Polyethylene 9x More Efficient To Source From Sugar Cane Over Corn.

Tetra Pak is to pilot the use of renewable polyethylene as a raw material in the manufacture of its plastic caps and closures within the next two years. The carton manufacturer has signed an agreement with Brazilian company Braskem, a thermoplastic resin producer, to buy limited volumes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from a renewable feedstock.

According to TreeHugger.com:

“Brazilian plastic company Braskem SA reports that, using ethanol feedstock, their polyethylene process, scheduled to operate commercially in 2011, will make product with exactly the same characteristics as polyethylene derived from petroleum. Environmental- and cost-efficiency of the process hangs on feedstock choice. It will be “nine times as efficient to derive ethanol from sugarcane as from corn, and four-and-a-half times as efficient compared to ethanol derived from sugar beets.” Even more strikingly, a spokesman for Braskem reported, manufacture of one pound of petroleum-based polyethylene “releases 2.5 kg of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere,…whereas the same amount of sugarcane-based PE captures that same amount of the gas.”

Read more at packagingnews.co.uk and TreeHugger.com.

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Sustainable Urban Agriculture In New York

Sustainable Urban Agriculture from DiscoveryNewsVideo on Vimeo.

The Science Barge is a prototype, sustainable urban farm and environmental education center. It is now docked in downtown Yonkers just North of the Yonkers Pier. This barge is the only fully functioning demonstration of renewable energy supporting sustainable food production in New York City. The Science Barge grows tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce with zero net carbon emissions, zero chemical pesticides, and zero runoff.

From May to October 2007 alone, the Science Barge hosted over 3,000 schoolchildren from all five New York boroughs as well as surrounding counties as part of our environmental education program. In addition, over 6,000 adult visitors visited the facility along with press from around the world. The video above describes more about the Barge and its features.

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Rethinking Compostables

Wasara has a striking Japanese aesthetic. Their new product line of biodegradable paper plates and cups features an elegant design. Wasara plates are made using renewable reed pulp and bagasse (a fibrous byproduct of sugar production). The forms are organic but with attention to comfort and texture. In line with Japanese creative tradition, Wasara “represents the spirit of living in harmony with nature.” These products are a great example of how design can change our perception of a typically “cheap”, everyday item such as a paper cup or plate.

For more information see www.wasara.jp.

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Paper Water Bottle Replaces Plastic

If water is life’s essential elixir, then bottled water would be a convenient way of giving us this magical liquid on the go. There are an endless number of brands with water formulations ranging from vitamin enhanced to electrolyte rich. Plain old H2O is practically obsolete. Even with all of these options, it’s hard to steer away from your run of the mill plastic bottle. A whopping 16 million bottles are tossed every day. Sure they are recyclable, but only 14% of them actually end up getting recycled. Not only that, but the energy it takes to recycle the bottles is astronomical. Most water companies recommend that you do not reuse their water bottles because of the bacteria that can potentially grow.

As the green trend grows, a demand for an alternative to the common plastic or glass bottle has risen, but using another material to house liquids comes with many challenges. Brainimage thought outside of the plastic by developing a unique food grade 100% recyclable paper bottle that can stand up to liquids of all categories.

There’s no word on when the bottle will be commercially available.

Via the Dieline- a blog dedicated to package design.

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Building with Bamboo

Thanks to the efforts of Yan Xiao, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California, bamboo can now be turned into structural beams to build and support houses and even bridges. Initially reserved for cosmetic and non-load bearing applications, bamboo is now a viable alternative to traditional hard wood lumber. Xiao’s invention, called GluBam, is a structural lumber made from laminated bamboo veneers that are pressed into beams. The beams can be cut and handled like traditional lumber, but come from a rapidly renewable resource.

Yan Xiao’s GluBam is currently being used to construct classrooms and homes across China and was even used in a bridge in the town of Leiyang in China’s Hunan province. The bridge is the first ever to be constructed using structural bamboo and is a testament to the great strength and range of use that this new bamboo derivative has.

