Pollution Archives - Zureli

Search for any green Service

Find green products from around the world in one place

Window cleaning

Singapore Safety Glass

Sustainable Mushroom Coffins – Human Compost

Posted on June 23, 2023June 23, 2023 by dishanth

Sustainable Mushroom Coffins

Mushroom coffins are made from mycelium, the vegetative part of fungi. The mycelium is grown around a mold of the desired shape and then dried, forming a sturdy, biodegradable material that can be used as an alternative to traditional coffins. These coffins are available in various shapes and sizes and can even be customized to suit individual preferences.

The coffin is designed to decompose quickly and enrich the soil. When buried, the mycelium in the coffin will break down organic matter, including human remains, into nutrients and minerals that nourish plants. It can also improve soil quality by breaking down toxic chemicals and pollutants in the soil, making it healthier for future growth.

Benefits Compared to Traditional Coffins

Reduced Carbon Emissions: Traditional coffins made of wood and metal are known to produce large amounts of carbon emissions during production and transportation. On the other hand, sustainable mushroom coffins are made of natural materials and require less energy to manufacture, resulting in lower carbon emissions.

Cost-effectiveness: Sustainable mushroom coffins are also more cost-effective than traditional coffins. While traditional coffins can be expensive due to the use of expensive materials and the cost of labour, mushroom coffins are much cheaper to produce, making them more affordable for families looking for sustainable alternatives.

Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: Sustainable mushroom coffins are also better for the environment because they utilize renewable natural resources and do not require harmful chemicals or pesticides to grow. Additionally, they help reduce the waste generated from traditional burial practices.

Composting Human Remains

Human compost is converting human remains, such as bones and tissue, into nutrient-rich soil using the same principles of composting used to fertilize gardens. It involves placing the body in a container filled with organic material like wood chips, straw, or sawdust. Oxygen and moisture encourage decomposition, resulting in nutrient-rich soil that nourishes plants.

Human compost is a more sustainable option than traditional burial and cremation practices. Traditional burial practices involve embalming fluids containing harmful chemicals that can seep into the soil and water supply. Conversely, cremation requires large amounts of energy to burn the body, which contributes to carbon emissions.

Human compost produces significantly less carbon emissions than traditional burial and cremation practices. Unlike cremation, human composting does not require high levels of energy use. Instead, the decomposition process occurs naturally, requiring only minimal energy input.

Human compost produces nutrient-rich soil that can be used to grow plants, trees, and other vegetation. This helps to replenish the soil and promote healthy plant growth.

The use of compost from human remains also helps prevent soil erosion. This is because compost has properties that help to retain moisture and reduce runoff, which can help prevent soil erosion.

If you are interested in using sustainable death practices like sustainable mushroom coffins and human compost, it is important to research and find a provider that offers these options in your jurisdiction. Discussing these options with your loved ones is also important so that your wishes can be honoured when the time comes.

While death is a reality for all of us, we can still make choices that positively impact the environment even after we are gone. By choosing sustainable death practices, we can make a more meaningful contribution to the planet, leaving behind a legacy of environmental consciousness and stewardship.

Source Happy Eco News

Shark in the water: This robot can collect 21,000 plastic bottles in a day

Posted on April 4, 2023 by dishanth

Inspired by a whale shark’s wide mouth – which scoops up whatever is in front of it – Richard’s company Ran Marine created the WasteShark.

“I liken it to a Roomba for water. It’s an autonomous machine that scoops up pollution out of water on the surface level.”

“That pollution could be plastic or any debris or biomass like algae,” Richard adds.

Why is there a robot shark at Canary Wharf?

The Aqua Libra WasteShark was deployed in London’s Canary Wharf this week as part of a project to clean up the area and make it a healthier, more biodiverse environment.

Canary Wharf is a thriving financial district located on London’s River Thames. 120,000 people visit every day to work or shop there.

The Canary Wharf Group, which developed and manages the area, have done a lot to reduce single-use plastics. But the high footfall means it’s easy for coffee cups and lunch wrappers to end up in the water.

Currently, only 14 per cent of English rivers meet good ecological status. The country’s waterways are plagued by pollution from agriculture, sewage, roads and single-use plastics.

In fact, it is estimated that 8 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans every year, much of it being swept from cities to the sea through rivers.

“The way we designed the WasteShark was that it was zero impact on the environment that it’s working in,” says Richard.

“You’ll see a lot of boats that go out and clean are normally diesel-powered or mechanically powered so there’s a bit of oil and pollution going back into the water while they’re cleaning,” he explains.

WasteShark is completely electric and is so quiet it doesn’t disturb wildlife, according to the Ran Marine CEO.

“Ducks and swans swim away from it. We’re not fast enough to catch fish. So it really is a low-impact solution to remove pollution out of the water.”

