone.

Dow Chemical, which rolled out its second generation biodegradable surfactants this week for hard surface cleaning products (e.g. kitchen cleaners) remarked that without the chemical industry, consumers will not be able to get sustainable, eco-friendly and cost-conscious cleaning products that really works.

"When you see these companies launching these types of products such as Clorox's GreenWorks or Church & Dwight's concentrated Arm & Hammer Essentials Cleaner and Degreaser, you have to assume that chemical companies are behind them working to make these things happen," says a Dow official.

Chemical companies such as US-based Dow, France-based Rhodia and France-based Evonik all noted the increasing customer demand last year for more sustainable cleaning chemicals without the previous trade-offs in performance that is usually associated with "green cleaners."

"It has to be eco-friendly, cost competitive to traditional brands, and has comparative or even better performance or else consumers will not buy them," another chemical company official remarked.

An official from Evonik noted the increasing drive of major consumer product goods (CPG) companies toward compacted and more concentrated laundry detergents not only in packaging but in detergent forms such as tablets or gels. Dow Chemical said that those types take serious chemical reformulations to make them work.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) officials agreed on that statement and recalled the busted launched of their detergent tablet offerings several years ago in the US.

Interests in compacted detergents have risen back because of its lesser carbon footprint - less packaging, less water use, and more energy-efficient in production and transportation, but now with the same or improved performance compared to their bulkier counterparts.

P&G said they have already saved between 25% and 40% of the packaging that they used (depending on the detergent type) when they moved all of their liquid laundry detergents in the US and Europe to compacted forms. This was made possible by serious chemical reformulation.

So I hope environmental activists can give the chemical industry some breaks and maybe even a little recognition that without them, people will not be able to maintain their health, good hygiene and cleanliness and be eco-friendly at the same time.

The green blogger is attending the Soap and Detergent Association meeting in Florida and so posts for this week will be erratic (gotta do her daytime job diligently!). For now here is this week's news roundup which seem to be centered mostly on renewable energy.

Trash to Energy system
IST Energy launched its new GEM waste-to-energy conversion system, which affordably converts everyday trash into small pellets that are, in turn, converted into electricity and gas heat.The GEM is the first compact and mobile waste-to-energy system.

GM's $30m battery plant
General Motors Corp will invest $30 million in its planned U.S. lithium-ion battery pack manufacturing facility for its all-electric Chevrolet Volt. Preparation for the new Michigan plant will begin in early 2009, with production tooling to be installed mid-year and output starting in 2010.

I have not realized how vital the use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is in many products. Which is why it is probably taking DuPont and probably other PFOA producers and consumers years to develop an alternative chemical. The company's goal is to no longer produce, buy or use PFOA by 2015 or earlier if possible.

Unfortunately, trace levels of PFOA emissions have been found as an unintended byproducts in fluorotelomer products, such as those used in repellants and firefighting foams. For many years PFOA has been used as a processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers that went to a lot of products because of its versatile and durable and possess unique properties such as non-stick characteristics and heat and chemical-resistance.

A study was found that PFOA was present in the environment and the blood of the general population and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated in 2006 a voluntary stewardship program to reduce human and environmental exposure of the chemical.

DuPont says it was able to achieve significant progress on phasing out PFOA with the following activities:

Two interesting green chem joint ventures were announced this week.

Dow Chemical and German specialty chemicals company Sud-Chemie agreed to research alternative routes in producing chemicals. Converting synthesis gas from coal or biomass to chemicals is one such route, according to the companies. They aim to make this process more efficient and economically viable using innovative syngas catalysts.

They plan to initiate the program in April and experiments will be conducted in The Netherlands at Dow's Terneuzen site and at Sud-Chemie's catalyst research and development centers located in Germany and the U.S.

Also in the Netherlands, ingredient company Royal Cosun and technology firm Avantium said they will join forces to develop a specific process for the production of a new generation of bioplastics and biofuels from selected organic waste streams. Avantium is developing these bioplastics and biofuels under the name 'Furanics'.