GluBam will also be a great aid to developing countries like China that have vast bamboo forests but lack more robust traditional hardwood resources. By transforming the bamboo stalks into manageable beams, GluBam can be used for a variety of applications and can perform just as well as its hardwood counterparts.

To find out more see GluBam’s feature in Popular Science

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Put a Little Hemp in Your Concrete

In Europe, the oft-stigmatized hemp plant is becoming a widely accepted, environmentally friendly alternative source to concrete or brick in the building industry, but sadly has yet to gain any real traction in the US market. Hemp based concrete, a mixture of aggregate hemp stalks, sand, lime and concrete, is becoming more widespread in Europe due to it being a rapidly renewable resource, its impressive thermal and sound dampening qualities and its small carbon footprint.

Hemp-based concrete cannot be used for load bearing walls but is still a very versatile material; it can be cast into blocks or in a solid mass around timber frames, and can even be sprayed onto many surfaces. It is extremely energy efficient and can be used in multiple applications including roof and under floor insulation, in casting solid walls and as wall filler around a timber-framed building.

The stalks of the hemp plant, once considered waste, are processed and used as a renewable, fast growing aggregate in the concrete. Hemp is an extremely hardy plant, requires little maintenance, pesticides or water but unfortunately has been mired in controversy do to its close ties with a certain close relative. Today, numerous companies like Tradical and Hemcrete are prospering in Europe and their hemp-based products have successfully been implemented in a wide range of projects. Like many large industries, America’s building industry is slow to accept and adopt new methods and technologies, but the promise of hemp-based concrete certain; its future in the US however is not.

To find out more visit www.americanlimetec.com

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The New Look of Solar

Solyndra, a California based solar power company, has developed a revolutionary new solar product that utilizes tubes — resembling fluorescent lights — instead of conventional panels. The cylindrical shape allows Solyndra to cover a larger surface area and capture more light resulting in greater electricity generation. The cylindrical modules can capture sunlight across a 360-degree surface capable of collecting direct, diffuse and reflected sunlight.

Solyndra modules are also much easier to install than conventional panels. They don’t have to be positioned on an angle, and can be installed for about half the cost of normal solar panel installation. There are no roof penetrations needed and they can be easily moved for maintenance or relocation.

Despite the dismal state of our economy, solar technology has seen rapid growth in the past few years. This new offering from Solyndra is poised to grow the industry even more and they have just announced over 1.2 billion, yes billion, worth of new contracts. Most of the new modules however will unfortunately be heading overseas, but as solar technologies continue to mature and drop in price, expect to see more and more buildings employing them.

Further Reading

Solyndra Website
Solyndra in The Business Journal
Solyndra interview in Scientific American

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Day4 Energy Has Introduced A New Solar Panel Technology

Day4 Energy, A startup company in Burnaby, Canada, has introduced new solar panel technology, which will increase energy efficiency and decrease costs by 25 percent. President of Day4 Energy, George Rubin, has estimated that the cost per watt of solar power would be about $3 compared to the $4 for conventional panels. After months of research and experiments, Day4 has developed a new solar panel that has evolved in design and performance. The company has redesigned the solar-cell structure and has also developed a new electrode that allows these solar panels to absorb more light and operate at a higher voltage. This increases the efficiency from an industry standard of 14 percent to 17 percent, and these solar panels will generate more power than conventional panels do.

In conventional solar panels, the silicon that converts light into electricity is covered with a network of silver lines that feed into thicker wires called bus bars. Day4 replaced these bus bars with rows of fine copper wires coated with an alloy material, creating a new electrode. It covers up less silicon than the bus bars, leaving more area for absorbing light. In addition, less silicon was used in the production of this electrode, which allows more light to pass through to be converted into electricity. Although the new panels won’t be available for another 18 months, they are already in production.

Day4 Energy

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