April 25th, 2012
All branches of the US military are on the pursuit for energy-conscious technologies.
“Militaries that fail to innovate lose strategic advantage. Nations that fail to innovate lose economic edge. Clean energy innovation is an essential strategy for making the United States and its service men and women safer, stronger and more successful,” wrote the authors of the Pew report.
Below are 5 examples of technologies that are employed by the U.S. military that officials hope will turn out to be both environmentally sound and strategically advantageous in the long run.
- On-Base Electric Vehicles – The military is beginning to make use of small electric cars on base. They are made from recycled plastic and can reach speeds of 25 mph. The military will be slower in rolling out “green” combat vehicles, since performance is paramount to troops’ safety.
- Solar Power Shades – Solar shade helps to cool the tent that soldiers stay in while 72 panels absorb sunlight to produce two kilowatts of power a day.
- FED – A Greener Humvee – The Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator, or FED, would have the same capabilities as the M1114 Humvee but with about 70 percent greater fuel efficiency.
- Hybrid-Electric Ships – The amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island is the only Navy ship with a hybrid-electric propulsion system, but the goal is to switch more of the fleet over to “green” engines.
- Biofuel-Powered Aircraft – The Navy and Air Force have already demonstrated that they can fly fighter jets on a 50/50 mix of biofuel and standard jet fuel. The Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet flew on a blend derived from camelina seeds.
Tags: clean technologies, corporate sustainability, eco-friendly, environmental business innovations, green business innovation, green military, Sustainability
Posted in Biofuels, Consumer eco-products, Eco-regulation, Electric, Electronics, Energy, Sustainability, Transportation
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March 16th, 2012
The increased demand for innovative biofuels is prompting fuel producers to look for alternative sources of feedstock that are more sustainable. For example, sugars and starches can be used for the production of ethanol while animal fats and vegetable oils can be used in the production of biodiesel. Alternative feedstocks include bio-degradable wastes, aquatic biomass such as algae and seaweed, and biomass such as wood, bagasse, corn stover and grasses.
In response to increased demand for alternatives fuels, Albemarle has developed a line of catalyst that will facilitate the production of biofuels from biomass. These catalysts make up our GoBioTM portfolio.
Among our GoBio products, Albemarle offers catalytic solutions for renewable diesel and biodiesel production using two primary processes. In the first process, vegetable oils and fats are reacted with methanol to produce fatty acid methyl-esters (FAME or biodiesel). This process utilizes our new heterogeneous products, GoBio TS-15 or T300.
In the second process, vegetable oils and fats are converted into paraffin via a refinery-based hydrotreating process. The process also utilizes a heterogeneous catalyst which leads to significant process improvements. Albemarle’s heterogeneous catalysts have been successfully used in the NExBTL® process, a process developed by Finnish oil company Neste Oil. The first commercial NExBTL units are now in operation and are producing high quality renewable diesel.
We also interact with a diverse group of companies to investigate their specific biomass conversion needs. In addition to oil companies, these organizations include technology providers and engineering firms.
For Albemarle’s portfolio of biofuel catalyst, click here.
Tags: Albemarle Corporation, clean technologies, eco-friendly, Green Chemistry, Sustainability
Posted in Albemarle, Biofuels, Chemistry, Eco-regulation, Energy, Green awards, OEM's, Recycling, Uncategorized
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September 19th, 2011
General Electric is making a foray into green buildings by investing in Project Frog, which uses various technologies to speed up new building design and construction.
GE Energy Financial Services will be one of four companies to invest $22 million in Project Frog, GE said today. The other three are venture capital companies: Claremont Creek Ventures, Greener Capital Partners, and RockPort Capital Partners.
The money will be used to expand Project Frog’s sales, and GE will install one of the company’s prefabricated buildings at the GE Learning Center in Ossining, N.Y.
Tags: Albemarle, Albemarle Corporation, clean technologies, corporate sustainability, Earthwise, eco-friendly, Green Chemistry, Sustainability
Posted in Albemarle, Chemistry, Company Information, Eco-awards, Eco-regulation, Economic development, Global Business, Green construction, Sustainability
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July 11th, 2011
Innovation continues in the Electrical and Electronic Equipment category by the European Union, who published the revised Directive on the Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances following agreement between the EU Council and the European Parliament on 8 June 2011.
This revision is to be considered before end-2014 by the Commission, on the basis of a thorough assessment, and periodically thereafter on its own initiative or following a proposal by a Member State.