What can WasteShark do?

The WasteShark is battery-powered and travels up to 5km on one battery. That amounts to around 8-10 hours of cleaning time. A daily feed for the WasteShark is around 500kg of debris or the equivalent of guzzling roughly 21,000 plastic bottles.

Any rubbish collected in the robot’s belly is then brought back to shore, sorted and recycled or disposed of responsibly.

Whilst it’s filling up, the WasteShark also collects samples of the water.

“We’re collecting water quality data from all around the world and aggregating that [so we can see] what it looked like last week, last year. Is the water getting cleaner? Is it changing? Is there a potential algae bloom?” explains Richard.

“It’s kind of our dream to deploy these things around the world to clean up while we’re asleep, make a difference and hopefully make an impact on our environment.”

Source euronews.green

Algae biofuel back from dead, now with carbon capture

Posted on September 13, 2022September 14, 2022 by dishanth

Algae biofuel stakeholders have been stuck in the doldrums for years, but in an odd twist of fate, the fossil fuel industry could help algae make a comeback. Apparently the new plan is to pair algae farming with waste carbon from gas power plants and other industrial operations. In addition to biofuel, algae farming can also produce animal feed, fish food, nutritional supplements and toiletries for people, and bioplastic products.

Why Algae Biofuel?
CleanTechnica spilled plenty of ink on the area of algae biofuel research some years ago, during the Obama administration. Unlike other energy crops, algae can be grown in ponds or human-made structures without taking arable land out of circulation, and it has a rapid growth-to-harvest cycle. The high oil content of certain strains of algae is another leading attraction, and the algae R&D pathway can lead in a carbon negative direction.

On the down side, figuring out an economical way to cultivate algae and extract the oil at an industrial scale is a challenging endeavor, especially when the over-arching goal is to reduce carbon emissions rather than adding them.

The picture was looking bright in the early 2000s, up through the Obama administration. However, by the time former President Obama left office in 2016, oil prices were crashing. The relatively low cost of petroleum seemed to put the idea of a bioeconomy fueled by algae biofuel to bed.

Nevertheless, the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory was among those continuing to invest in algae research projects, and the algae field continued to branch off into new angles. In 2018, for example, the Energy Department was funding the algae bioplastics angle. In 2020 researchers were exploring the idea of hooking up with high speed 3-D printing. The Mars mission has also sparked a new burst of interest in the algae biofuel field.

Algae biofuel could have another moment in the sun, now that more federal dollars are pouring into carbon capture-and-recycling technology (photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL).

Carbon Capture To The Rescue
In January of this year the Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) launched the new AlgaePrize competition for students, aimed at developing “the next generation of bioeconomy professionals by expanding novel solutions to production, processing, and new product development on the way to gigaton-scale algae commercialization for fuel, food, products, and carbon dioxide utilization/sequestration.”

If you caught that thing about carbon dioxide, that’s where the happy dance for natural gas stakeholders comes in. Carbon capture from flue gas could turn out to be a value-added element that improves the bottom line for algae farming.

That’s where BETO seems to be heading. Last week the office announced a $16.5 million round of funding for six algae projects related to carbon dioxide capture.

The six projects were selected for their potential to demonstrate an improvement in carbon capture by algal systems leading to biofuels and other products, while also cutting costs and decreasing overall greenhouse gas emissions.

“Algae can grow on waste CO2, functioning as a carbon sink. This algae biomass can then be used to create low or no-emissions biofuels and bioproducts which displace GHGs,” BETO noted.

Natural Gas Hearts Algae Biofuel
Not all six of the new BETO-funded projects are focusing on carbon captured from flue gas. The Colorado School of Mines, for example, plans to put its pond-grown algae system through its paces using concentrated carbon dioxide from direct air capture.

Another awardee, Colorado State University, is working on an algal system that functions efficiently on atmospheric carbon.

Three of the other awardees are focusing on carbon dioxide from industrial fossil energy users including power plants: Dioxide Materials, MicroBio Engineering, and the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Sciences. A fourth awardee in the point source class is Global Algae Innovations, which is focusing more specifically on flue gas from a naphtha-fired power plant.

If the biofuel angle doesn’t work out at commercial scale, other aspects of the algae biofuel market could come into play.

Market analysts are forecasting growth in the algae market in the coming years. Consumers are on the prowl for healthy diet supplements, especially among the up-and-coming generation.

“Rise in the acceptance of algae-based food products and a growing popularity of vegan food are expected to emerge as trends in the algae market. Algae are already widely employed in bioplastics, cosmetics, food, bio-packaging, biofuel, and pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products,” observes the firm Transparency Market Research.