The duration of the first phase of the collaboration will be approximately two years. With positive results, the companies intend to scale-up the production technology and implement it on commercial scale.

Apologies for not being able to post yesterday as I had to line up for registration to my next class which will start on January 26. I will not regale you with the horrors of my College enrollment and instead will hopefully cheer you up (and maybe myself) with the good news of expanding green recruitment.

According to this article from BusinessWeek, sustainability is said to be one of the few potential bright spots amidst the dismal recruiting environment. Which is mostly why schools in the US are ramping up their efforts to involve green curricula in their programs. Some business schools say enrollment for sustainability electives in their MBA programs have increased over the last four years.

I actually just attended a Sustainability Leadership event a few weeks ago in Farleigh Dickinson University and it was fascinating hearing how several sustainability management officers in their own fields got to their current positions. Most of them said that they have to mostly test the waters and experiment when it comes to putting out sustainability projects since there is no industry definition of what sustainability is really about. They also discussed the challenges of the current economic recession to their sustainability initiatives. Most agreed that sustainability has even become more important in order for companies to save money, and not just to become green.

Another year starts for chemical companies to strut their green stuff at numerous trade shows.

At this month alone, Rohm and Haas is gearing up for the incoming Sustainable Package Design Expo in Florida. The company says its focus is to educate users on the sustainability aspects of advanced adhesive technologies and newer laminating products in packaging. The company will also showcase adhesive solutions and additives for bioplastic packaging.

ICIS Chemical Business (the magazine I work for) published on Monday several interesting articles on the fields of green and chemistry.

I already mentioned in my previous post about the growth of carbon capture technology and its potential for chemical companies. An article titled "Green is in the air" interviewed Air Products' head of the Sustainability Council, Norma Curby who said that industrial gases are a vital component to enable the development of energy-efficient products and sustainable energy sources.

Speaking about the Green Inaugural Ball last night and as everybody was talking about Michelle Obama's making a fashion statement in her "Jason Wu" gown, this press release about re-fashioned plastic bag into couture dresses caught my eye. I was thinking this type of recycled clothing should be mandatory in any green-type events.

Boutique store EM& Co opened its first art exhibit in 2009 featuring wearable one-of-a kind dress pieces made from recycled plastic shopping bags. The exhibit displayed the works of four Los Angeles artists and designers, Khatia Esartia, Julia Sergeon, Ishi Glinsky, and EM.

"We chose to focus on the crinkly plastic shopping bag that you get at Home Depot and grocery stores. It is such a great medium to work with; very versatile, great texture," says EM & Co owner, Eveline Morel. "The dresses are very wearable, they're layered onto a silk slip, have lots of holes, keep you from overheating...to clean them, you can just hose them down, no ironing required."

Consumers are still becoming green-conscious despite the global financial crisis according to this recent report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

In a survey of 9,000 consumers in North America, Europe, China, and Japan, BCG says 34% of Europeans (up 2 percent from 2007) said they would continue to systematically look for and purchase green products. In the US, 16% of consumers were reportedly systematic shoppers for green products in 2008.

In the UK, 15% said they shop systematically for green products while in Japan, 11% of consumers are active green shoppers.

The most popular green behavior is said to be budget friendly such as turning off home electronics when not in use; using low-energy light bulbs and energy-efficient appliances; and purchasing locally produced products. Only 7% own a hybrid car, over 13% put money into an environmentally friendly investment fund, and only about 16% do not own a car.

BCG says although some consumers, particularly in China, are unwilling to pay a premium for green products, one-third of consumers across all the other countries surveyed would pay between 5 and 10% more for green products -- so long as they were convinced that the products offered direct benefits.

"Consumers greatly value the direct benefits that green products offer such as superior freshness and taste, the promise of safety and health, and savings on energy costs," says Joe Manget, coauthor of the report and a senior partner in BCG's Toronto office.