Click here to read the European Flame Retardant Association factsheet and more in depth detail about the restricted substance list containing: Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) and Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as well as the science based methodology.
Tags: Albemarle Corporation, clean technologies, Earthwise, eco-friendly, environmental business innovations, flame retardant, flame retardant regulatory status, Sustainability
Posted in Albemarle, Books, Chemistry, Company Information, Eco-regulation, Flame Retardants, Sustainability, fire safety
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February 15th, 2011
More and more companies are treating recycling as a serious corporate priority. Almost 75% of corporate waste can be recycled and while you may have never thought about this before, the garbage your company generates can cut your company’s profit margin.
Because of the high residual value of the metals used in cable, especially copper, both production waste and discarded cable needs to be recycled. Metals, paper, newspapers, bottles, cans, plastic waste and residue are also high priority recyclable materials in the work place. If your company wants to recycle, a system will need to be designed to collect the recyclable materials either by setting up a waste reduction team from different departments, circulating memos or holding monthly informal meetings. There are even companies who deal exclusively with recycling promotion. Recyclebank, for example, has programs in which people earn points for recycling, and then redeem the points for discounts on a huge array of goods. GreenStudentU focuses on recycling on campuses across the US and if you recycle your products with Global Inheritance, you will see it turn into art. One of the many favorites, Apple, also has their own recycling program for computers, displays, ipods and mobile phones.
Many states, like California, have adopted mandatory commercial recycling procedures that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other industrial and corporate waste. Most states offer ideas, support and direction regarding the options available.
Manufactures are also getting into the act. Everyone from Proctor and Gamble to the chemical companies who make plastics and flame retardants, are focusing on sustainability and product life cycles. The greening of America is now going corporate, getting systemized, and is a trend that will not and cannot be reversed.
Tags: Albemarle Corporation, eco-friendly, environmental business innovations, flame retardant, full-cycle products, Sustainability
Posted in Albemarle, Alternative fuels, California, Chemistry, Company Information, Conferences, Eco-regulation, Energy, Flame Retardants, Global Business, Green awards, Plastics, Recycling, Uncategorized
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December 9th, 2010
As innovation continues to drive new and better products for business and society, how will regulation and legislation evolve to keep up with the pace?
The European Parliament’s recent approval of a compromise on the RoHS Directive may be one more positive sign toward science-based processes and progress. On November 24th, 2010, the European Parliament overwhelmingly supported a science-based approach to European Union (EU) legislation by adopting the new RoHS Directive This decision secured the continued use of flame retardants, including brominated flame retardants, in electrical and electronic equipment.
The agreement was negotiated between the European institutions, and is expected to be formally adopted in December. Following formal adoption, the final Directive will be published in early 2011.
Albemarle applauds this decision as the text of the agreement is a significant improvement compared to the current RoHS Directive. The new Directive moves away from blacklisting of substances to a modernized legislation aligned with the newest evaluation processes such as REACH. It provides clarity, predictability and legal certainty not only for our industry, but for society as a whole, on the issue of substance restriction.
The new RoHS Directive now includes a defined methodology for future restrictions, which shall be coherent with REACH. The Commission’s proposal not to expand the list of restricted substances has been supported by the other EU institutions. The Parliament and the Member States have also addressed the concerns over potentially discriminatory listing of substances by deleting Annex III.
The scope of the new RoHS Directive has been extended, thereby increasing the number of applications for which substitution needs to be found for those substances already banned, including DecaBDE.
“We believe the current agreement provides clarity, predictability and legal certainty for the industry by recognizing the need for evaluation of substances on a case by case basis rather than blacklisting of whole families of flame retardants” says Brian Carter, Albemarle’s Global Business Director – Brominated Flame Retardants. “We offer different flame retardant solutions to meet the requirements of the electrical and electronic industry, including for those applications that are newly added to the RoHS.”
Albemarle is planning to hold several webinars in the near future to update the market on the changes and new requirements under the RoHS. If you’d like more information contact our European Advocacy Department – eMail: Florian.Kohl@albemarle.com, Tel.: +32-10-48-17-56.