The Long Algae Biofuel Game Of ExxonMobil
All this activity puts the on-again, off-again algae biofuel journey of ExxonMobil into perspective.

ExxonMobil spearheaded the charge into shale gas after the Bush Administration lifted Clean Water Act regulations in 2006, and the company continued to double down on gas acquisitions even as prices plummeted.

Next Steps For Algae
ExxonMobil, for one, is excited. The company lists the following benefits compared to corn ethanol and other biofuels made from land-based energy crops:

Unlike making ethanol and biodiesel, producing algae does not compete with sources of food, rendering the food-vs.-fuel quandary a moot point.
Because algae can be produced in brackish water, including seawater, its production will not strain freshwater resources the way ethanol does.
Algae consume CO2, and on a life-cycle basis have a much lower emissions profile than corn ethanol given the energy used to make fertilizer, distill the ethanol, and to farm and transport the latter.
Algae can yield more biofuel per acre than plant-based biofuels – currently about 1,500 gallons of fuel per acre, per year. That’s almost five times more fuel per acre than from sugar cane or corn.
That’s all well and good, but it’s about time for ExxonMobil and other fossil energy stakeholders to stop digging more carbon up from the ground and start taking giant steps towards a more sustainable energy profile.

Capturing carbon dioxide at power plants is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t change anything in terms of the local environmental impacts of fossil energy extraction, and it doesn’t make a dent in the amount of fugitive emissions escaping from drilling sites, transportation networks and storage facilities.

To the extent that algae farming at gas power plants enables more gas extraction, it’s just another form of greenhouse gas whack-a-mole.

Either way, it looks like algae farming at power plants has a window of opportunity. Last November ExxonMobil re-upped its collaboration with Synthetic Genomics, under the new name of Viridos. If you have any thoughts about that, drop us a note in the comment thread.

Source CleanTechnica

Happy Green Year! French eco-friendly packaging laws go into effect

Posted on January 3, 2022 by dishanth

New laws, including a ban on plastic packaging for several fruits and vegetables came into effect in France on New Year’s Day. The measures aimed at reducing pollution will also prevent manufacturers from dumping certain clothing, hygiene and furniture products that have not been sold.

Environmentalists have long campaigned against single-use plastics as pollution worsens globally while President Emmanuel Macron has backed the move defending a “pragmatic” approach.

The October decree covers for example the sale of under 1.5 kilos (3.3 lbs) of apples.

However, the full legislation will not be applied until 2026, allowing firms to adapt, including on the sale of red fruits considered fragile. Six months has also been granted to use up existing plastic packaging stocks.

“We were never consulted,” complained Laurent Grandin, head of the fruit and vegetable sector’s Interfel association.

He told AFP the costs were “insurmountable” for small companies who would have to keep using plastic to protect exports, notably to Britain, a major client for apples.

But Armand Chaigne, director of industrial markets at packaging firm DS Smith, sees the benefits, notably for cardboard manufacturers.

“It is estimated that in Europe, out of the eight million tonnes of plastic produced per year for single-use packaging, 1.5 million tonnes could already be removed,” he told AFP.

“That represents about 70 billion units of single-use plastic packaging”, or “about €7 billion ($7.9 billion) of additional turnover potential for cardboard”, he said.

Source France 24

Google to help fashion brands map ESG supply chain risks

Posted on November 26, 2021November 26, 2021 by dishanth

Consumers are demanding more transparency about where their clothes are produced and under what conditions. With the average supply chain for a merino sweater spanning 28,000 kilometres, fashion brands have the colossal task of tracing a product’s history from field to shelf in a bid to clean-up the sector’s spotty environmental, social and governance (ESG) record.

In partnership with conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), fashion label Stella McCartney and non-profit The Textile Exchange, the search giant has developed the Google Impact Fibre Explorer, that it says will enable companies to identify the biggest risks associated with more than 20 fibre types in their supply chains, including synthetics.

Despite sustainability pledges, the fashion industry is failing to tackle its hefty carbon and environmental footprint and is on a trajectory that will far-exceed the pathway to mitigate climate change to align with the United Nation’s goal of keeping global temperatures from rising above 1.5°C since pre-industrial times, according to research by McKinsey, a consultancy.

The fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to the global climate and ecological crisis — accounting for up to 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

A large chunk of emissions could be avoided in its upstream operations with approximately 70 per cent of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions stem from energy-intensive raw material production.

The Global Fibre Impact Explorer (GFIE) dashboard allows brands to upload their fibre portfolio data and get recommendations to reduce risk across key environmental categories. Image: The Keyword, Google

Environmental factors such as air pollution, biodiversity, climate and greenhouse gasses, forestry and water use are calculated to produce risk ratings. The tool will also provide brands with recommendations for targeted and regionally specific risk reduction activities including opportunities to work with farmers, producers and communities.