Non-profit advocate Institute for Liberty (IFL) released an announcement last week about how hypocritical green groups, celebrities and political advocates for climate change are as they celebrate today's presidential inauguration.

IFL reported that the inauguration will generate more than half-billion pounds of CO2 from the following:

• The 600 private jets expected to fly visitors to and from the event will produce 25,320,000 POUNDS of CO2

• Personal vehicles could account for 262,483,200 POUNDS of CO2

• In the Inaugural parade, horses alone will produce more than 400 POUNDS of CO2

• The total carbon footprint for the Inauguration will likely exceed 575 million POUNDS of CO2

• It would take the average U.S. household 57,598 years to produce a carbon footprint equal to that of the new president's housewarming party

The recent auto show in Detroit promises continued development for hybrids and electric cars. Despite looming bankruptcy and funding problems, the auto makers promised that they will still launched these cars as previously projected.

Honda Motors said they will even start selling their next-generation low-cost hybrid cars Insight next month in Japan, followed by Europe and the US in succeeding months. Honda said it would price the Insight below 2 million yen ($22,140) in Japan, or about $5,000 cheaper than the Civic hybrid. It did not disclose the pricing for the North American market, where it wants to sell half of the new Insights and said the pricing will depend on currency exchange rate.

Ford said it will introduce in North America a new battery electric commercial van in 2010, a new battery electric small car in 2011 to be developed jointly with Magna International, and a next-generation hybrid vehicles, including a plug-in version in 2012.

"Next-generation hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure battery powered vehicles are the logical next steps in our pursuit of greater fuel economy and sustainability," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of Global Product Development. "A growing number of consumers want that kind of choice, and we want to be in a position to deliver it to them across multiple vehicle categories."

Between its ENVI electric-drive vehicles and GEM neighborhood electric vehicles, Chrysler expects to have 500,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2013.

With soy-based products and chemicals conquering the biobased market, troubles over money seem to be infesting the US soybean industry. and the US Department of Agriculture is rooting out the problem.

Last month, the American Soybean Association (ASA) asked the US Department of Agriculture to investigate possible mismanaged funding and wasteful spending at the United Soybean Board (USB), which operates the national soybean checkoff and the U.S. Soybean Export Council.

The ASA is the policy-making arm for soybean growers, while the USB focuses on industry relations and market access, among other things. The Export Council is funded with checkoff and taxpayer dollars. The USB's checkoff program, which is credited for finding more uses and buyers for US soybeans, is said to have collected about $140 million in 2008 from farmers, who contribute 0.5 percent of market price from each bushel of soybeans.

The ASA submitted a petition last December to the USDA requesting a full and impartial investigation.

Excitement is in the air as the US prepares for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration tomorrow. The renewable energy industry has high hopes that the next administration will soom implement several federal policies and mandates of clean technology use especially for electric utilities nationwide as well as aggressive reduction of oil and other types of energy imports.

Tomorrow's inauguration speech will be widely anticipated if Obama will again highlight any green agenda type.

For now, here are this week's news roundup:

Vital bio-packaging
Industrial packaging company Vital Products has started production of its bio-based foam, which will start shipping by the end of the month. The company expects sales from the foam to exceed $ 20 million by year-end.

Energy-saving contract
Honeywell received an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) from the Department of Energy. The contract allows Honeywell to implement up to $5 billion of energy-efficiency, renewable-energy and water-conservation projects at federally owned buildings and facilities, nationally and internationally, over the next 10 years.

The US economic recession will slightly put the wind out of the wind energy sector this year according to several studies.

Research firm Emerging Growth Research LLP expects capacity expansion this year will contract for the US wind energy market although it will still be robust despite significant price reductions for oil and natural gas. Some of the firm's predictions for the sector include continued wind turbine price reductions and improved availability, continued expansion of community owned wind farms, federal government implementation of an aggressive cap-and-trade program and long term extension of the production tax credit (PTC) both of which will significantly benefit the domestic wind power industry.

