In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

IN BUSINESS WORLD

November-December, 2005, Vol. 27, No. 6, p. 4

BIOCYCLE WEST COAST CONFERENCE WILL STRESS RENEWABLE, COMPOSTABLE, SUSTAINABLE THEMES IN MARCH, 2006
The BioCycle West Coast Conference will be held March 20-22, 2006 in Portland, Oregon. Major

themes will stress composting breakthroughs, producing renewable power from biomass, and building sustainable cities, communities and enterprises. We are working closely with key people in the Northwest. This letter from Peter Moulton of Climate Solutions illustrates the vitality underway: “Oregon is a great model for innovative funding. Oregon NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service, USDA) has agreed to put $250,000 toward Oregon digesters in 2006. Up to $80,000 is available per project, with an RFP in early 2006. NRCS also has its new West National Tech Support Center in Portland.”
Two statewide bioenergy inventories are underway. Washington State University will include biopower production estimates made by converting dry tonnage through digestion; Energy Trust of Oregon - a Conference cosponsor - has recently commissioned a two-phase statewide biomass assessment. Commercial digester projects are underway in King County, and the Tillamook central digesters will be discussed.
In the area of composting, latest developments will be reported from Seattle, San Francisco, Portland and other major projects on the West Coast. Tune in next month.

GOVERNOR URGES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BOOST USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Calling his plan an “American Energy Harvest” to make the nation less dependent on imported oil, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell challenged the federal government to require energy and utility companies to emphasize alternative fuels and fuel-saving technologies. He also called for canceling $2.6 billion in initiatives that Congress approved earlier this year to accelerate fossil fuel research and explore instead ways to help produce more biofuels. Besides using its purchasing power to stimulate a market for alternatives, Rendell said the federal government needs a “modern day Manhattan Project” to develop homegrown energy sources. No additional federal spending is necessary, he pointed out: “All that is necessary is the political will of the nation's leaders.”

GETTING THE “RUBBER ODOR” OUT OF RECYCLED RUBBER PRODUCTS
Using a “nanomanipulation” process, a Danish company can make crumb rubber products that do not have the characteristic odor accompanying recycled rubber, reports Scrap Tire News. Nanon A/S manager Thomas Christensen explains the company's Super-Rubber is made by washing the rubber particles in a carbon dioxide environment.
The advanced nanotechnology has the additional advantage of reducing the content of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) which are harmful to groundwater when they leak. The technology uses a coating process and 2-in-l cleaning and impregnation method with CO2 solvent. Christensen also mentions that the European Union has supported the project with a grant of EUR 1.2 million, given to four companies: SCF Technologies of Denmark - pilot production and setting up complete facilities; Natex of Austria - process knowledge, equipment and production using the Super Critical Fluid Extraction Technology; German/Swedish company Linde - production of industrial gases; Nanon A/S of Denmark as project leader with rights to the technology.
Christensen estimates that about 600 new sports arenas in Europe had artificial grass laid in 2004. In addition, a new generation of artificial turfs were approved for international soccer matches. “Modern artificial grass turfs are made of artificial blades of grass, sand and layer of rubber granules,” adds Christensen. A typical artificial grass turf requires around 100 tons of rubber, which by using the new technology means this amount can be replaced with recycled rubber from about 22,000 old car tires.

2005 BAN ON METHYL BROMIDE STILL HAS LOOPHOLES
While sickened farmworkers and consumers still fight to uphold the 2005 ban on use of the poisonous fumigant methyl bromide - officially prohibited by an international treaty “except for most critical uses,” its application continues on strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and other crops. According to an Associated Press article, “the Bush administration, at the urging of agriculture and manufacturing interests, is making plans to ensure that methyl bromide remains available at least through 2008 by seeking and winning treaty exemptions. Also, the administration will not commit to an end date.” The amount of the fumigant that the administration requested under treaty exemptions for the next two years is lower than in 2005. Described in the AP report as “odorless and colorless,” methyl bromide is a gas usually injected into the soil before planting, then covered with plastic sheeting to slow its release into the air. The chemical depletes the earth's protective ozone layer and can harm the human neurological system. Workers who inhale enough of the chemical can suffer convulsions, coma, neuromuscular and cognitive problems.
The U.S. had signed the Montreal Protocol treaty, committing to phase out methyl bromide by 2005, but the U.S. has used a provision for exemptions to allow farmers to continue its use. Continues the AP: “That exemption process leaves the U.S. 37 percent shy of the phaseout required by 2005, with at least 10,450 tons of methyl bromide exempted this year. ... U.S. Officials are heading to a meeting on December 7 to begin negotiations on exemptions for 2007 and are preparing requests for 2008.