During a pilot phase, British fashion house Stella McCartney was able to identify cotton sources in Turkey that are facing water stress.

Brands such as Chanel, Nike and H&M are among the 130 companies that have pledged to halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 under the renewed United Nations Fashion Charter announced last month during climate talks in Glasgow. Alongside updated commitments to cut emissions, the charter promises to reduce the environmental impact from the use of materials such as cotton, viscose, polyester, wool and leather.

The renewed agreement is more ambitious than a previous commitment in 2018 to cut emissions by a third. Nevertheless, the signatories represent a slither of the vast garment and footwear industry with fast-fashion brands such as BooHoo, Shein and ASOS notably missing from list.

The textiles sector also called for policy change to incentivise the use of “environmentally preferred” materials, such as organic cotton and recycled fibres earlier this month.

Consumers do not want to buy products made with forced labour…Without government regulations, many companies will continue to make choices based on profits not on rights.

Laura Murphy, professor of human rights and contemporary slavery, Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice

Improved data mapping tools should help to shed light on fashion’s murky supply chains. Many brands do not have reliable information on their upstream suppliers beyond the manufacturers they deal with. Data from cotton farms and spinners are rarely available on paper, let alone a digital format. Blind-spots are perpetuating environmental and social problems that have dogged the industry for decades.

Cotton supply, in particular, has come under the spotlight. China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, which produces a fifth of the world’s cotton, is where the Chinese government has allegedly committed grave human-rights violations against the largely Muslim population of Uyghurs and other minorities.

A new report published on 17 November by Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom analysed supply chain connections identified through shipping records to show how cotton from the Uyghur region circumvents supply standards and import bans to end up in consumer wardrobes around the world.

In the report, Laundering Cotton: How Xinjiang Cotton is Obscured in International Supply Chains, Professor Laura Murphy and co-authors identify more than 50 contract garment suppliers – in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Ethiopia, China and Mexico – that use the Xinjiang fabric and yarn in the clothes they make for leading brands, “thus obscuring the provenance of the cotton.”

“The benefits of such an export strategy may be clear: the end buyer is no longer directly involved in buying Xinjiang cotton,” the report said. “International brands and wholesalers can buy from factories in third countries that have few visible ties with Uyghur region-based companies.”

The researchers identified over 100 international retailers downstream of Xinjiang cotton, Murphy told media on a call on Friday. These include Levi Strauss, Lululemon, H&M, Marks & Spencer and Uniqlo, according to the report.

“Consumers do not want to buy products made with forced labour,” Murphy told Eco-Business. “We need our governments to insist that companies trace their supply chains back to the raw materials and make those findings public. Without government regulations, many companies will continue to make choices based on profits not on rights.”

Source Eco Business

The fuel economy of electric cars: How far can you go on a single charge?

Posted on November 1, 2021 by dishanth

Electric cars are becoming an increasingly popular option for drivers who’re conscious about the impact they’re having on the environment. And while critics of the past might have cited a lack of range in their batteries, things are quite different in 2021.

Cars are now built with distance in mind – without compromising on their overall performance and environmental impact. But just how far can some of the best electric cars travel on a single charge?

To find the answer to that question, check out our comparison tool. We’ve taken data from some of the best electric cars on the market to find out which can take you furthest on just one battery recharge.

For those of you who want to learn a little more about electric cars in general, read on to get a better understanding of just how this exciting new way to travel is slowly becoming the norm for British roads. The future is well and truly here.

Chapter 1. What you need to know about electric cars

It may be that you’re interested in trying out an electric car yourself, but just haven’t found the courage to take that leap of faith. If that’s you – or even if you’re just interested to find out more about this unique breed of vehicle – here are some of the most important things you should know.

Electric car statistics – How the world is adapting

While electric cars may have once seemed like an unrealistic and impractical way to travel, the technological advancements made throughout the 21st Century have meant that the prevalence of this type of vehicle on the road has soared.

The drivers of the world have seen the merits of electric alternatives, with more people seeming to place a focus on sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives.

The numbers strongly support that, with exponential growth demonstrated on a consistent basis on electric vehicle sales since 2013. Figures from Virta show that, with the exception of 2019, the global electric market saw a rise of at least 43% in growth every year until 2020.

The full numbers showed:

The drop in growth to just 9% in 2019 may have initially implied a declining interest in electric vehicles. In reality, it was the combination of the industry’s hugely successful 2018 and the first throws of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, which triggered this sudden slide. As we enter 2021 and beyond, the numbers appear to be back on track.

The total number of electric cars on the road sailed to as high as 10 million, which was itself a 41% rise on the figure at the end of the previous year (and up significantly from just 1.2 million at the end of 2015).