According to a recent report from SBI (Specialists in Business Information), the market value of wind energy likely won't appreciate to the full potential until early 2012. SBI estimates that the total wind energy market in the U.S. last year was valued at $151 billion.

By 2013, SBI projects that the total U.S. market value for wind energy will reach an estimated $180 billion, representing a compounded annual growth rate of 3% for the five-year period starting in 2009.

That's a little bit lower than previously projected but everybody in the wind sector is hoping the Obama administration will have a strong renewable energy policy support that will boost growth larger than the estimated 3%/year rate.

I remember reporting in 2001 about Dow Chemical's project initiatives in developing chemicals and plastics from castor oil. That time Dow was working with the US Department of Agriculture and Texas-based Castor Oil Inc. with funding coming from the US Department of Energy. I have not heard any related news on Dow and castor oil after that and so hopefully this latest announcement from the company will be more, shall we say, "fruitful."

Dow Chemical International Pvt. Ltd. and Gujarat-based Royal Castor Products (RCP) Ltd. said they will join hands in developing new solutions and products made from castor oil derivatives. RCP is one of India's leading manufacturer-exporter of castor oil derivatives. India is actually the largest producer and supplier of castor oil.

Applications for the oil can be found in lubricants, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, brake fluids, caulks, dyes, electrical liquid dielectrics, humectants, hydraulic fluids, inks, lacquers, leather treatments, lubricating greases, machining oils, paints, pigments, polyurethane adhesives, refrigeration lubricants, rubbers, sealants, textiles, washing powders and waxes.

Whew! Who knew castor oil has so many uses?? If castor plant can survive in the Indian climate and doesn't need that much water and fertilizer, chemical companies should really look into developing this extraordinary oilseed.

Despite its complexities, the market for carbon capture and storage technology is indeed fascinating to follow. I tried my best to capture (pun intended) an overview of this market mostly on the capture part and ICIS Chemical Business just released online today my article on how the chemical industry could potentially benefit from this high-growth area.

Participants in this article include Jeff Chapman of the UK-based Carbon and Capture Storage Association; Shell's Graeme Sweeney; BASF's Andreas Northemann, Praxair's Chuck McConnell; Air Products' Steve Carney; Linde; GE Energy's Keith White; and reports from Citigroup, BCC Research, IEA and IPCC.

An interesting story from Carbon Sciences' CEO Derek McLeish talked about the potential use of the captured carbon dioxide as feedstock for fuels and chemicals production.

Also check out McKinsey & Company's interactive presentation on how CCS technology works, which was just released this week.

My CCS article is going to be part of ICB's Green feature to be published next week Monday.

Several major manufacturers showed their green strategies at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Toshiba showcased several of its eco-conscious laptop computers, energy-efficient lamps and LCD TVs, and battery-assisted bicycle; LG Electronics showcased its energy-efficient home appliances and eco-designed mobile phones; Samsung displayed its new line of energy-efficient TVs and front-loading washers; and other new green products, among others, include green rechargeable batteries by UltraLast Batteries and Motorola's world's first celphone made from recycled water bottle plastics.

But are all these new (and not so new) fangled green gadgets just marketing hype?

That was the question asked in this Reuters article but according to Jeff Omelchuck, director of the Green Electronics Council, which provides an Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) certification for computers, electronics today - although not exactly that sustainable - are more environment-friendly today than five years ago.

At the show, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) who hosted the event, also launched the industry's first ever consumer electronics industry environmental sustainability report. The organization reported that many consumer electronics industry leaders have already managed to decrease electricity use in their facilities, achieve relative greenhouse gas reductions, improve energy efficiency of products, and demonstrate an active commitment to electronics recycling.

This news could be another blow to virgin polyethylene (PET) plastic producers.

The Coca-Cola company opened today the world's largest plastic bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, S.C., which when fully operational, will produce around 100 million pounds/year of food-grade recycled PET plastic - the equivalent of nearly 2 billion 20-ounce Coke bottles.