WITHOUT ABUNDANT FORESTS, WOULD CHINA CONSIDER ABANDONING CHOPSTICKS?
Writing from Shanghai, Thomas Friedman of The New York Times cites a report in The China Daily that says “we no longer have abundant forest cover, our land is no longer that green, our water tables are depleting, and our numbers are expanding faster than ever ... China itself uses 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks a year, or 1.66 million cubic meters of timber, or 25 million full-grown trees.” The China Daily column made the point that China's nine percent growth rate is reaching environmental limits and it may be time to replace wood with reusable steel when making chopsticks. “Not only is China not a communist country anymore,” Friedman points out, “but it may also now be the world's most capitalist country in terms of raw energy. .... While villagers crave jobs, they resent the deforestation, dams and polluted rivers that have already been dumped on them by the big cities.”
In a later column titled “Green Dreams in Shangri-La” (10/28/05), Friedman stresses how much the villagers are coming up with their own green growth solutions. “The village has the finest public toilet I've ever used, a solar-powered composting toilet with an automated plastic green seat cover - in the middle of nowhere! It was labeled “The Lavatory of Environmental Protection of the Travel.” And from a vice president of an organization working in China called Conservation International comes this observation: “What we hope to see here is a new paradigm, where China, itself a developing country, offers a new model of sustainable development to other developing countries.”

ECOFRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE TO SYNTHETIC PRESERVATIVES
Researchers at the University of Miguel Hernandez in Alicante, Spain have developed a gel from aloe vera, a tropical plant, that can be used to prolong the quality and safety of fresh produce. “The gel, which does not seem to affect food taste or appearance, shows promise as a safe, natural and environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional synthetic preservatives that are applied to produce after harvesting.” According to study leader Daniel Valero, untreated grapes appeared to deteriorate rapidly within about seven days while gel-coated grapes were well preserved for up to 35 days under the same conditions.
It's believed the gel - composed mostly of polysaccharides as a natural barrier to moisture and oxygen, actually enhances food safety. Aloe vera gel seems to contain various antibiotic and antifungal compounds that can inhibit microorganisms responsible for foodborne illness. The gel also offers a greener alternative to sulfur dioxide and other synthetic food preservatives. The findings were reported in the November 2005 issue of Resource.

RENEWABLE DIESEL STANDARD “IS RIGHT COURSE FOR NATION'S FUTURE”
U.S. Senator Barack Obama from Illinois has introduced legislation titled the “Renewable Diesel Standard” bill which calls for 2 billion gallons of biodiesel use annually by 2015. When introducing the bill to his colleagues, Obama stated: “Hundreds of millions of gallons of biodiesel are within the timeline proposed in my legislation, making another small, but bold, step to create jobs in rural America, strengthen our economic security, and improve air quality. A Renewable Diesel Standard is the right course for the nation's future.” This issue of BioCycle has articles on new companies in the biodiesel industry which confirms the Senator's views.

LANDFILL ALTERNATIVE GRANTS LEAD TO PROFITABLE BUSINESS
Since 1988, the Waste Management Assistance Division of Iowa's Department of Natural Resources has distributed over 16.5 million in grant funds through its Landfill Alternative Grants Program. Last month, Julie Kjolhede and several colleagues in the division issued case summaries of 13 projects that received funds, which document both the diversity and the continued impacts of the programs.
With the help of a $223,000 grant in 1991 - about the time Iowa's yard trimmings disposal ban went into effect - Myron and Kristie Hirschman were able to launch a regional yard trimmings composting facility. Their company, Organic Technologies Corporation, now employs six people, serves 14 communities with collection services and - besides yard trimmings - composts warehouse fruit and vegetable discards, animal manure, sawdust and corrugated cardboard. This year, the Hirschmans estimate they'll be recycling 20,000 tons. “We see ourselves as a compost production facility, not a waste disposal site,” says Kristie Hirschman - exactly the kind of transition sought by Iowa's grants program.

BIOFUELS FROM ORGANIC WASTES ARE MUCH IN DEMAND
As oil prices stay above $60/barrel and gasoline prices remain high at local stations, companies that are making equipment that generate alternative fuels make headlines. Latest example is The Wall Street Journal (front page, 10/28/05) “Turkey in the Tank: High Price of Gasoline Is A Boon for Biofuels.” Writes WSJ: “A little processing can make fuel out of all sorts of commodities, and today people are proving it not just with turkey-farm leftovers but with used cooking oil, coconut meat and cow dung.”
One company featured is a Carthage, Missouri diesel plant owned by Changing World Technologies, Inc. which uses a feedstock of turkey processing residuals. CEO Brian Appel claims that turkey diesel is competitive with petroleum-based products because of recent federal tax incentives for renewable energy. ConAgra Foods has a minority interest in the Changing World company.
Coming issues will have special reports on emerging green enterprises in North America and throughout the international scene that are helping to solve waste management problems by turning them into power feedstocks.