Across the globe, powerhouses like China, the US and most of Europe have all begun to adopt this new and more sustainable form of transport. IEA highlighted in their 2021 Global EV Outlook how each of these regions has readily adopted electric, with the numbers showing:

Within Europe, Germany and the United Kingdom are amongst the leading names in terms of the pure number of vehicles being registered. The Germans saw an increase of 395,000, while UK numbers increased by 176,000.

But it is in Scandinavia where the concept of electric transport has been most readily adopted. The three leading countries for the percentage of new car sales being electric across the globe were:

Perhaps most encouragingly of all for the market is the news that both plug-in and pure electric battery options have seen significant and continued growth. Numbers of registrations for both across the past five years show:

Right now, everything is pointing towards an electric takeover at some point in the next decade..

The future of electric cars and the road

With the 2030 ban on selling petrol and diesel cars set to come into effect in the not-too-distant future, electric cars currently stand as the most viable alternative. But just how is this shift to a more sustainable form of transport going to translate on British roads?

Some of the most impactful changes we could see include:

Widescale electric vehicle (EV) adoption

One of the most common features of a largely electric future will be a steady and continued rise in the number of battery and plug-in powered cars we see on roads. In truth, as our figures have shown, this is something that is happening as we speak.

Charging points

The need to regularly stop and charge a car might seem like a hassle, but, with a higher percentage of EVs on the road, accommodations will be made to ensure there is an ample supply of charging points. Once again, this is something which has seen a rapid rise in recent years. Between just 2016 and June of 2021, numbers have increased from roughly 6,000 to just under 25,000 in the UK.

Synergy with other technology

This continued popularity and growth is sure to open up new avenues of opportunity for tech industries. Driverless cars are perhaps the most intriguing prospect – with this technology relying heavily on the need for electrical automation.

Smart motorways

While this is still something of a pipe dream right now, provisions have been put in place to start thinking about a self-charging smart motorway. This would eliminate the need to constantly stop and recharge a car, with vehicles being constantly topped up as they travel.

Sustainability rates of electric cars

Even the most staunch supporter of traditional internal combustion engines (ICE) can’t deny the environmental advantages an electric car offers. In fact, the numbers show that just one electric car can save as much as 1.5 metric tonnes of CO₂ across a year when compared to a combustion engine. To put that in perspective, that’s as many as four return flights from London to Barcelona.

But what other environmental benefits does driving an electric car offer?

Recycled products

Some (although not all) electric cars have parts and fittings which are made from exclusively recycled materials. This is more commonly the case with their internal features (like seats, trims and dashboards).

Health benefits

With fewer exhaust emissions to the surrounding air that you breath and contribute to climate change, you and those around you are bound to naturally benefit from a cleaner, healthier environment.

Efficiency

An electric car can use as much as 90% of energy generated to become motion energy. By comparison, a combustion engine will average roughly 20-30%. This efficiency means less goes to waste.

Heightened vehicle safety

While it’s often overlooked, the nature of an electric car’s construction means it is inherently safer. They benefit from a number of design features which makes the car less of a risk. Those include:

A lower centre of gravity (reducing the chances of rolling over)
A much lower risk of fires and explosions
A tougher body structure, to make them more durable in a collision

Chapter 2. How far can you go on a single charge?

It used to be that electric vehicles were criticised because of their battery life. In the 2020s, things are very different – with some cars even able to go as far on one charge as an average-sized fuel tank.

But just how far can they go? Use our interactive tool to work out how far each of the electric cars we’ve focused on can travel after just one full charge.

The future of electric cars and the road

As you can see, you’ll get quite far on just the one charge these days. But there are ways to ensure you really get the maximum out of your car. Try these handy tips:

Make sure to keep all of these in mind if you want to go as far as possible on just one charge.

Chapter 3.

Planning for a long distance journey

Now that you better appreciate the range of your electric car, it’s time to put that battery to use. Heading away on a road trip is always rewarding – and an increasingly popular option in the age of COVID-19. Let’s explore everything you need to keep in mind when hitting the open road.

Charging your electric car

While this is a lot easier to manage than in the past, some consideration still needs to be made when planning out the battery management of your car. Follow this handy advice to ensure you aren’t caught out when you travel:

Packing essential items

No matter where you’re going, there are a handful of essential items which make any road trip much easier. Whether it’s to keep you on course, or just to provide some home comforts, these are amongst the most important to keep in mind for your trip:

Staying awake and alert

Safety on the road is paramount, whether you’re driving for five minutes or five hours. The key to lowering your chances of causing an accident is to make sure you’re as alert as possible every time you get behind the wheel. Here are some of the most important and effective ways of doing just that:

A good night’s sleep

Nothing beats getting a full night of rest when it comes to feeling awake and alert. Having the chance to refresh and recharge is why we sleep in the first place – so make sure to always get enough by going to bed at a reasonable time the night before a long journey.