While the new 30-acre plant will reportedly create 100 new jobs in the local community, this move could remove currently employed people within the plastic industry. 100 million pounds/year recycled PET plastic is a lot of materials that will be taken away from traditional production!

I wonder if Coca-Cola should lower their products' prices now that they are using recycled plastic bottles??

The company says the new plant will prevent the release of 1 million tons of CO2 emissions over the next 10 years. Coca-Cola says its goal is to recycle and reuse 100% of their bottles and cans in the US. The Spartanburg recycling plant is being handled by PET recycler United Resource Recovery Corporation.

Would you like your company to add Renewable Energy Mutual Funds to your 401(K)?

I would. My 401K is probably so depleted by now that renewable energy funds might just be the thing to enable me to retire to Aruba. Just make sure that Madoff-type investors will be hands-off on this one.

The South Denver Chamber of Commerce is proposing to President-elect Obama to include in the upcoming economic stimulus package a federal tax credit ranging from $40 to $400 per employee to businesses that add a renewable energy fund to their employee 401(k) plans. The plan is for small businesses to receive higher per employee tax credit while corporations will receive a smaller amount per employee but a larger overall tax credit.

They said the proposal will generate $30 to $100 billion renewable energy investment and more than 500,000 clean energy jobs.

"Following the initial technology investment, such as putting up a wind farm or a concentrating solar plant, renewable energy has zero fuel costs. That's an attractive business model. Renewable energy assets are a solid investment in a sector that is well positioned to experience rapid growth," says John Brackney, President South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking of green cleaning, Clorox said the natural cleaning category has grown more than 100% within the past year and its Green Works brand (which was introduced early last year) now occupies 42% of the US market to date.

The company added to the line this week its new Green Works™ Natural Biodegradable Cleaning Wipes made from 100% cellulose fibers and derived from renewable farm grown trees, according to Clorox. The wipes are said to be biodegradable in typical compost conditions.

Green Works™ Natural Biodegradable Cleaning Wipes will be available starting this month in Original scent with suggested retail prices of $3.39 (30-count canister) and $5.99 (62-count canister).

Clorox's natural cleaning products might be doing good but the same cannot be said it seems for one of its major competitors. The green blogger heard from the company itself (which will remain anonymous so the blogger will not get into trouble), that their green cleaning product launched last year did not get as much consumer attention as it deserves.

Maybe it's all about marketing strategies especially if Clorox's GreenWorks brand is hooked up with the environment group Sierra Club.

My article on oils and fats-based chemicals (also called oleochemicals) is now out on ICIS Chemical Business (ICB). According to consultants and industry players, the global oleochemicals market has been very turbulent in 2008 as the first half of the year saw high feedstock costs and high demand, while during the second part of the year, prices tumbled down and there was oversupply especially for glycerine and fatty acids.

Industry players in the US, however, are cautiously optimistic that the glycerin and fatty acids markets could see a revival in 2009, according to ICIS Pricing.

One major producer noted continuous efforts in finding long term solutions for the oversupply of glycerine. Maybe these South Korean scientists can help as they said they were able to successfully develop glycerol carbonate (GC) and 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) from glycerol.

GC is said to be a new kind of solvent used for industrial and medical purposes that could replace conventional propylene carbonate, while 3-HP is a water-soluble compound used in the industrial production of various chemicals such as acrylates.

You can find recent developments in new glycerine uses at the Soap and Detergent Association's oleochemical website. The SDA is celebrating its 83rd annual meeting in January 27-31 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Florida, and the green blogger will be in attendance (sunny weather whoo-hoo!). Stay tune for future posts about the green cleaning market.

Speaking of green cleaning. another interesting article to note in ICB's soap and detergent issue this Monday is the shift of detergent builders to greener alternatives. The article says that phosphates have been losing favor in emerging markets such as China, with alternatives such as zeolites, sodium carbonate and citric acid taking their place.