Tags: Albemarle, brominated flame retardants, environmental business innovations, fire safety, flame retardant regulatory status, REACH, RoHS, RoHS webinars
Posted in Albemarle, Eco-regulation, Flame Retardants, Government, Uncategorized, Webinars, fire safety
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November 19th, 2010
The European Flame Retardants Association (EFRA), a sector group of Cefic, and the European Chemical Industry Council just published an overview on flame retardants and their usages in everyday life. The publication cites the tremendous evolutions of consumer products concerning their fire safety, including electrical and electronic devices, textiles, furniture, construction products or personal and public transports over the past decades
Download your copy of Flame Retardants for a Changing Society. Interested in learning more about GreenArmor, a new technology in eco-friendly fire safety? Click here.
Tags: clean technologies, earthwise greenarmor, European Chemical Industry Council, European Flame Retardants Association, fire safety, flame retardant
Posted in Albemarle, Chemistry, Consumer attitudes, Eco-regulation, Electric, Electronics, European Chemical Industry Council, European Flame Retardants Association, Flame Retardants, fire safety
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November 8th, 2010
As part of American Chemical Society ACS Webinars: Green Chemistry & Sustainability Series Richard Denison, Senior Scientist at Environmental Defense Fund will give a presentation entitled “How Chemical Policy Reform Can Spur Green Chemistry” followed by a Q&A period.
November 18th from 2-3 eastern time
Please note that this Webinar is open to everyone and not only to ACS Members.
In the wake of the largest Gulf oil disaster or public concern over the chemicals in a baby bottle, how will changing legislation affect chemical professionals? Public policy has the potential to transform the chemical industries and set a new course for the next decade. Join our speaker, Richard Denison, and learn about the latest Green Chemistry policy developments (Safe Chemicals Act/TSCA reform) and how they may affect chemical professionals, chemical industries, and the future of green chemistry.
What You Will Learn
- The policy context for advancing Green Chemistry essentials you need to know
- How U.S. and international policy changes can support the development and use of greener chemicals
- How current policy is informing future legislation – Safe Chemicals Act/TSCA reform
- And much more
To register and find more details:
Meet Your Expert
Richard A. Denison is a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. Dr. Denison has 25 years of experience in the environmental arena, specializing in chemicals policy and hazard, exposure, risk assessment and management for industrial chemicals and nanomaterials. He has published extensively and has testified before Congress many times regarding these issues. Dr. Denison currently serves on the National Research Council’s Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology and on the Green Ribbon Science Panel for California’s Green Chemistry Initiative. He was a member of the National Pollution Prevention and Toxics Advisory Committee, which advised EPA’s toxics office. Previously, Dr. Denison was an analyst and assistant project director in the Oceans and Environment Program, Office of Technology Assessment, United States Congress. Dr. Denison received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.
Tags: ACS Green Chemistry Institute, clean technologies, corporate sustainability, eco-friendly, environmental business innovations, full-cycle products, Green Chemistry, Sustainability
Posted in ACS American Chemical Society, Chemistry, Conferences, Eco-nomics, Eco-regulation, Green Chemistry, Innovation and ideas, NGO's, OEM's, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Webinars
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October 13th, 2010
The Federal Trade commission, which last published guidelines for green marketing and advertising in 1998, issued an extensive new green guide and is seeking your feedback.
In making its announcement, the commission particularly called attention to a distinction between companies and consumers and the possibility of confusion or misleading statements. “. . . what companies think green claims mean and what consumers really understand are sometimes two different things,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “The proposed updates to the Green Guides will help businesses better align their product claims with consumer expectations.”
Tags: eco-marketing, FTC, Green marketing, greenwashing
Posted in Eco-regulation, Green marketing, Sustainability
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September 25th, 2010
The prospect of new regulations from the California Department of Toxic Substance Control has re-kindled concerns among consumer goods manufacturers, chemical companies and other businesses, as the January 1, 2011 deadline for implementation approaches.
As discussed in a prior blog post, this is not an issue of simply local concern. Laws and regulation in California that address environmental and safety issues often are precursors to similar legislation in states across the nation.
According to a recent article in the North Bay Business Journal, some believe the language of the initial law is so loosely worded that virtually any consumer product would be subject to review in the Green Chemistry Program. In addition, manufacturers of industrial products that use chemicals deemed toxic will be required to seek “safer alternatives.”
As the deadline nears, this issue will heat up further, so look for updates here.
Tags: environmental, government regulation, Green Chemistry, Sustainability, Toxic substances
Posted in Air and water, Alternative Fuel Technologies Group, Biofuels, California, Chemistry, Eco-nomics, Eco-regulation, Flame Retardants, Government, Green Chemistry, Recycling, Sustainability
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