Shifts

If you’re lucky enough to be on the journey with another driver, make sure to take it in turns behind the wheel. This will give you both the much-needed time to relax and not have to worry about concentrating on the task at hand.

Take breaks

Whether you’re sharing shifts or not, it’s also wise to take regular breaks. The Highway Code recommends stopping for at least 15 minutes every two hours as a guideline. Your body will know when it’s time to take a little break.

Top tips for a long trip with a young family

Keeping little ones entertained can be a challenge at the best of times, let alone on long car trips. Thankfully, you’re not the first to experience this hurdle. Here are some of the most tried-and-tested methods to keep the kids satisfied while you drive:

Source Auto Trader

Recycling textile waste: ‘A solution exists, we can’t go backwards’

Posted on May 31, 2021 by dishanth

An Australian startup working on a process to recycle textiles by turning worn-out fabric into raw materials says it has funding to build a world-first commercial-scale plant in Queensland.

The federal government held a first national roundtable on textile waste on Wednesday – recognition of a piling-up problem that results in Australians discarding an estimated 780,000 tonnes of textile waste each year, according to a 2020 national waste report.

The problem is exacerbated by the lack of an effective recycling process. Studies show many large-scale garment recycling systems provide negligible benefits and can be as environmentally harmful as producing raw fabrics.

BlockTexx, an Australian company that has developed its process with researchers at the Queensland University of Technology, hopes it can help “close the loop” by diverting textiles from landfill, and at the same time replacing virgin material.

The company’s founders, Graham Ross and Adrian Jones, say the technology has been refined during the pandemic and they now have the $5.5m investment needed to build a first large-scale facility at Logan, south of Brisbane.

Ross and Jones – both veterans of the clothing and fashion industry – say they have enough supply and demand to expand, before the first plant has been built.

“From this original idea we always knew we were early to the market, but also a lot of technical barriers we need to overcome,” Ross said.

“We always seem to talk about textile waste. We always think about how can we take that and turn that into a valuable product.

“The byproduct is we’re solving environmental issues.”

Alice Payne, an associate professor at QUT and the program leader at the centre for a waste free world, said problems with textile waste have been accelerated since the 1980s by global trade policies. Lowered tariffs encouraged more imports. Cheaper fabrics allowed the phenomenon of “fast fashion” to flourish.

“Clothes are cheaper than ever – it’s possible to buy more and more,” Payne said.

“In parallel we’ve seen this stark rise in consumption of synthetic fibres. They’re low cost, they have an ease of consumption compared to natural fibres.

“When you blend a synthetic fibre with a natural fibre you create a monstrous hybrid. The common problem with all attempts at recycling is the more mixed material you have, the more problem you have reusing those resources.”

The process developed by BlockTexx and QUT researchers – called “separation of fabric technology” – is noteworthy because it is designed to handle hybrid fabrics. It turns cotton to cellulose and polyester to flake for industrial uses like injection moulding.

Their aim for the first plant is to recycle about 10,000 tonnes a year by the end of 2022 – initially focusing mostly on commercial fabrics, including old towels and sheets from hotels and hospitals.

Ross said that after two years of lab testing, they were comfortable they could commercialise the process, and that it was producing raw recycled materials of very high quality.

“We’ve now got a product where we can consistently compare our product to virgin material,” he said.

The company would begin to recycle post-consumer waste when it scales up capacity. Plans have been drawn up for a 40,000-tonne plant. BlockTexx envisages licensing its technology on a global scale.

“[The size of the first plant] is significant, but equally only a drop in the ocean of the amount of textiles going to landfill,” Ross said.

“This is definitely a global model. The world has a textile problem. Our solution needs to go to the problem, because we can’t bring the problem to the solution.

“We see ourselves as a technology company. We already have several large waste and textile companies around the world saying this is really interesting.

“The other smart thing about our model is that it’s very modular – it can be run on a small scale and we can expand it.”

Jones said: “Whatever happens from now, because a solution exists, we can’t go backwards.

“I’m not trying to say that from tomorrow we’re not going to put textiles into landfill, we’re not going to export textile waste.

“But we’ve now got the opportunity to do something. It really does move the discussion from the art of the possible to the art of the practical and that’s really important in this space.”

Source The Guardian

Food giants respond to worries over packaging

Posted on May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 by dishanth

When Rebecca Prince-Ruiz recalls how her eco-friendly movement Plastic Free July has progressed over the years, she can’t help but smile. What began in 2011 as 40 people committing to going plastic-free one month a year has gained momentum to 326 million people pledging to adopt this practice today.