Investments in solar might be down and expected to decline according to market analysts but activities seem to be still strong as seen in several recent news. Here are some of them just the past week alone:

• Solar in winery - Perpetual Energy Systems, a financier and developer of solar powered renewable energy systems, and Foster's Wine Estates Americas, a subsidiary of Foster's Group in Australia, today announces the activation of four solar installations including the largest solar energy system hosted by a United States winery.
  

• Solar in hospitals - Sunrise Solar Corp. has been selected to provide solar power resources to four major hospitals in Brazil.

• Solon in residential solar - Solon Corp., a European solar module manufacturer will supply over 1.5 megawatts of its Tuscon, Arizona-manufactured solar panels to American Solar Electric, marking Solon's entrance into the US residential market segment.

• Solar supply deal - Solar Power, Inc. has entered into a one-year supply agreement with JA Solar Holding Co., Ltd., which will supply up to 60 megawatts of its 6" polycrystalline photovoltaic ("PV") cells based on monthly requirements from SPI.

• $4.7m solar financing - SolFocus, a developer of Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) systems raised $47.5 million in the first close of its Series C financing. SolFocus will use the new funding to accelerate expansion of its manufacturing operations and extend its early base of commercial CPV deployments. The company aims to grow deployments from .5 MW in 2008 to approximately 100MW by the end of 2010.

Some interesting news that came out from the past week are the further greening of electronic products and IT as reported from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas; further confirmation from the incoming US president Barack Obama on his intention to boost jobs coming from the green industry; and more planned hybrids and electric cars coming out as reported from the Auto Show in Detroit.

Hopefully, the green blogger, who was not able to go Las Vegas, will be able to get some new green product rollouts from the CES show. For now, here are this week's news roundup.

Bioplastic supply to France
Bioplastic manufacturer Cereplast has signed a distribution agreement with resin supplier A. Schulman to distribute Cereplast's Compostables® and Hybrids Resins® to converters and manufacturers in France, Benelux and Spain.

Paradigm acquired
American Green Group with its wholly owned subsidiary Eco-Built Systems, LLC will acquire the business operations of Georgia-based Paradigm Polymers, Inc., which developed products such as bio-foam insulated thermal shipping containers and the first soy based foam insulation board.

Venture investments within clean technology is expected to decline this year compared to the all-time peak experienced in 2008, according to two recent reports.

Market research and financial service Cleantech Group said some of the challenges predicted this year include twice the amount of failure rate of cleantech startups; delays in global climate change and US carbon cap and trade legislation; and shakeout in thin film photovoltaic solar because of previous over-investments and inflated valuations.

The Cleantech Group also predicts this year will be full of acquisitions of green growth assets as government and large corporation research and development (R&D) spending on energy and other clean technologies expected to be largely flat.

The group however is still optimistic about the energy efficiency market as well as investments in the wind energy sector. Other growth sectors include integrated energy management systems, smart grid, carbon content reduction in supply chains, and next generation solar materials and systems.

The green blog mentioned in November how the economic recession is driving down the demand for recycled materials. ABC News recently reported how prices for all kinds of recycled goods - cardboard, tin cans, glass, plastic, etc. - crashed in just the past two months.

The report cited for example the price of cardboard falling from $160/ton to $25/ton, and tin from cans is now priced at $5 from $200 just a couple of months ago.

So, here's the green dilemma. Even if we want to recycle some of our waste, who would want to recycle them if nobody will buy the recycled raw materials? The recyclers either have to let them pile in their storage or throw them in the landfill. With crude oil at $42/bbl and natural gas at $5.8 /MMBtu (down 11.1 cents as of January 7 according to ICIS), virgin raw materials especially plastic is very much competitive to those of recycled alternatives.

You can watch more about the current recycling woes in the video below. Just ignore the few seconds advertising...

New York power company Con Edison says its transfomer oil has more to it than meets the eye.

No, it is not imported from Cybertron, but instead their transformer oil is going to be re-refined by the company Hydrodec into a Superfine oil, which Hydrodec says will be the world's first commercially recycled transformer oil. In the past, Con Ed says its used oil is typically burned as a fuel.

"By supplying our oil to be safely re-refined by Hydrodec, our environmental stewardship is maximized, conserving a valuable petroleum resource and providing a sustainable, high quality transformer oil to the electric industry," says David P. Roche, a senior scientist in Con Ed's environmental health and safety group

Starting January 1, 2009 and for a period of 3 years, Hydrodec is to receive a minimum of 450,000 gallons per annum (approximately 1.7 million litres) of used transformer oil from Con Ed, which will be re-refined and converted into SUPERfine at Hydrodec's Canton, Ohio plant.

Here are two several interesting developments in the world of natural plastics.

In Texas, researchers from Baylor University have found a way to use coconut husks as a replacement for synthetic polyester fibers in compression molded composites, specifically, to make trunk liners, floorboards and interior door covers on cars out of coconut fibers.

Back when I was a kid living in the Philippines, I remember my older folks burning coconut husks as fuel for outdoor cooking and grilling (instead of the more expensive charcoal) since they are just thrown away after getting the fruit and coconut water out of it. They're also useful in polishing wooden floors.

"What we're seeing is that more people are going green each year, and there is nothing on the horizon that will stop this trend," explains Jerry Yudelson, the principal of Tucson-based Yudelson Associates.

While car manufacturers worldwide are planning their green makeovers (shifting production to more sustainable cars), battery producers and developers are racing to get investment loans from both private and public funding to answer the expected surge in demand for lithium ion batteries.

Experts contend that battery production problems could limit the growth of the electric car industry with lithium ion batteries currently expensive and supply still limited. According to this Dec. 15 Wall Street Journal article (thanks to Rockwood Holdings for supplying some of the articles!), current lithium ion batteries cost about $1,000 per kilowatt hour of capacity, adding $4,000 to $16,000 to the cost of a plug-in car capable of using both gasoline and electricity. The article says the car industry will need 10x-100x the manufacturing capacity that laptops need for electric cars to become a reality.

Several firms have already recently announced joint ventures and investments in lithium ion battery production. In Germany, chemical company Evonik and Daimler establish strategic alliance for the development and production of lithium-ion batteries. Battery-manufacturer Johnson Controls Inc., Milwaukee, is partnering with French-based Saft Groupe SA to build a lithium ion battery plant in France.

I'm working on an article this week about the new breed of corporate sustainability management and out of the blue (or maybe green in my case), I received this email about Eco Recruiting and the need for qualified experienced executives especially within the alternative energy sector.

The recruitment firm Charet and Associates, who formed its new Eco Recruiting Unit, says there will be a shortage of executives dealing in alternative energy. I guess those in the financial and manufacturing sectors should start dusting off their suits and prepare their resumes. For more information, pls. check out Charet and Associates' press release below:

The fuel cell industry is among those waiting in a "growing" line for Obama's incoming stimulus package. The US fuel cell council says it will ask for a total of $1.2bn to invest in research, infrastructure, and manufacturing for fuel cell and hydrogen.

Specifically, the industry program calls for lease and purchases of fuel cells by federal civilian and military agencies for power generation and as battery alternatives, investment in supporting fueling infrastructure, improving federal investment tax credits for fuel cells and extending a credit to fuels. It also includes expanding learning demonstrations, accelerating research, and supporting an expansion of manufacturing capability at fuel cell companies and key suppliers, to foster a supply base and develop domestic momentum for jobs and expansion.

"Accelerating investment into fuel cells now will foster green power, advance a critical climate-enhancing technology, accelerate job creation and keep innovation, industrial capacity and jobs at home," said Robert Rose, Executive Director of the US Fuel Cell Council.