“I’ve seen that uptick in interest every year,” says Ms Prince-Ruiz, who is based in Perth, Australia, and author of Plastic Free: The Inspiring Story of a Global Environmental Movement and Why It Matters.

“These days, people are taking a hard look at what they are doing in their lives and how they can seize an opportunity to be less wasteful,” she says.

Since 2000, the plastics industry has manufactured as much plastic as all the preceding years combined, a World Wildlife Fund report in 2019 found. “The production of virgin plastic has increased 200-fold since 1950, and has grown at a rate of 4% a year since 2000,” the report says.

This has spurred companies to replace single-use plastic with biodegradable and compostable packaging designed to dramatically reduce the toxic footprint plastics leave behind.

In March, Mars Wrigley and Danimer Scientific announced a new two-year partnership to develop compostable packaging for Skittles in the US, estimated to be on shelves by early 2022.

Mars Wrigley plans to have a compostable wrapper for Skittles by next year GETTY IMAGES

It involves a type of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) that will look and feel the same as plastic, but can be thrown into the compost where it will break down, unlike regular plastic that takes anywhere from 20 to 450 years to fully decompose.

Danimer Scientific’s polymer product is made from canola oil, and it acts similarly to wood, meaning it breaks down when bacteria interact with it. “PHA goes away naturally and is still a very strong material for all types of products,” says Stephen Croskrey, chief executive of Danimer Scientific, based in the US state of Georgia.

Alastair Child, Mars Wrigley vice-president for global sustainability, says: “Our vision is to support a circular economy where packaging never becomes waste and by 2025 we plan to reduce our virgin plastic use by 25% and for 100% of our plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable.”

Polymateria’s plastic biodegrades after three years POLYMATERIA

Hindering the widespread use of eco-friendly packaging such as PHA is the cost. It can be three to fives time as expensive to manufacture as regular plastic.

But that hasn’t stopped companies such as California-based Mango Materials and London-based Polymateria from dedicating their businesses to producing products that biodegrade over a shorter period of time.

For example, Polymateria’s Cycle+ plastic is biodegradable after three years and is still able to be recycled during its usable lifetime. Their clients range from East Africa businesses making bread bags to Extreme E, a new electric racing series that uses Polymateria products for cups and food packaging.

Consumers are demanding biodegradable plastics, says Niall Dunne, chief executive of Polymateria SUZANNE PLUNKETT

The plastics industry should wake up to the growing trend of alternative packaging, says Niall Dunne, chief executive of Polymateria. “We’ve seen how consumer pressure is saying to the big guys that they have to be on board [with reducing their plastic production] and to be more transparent and authentic in this important conversation,” Mr Dunne says.

Meg Sobkowicz, associate professor of plastics engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, says that kind of pressure has already worked to push the plastics industry to steer away from the toxic BPA ingredient that was commonly found in reusable plastic bottles. “I think we’re coming around to where public concern is pushing them to tip the scales in favour of environmentally friendly packaging, despite its costs.”

By David Silverberg
Technology of Business reporte

Source BBC

Biden boosts offshore wind energy, wants to power 10 million homes

Posted on March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 by dishanth

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to sharply increase offshore wind energy along the East Coast, saying Monday it is taking initial steps toward approving a huge wind farm off the New Jersey coast as part of an effort to generate electricity for more than 10 million homes nationwide by 2030.

Meeting the target could mean jobs for more than 44,000 workers and for 33,000 others in related employment, the White House said. The effort also would help avoid 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, a key step in the administration’s fight to slow global warming.

President Joe Biden “believes we have an enormous opportunity in front of us to not only address the threats of climate change, but use it as a chance to create millions of good-paying, union jobs that will fuel America’s economic recovery,” said White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy. “Nowhere is the scale of that opportunity clearer than for offshore wind.”

The administration’s commitment to the still untapped industry “will create pathways to the middle class for people from all backgrounds and communities,” she added. “We are ready to rock-and-roll.”

The administration said it intends to prepare a formal environmental analysis for the Ocean Wind project off New Jersey. That would move Ocean Wind toward becoming the third commercial-scale offshore wind project in the U.S.

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it is targeting offshore wind projects in shallow waters between Long Island and the New Jersey coast. A recent study shows the area can support up to 25,000 development and construction jobs by 2030, Interior said.

The ocean energy bureau said it will push to sell commercial leases in the area in late 2021 or early 2022.

The administration also pledged to invest $230 million to upgrade U.S. ports and provide up to $3 billion in loan guarantees for offshore wind projects through the Energy Department’s recently revived clean-energy loan program.

“It is going to be a full-force gale of good-paying, union jobs that lift people up,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Ocean Wind, 15 miles off the coast of southern New Jersey, is projected to produce about 1,100 megawatts a year, enough to power 500,000 homes, once it becomes operational in 2024.