ICIS Chemical Business (the magazine I work for) recently featured an article on how innovation and product development enabled the chemical industry to withstood the Great Depression of the 1930s. According to historians in the article, while consolidation helped streamline the industry, creation of new value-added products helped create profitable markets as well as cut costs.

Sounds familiar?

Petroleum-based chemicals were the main focus during the 1930s and maybe this time, innovative nature-based chemicals will help lift the industry out of a slump. You can read more about the "Lessons from the Great Depression" and other interesting chemical industry predictions for 2009 at icis.com.

Here are other interesting green innovations that the green blog came across last year:

1. Eco-friendly air conditioning system powered by the sun developed by scientists from the Universidad Carlos III of Madrid.
2. New technologies from Pall Corporation that recaptures water and raw materials in solar silicon manufacturing.
3. Edible films with antimicrobial properties for use in packaged food produce is being developed by scientists from the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS).
4. Tick and mosquito repellent can also be made commercially from pine oil according to the USDA ARS scientists.
5. Brown University researchers have discovered a nanomaterial that can absorb the mercury emitted from a broken compact fluorescent lamp (CFL).
6. A new type of microcapsule made from polyurethane urea may allow manufacturers to embed fragrances in textiles without resorting to formaldehyde, according to scientists in Portugal.
7. New green pesticides are being developed and formulated by Marrone Organic Innovations for organic farmers, and some will be available in 2009.

This summer, Japan chemical company Teijin plans to fully commercialize its BIOFRONT plastic, a stereo-complex polylactic acid (PLA) made with high-purity L-lactate and D-lactate which was introduced in 2007. Teijin says one of BIOFRONT's noteworthy characteristics is its melting point of 210°C, a significant improvement over the 170°C melting point of conventional PLAs. At 210°C, BIOFRONT could rival that of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), a commonly heat-resistant plastic made from oil.

Teijin currently is operating a BIOFRONT pilot plant with an annual capacity of 200 tons. Last year, the company acquired Toyota Motor Corporation's PLA demonstration plant with an approximate 1,000-ton capacity. The new facility is expected to be manufacturing BIOFRONT by the summer of 2009, moving the company closer to the start of mass production.

Teijin says activities are underway to complete a system for mass producing BIOFRONT at the 10,000-ton level in 2010, including research into how to use various non-edible bioresources.

Teijin is also exploring possibilities for the chemical recycling of used PLA products.

The green blog is starting this year's post with a recap of environment-friendly chemicals launched last month. Hopefully this year will bring in more...

1. Rohm and Haas resin - Rohm and Haas launched a new binder, Rhoplex™ VSR-2015 Versatile Sheen Resin, to the North American paint and coatings market. The resin is low-solvent capable, contains no alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactants, and is low in ammonia odor.

2. Merquinsa Bio TPU - Spain-based Merquinsa developed the world's first ether-based Bio thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) grades marketed under the Pearlthane® ECO brand. The TPU has renewable content of up to 60%.

3. Momentive stabilizer - Momentive Performance Materials introduced Niax* silicone L-655, a silicone stabilizer to be considered for use in manufacturing flexible polyether foam. It offers 10-30% reduction by weight of flame retardant use in slabstock foam applications compared to conventional stabilizers.

4. Milliken eco-additives - Milliken Chemical says its new Hyperform® hyper-nucleating agent overcomes variables in the waste stream to simplify polypropylene (PP) recycling while Millad® clarifying additives enable PP to be substituted for clear materials such as PET, PVC, polycarbonate, polystyrene, styrene acrylonitrile, acrylic and glass.

5. Rhodia biocide - Rhodia launched its new TOLCIDE® PS A-series biocide products that help develop cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions to maximize production from oil and gas reservoirs. The biocide is combined with a proprietary polymer that is both biodegradable and non-bioaccumulative.

6. DuPont Green carpet films - DuPont introduced its Active Layer RS moisture barrier films for use in carpet cushioning. The films contain a minimum of 20% renewably sourced content by weight, derived from naturally occurring fatty acids.