The Interior Department has previously announced environmental reviews for Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts and South Fork wind farm about 35 miles east of Montauk Point in Long Island, N.Y. Vineyard Wind is expected to produce about 800 megawatts of power and South Fork about 132 megawatts.

Biden has vowed to double offshore wind production by 2030 as part of his effort to slow climate change. The likely approval of the Atlantic Coast projects — the leading edge of at least 16 offshore wind projects along the East Coast — marks a sharp turnaround from the Trump administration, which stymied wind power both onshore and in the ocean.

As president, Donald Trump frequently derided wind power as an expensive, bird-slaughtering way to make electricity, and his administration resisted or opposed wind projects nationwide, including Vineyard Wind. The developer of the Massachusetts project temporarily withdrew its application late last year in a bid to stave off possible rejection by the Trump administration. Biden provided a fresh opening for the project after taking office in January.

“For generations, we’ve put off the transition to clean energy and now we’re facing a climate crisis,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, whose department oversees offshore wind.

“As our country faces the interlocking challenges of a global pandemic, economic downturn, racial injustice and the climate crisis, we have to transition to a brighter future for everyone,” Haaland said.

Vineyard Wind is slated to become operational in 2023, with Ocean Wind following a year later.

Despite the enthusiasm, offshore wind development is still in its infancy in the U.S., far behind progress made in Europe. A small wind farm operates near Block Island in waters controlled by the state of Rhode Island, and another small wind farm operates off the coast of Virginia.

The three major projects under development are all owned by European companies or subsidiaries. Vineyard Wind is a joint project of a Danish company and a U.S. subsidiary of the Spanish energy giant, Iberdrola. Ocean Wind and South Fork are led by the Danish company, Orsted.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday it is signing an agreement with Orsted to share data about U.S. waters where the company holds leases. The data should aid NOAA’s ocean-mapping efforts and help it advance climate adaptation and mitigation efforts, the agency said. NOAA also will spend $1 million to study the impacts of offshore wind operations on fishing operators and coastal communities.

Wind developers are poised to create tens of thousands of jobs and generate more than $100 billion in new investment by 2030, “but the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management must first open the door to new leasing,″ said Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association.

Not everyone is cheering the rise of offshore wind. Fishing groups from Maine to Florida have expressed fear that large offshore wind projects could render huge swaths of the ocean off-limits to their catch.

Source US News

US urged to cut 50% of emissions by 2030 to spur other countries to action

Posted on March 11, 2021 by dishanth

The US needs to commit to slashing its planet-heating emissions by at least half by the end of the decade to address the climate crisis and spur other countries to greater action, a coalition of American environmental groups has urged.

Joe Biden’s administration is set to unveil a new national emissions reduction target at a climate meeting it has convened with other major economic powers on Earth Day, 22 April, which it hopes will galvanize countries that are currently dangerously lagging in efforts to stave off disastrous climate change.

A motley selection of environmental groups and leaders have said the US goal must be no lower than a 50% cut in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, based on 2005 levels. This will, the groups argue, put America on track to meet Biden’s aspiration of net zero emissions by 2050, as well as provide a major push to countries and businesses that were bereft of American climate leadership during Donald Trump’s presidency.

“The target has to be ambitious enough to show US leadership, but also credible, it can’t just be plucked from thin air,” said Nat Keohane, vice-president for international climate at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). “This is ambitious but also feasible. We need to show the US is bringing everything it can to this fight.”

A new EDF report calls for a “whole of government effort” to combat the climate crisis, with all cars sold in the US to be zero emissions from 2035, a clean electricity standard to shift the grid to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, and new regulations to restrict methane emissions from oil and gas drilling.

Other environmental groups, including the Union of Concerned Scientists, World Resources Institute and National Resources Defense Council, have also rallied to the idea of a 50% cut, along with figures such as Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, and Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, as crucial to curb ever-worsening wildfires, floods and heatwaves that are suffered disproportionately by underserved Americans of color.

“We see this important opportunity to bolster equity and fairness,” said Starla Yeh, a clean energy policy specialist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The goal is not only achievable but cost effective. The more progress we make this decade, the better off we will be.”

The US first set an emissions reduction target, known in diplomatic jargon as a nationally determined contribution (or NDC), in 2014 during Barack Obama’s administration, vowing to cut emissions by up to 28% by 2025, on 2005 levels. The target by itself does not lower emissions but helps set federal government policy and provides a framework for businesses, cities and states to work towards.

A 50% reduction by 2030 would “be a challenge”, according to Nathan Hultman, director at Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland, who helped design the Obama-era goal, but would be achievable with a “whole of society approach”.

The international credibility of the world’s second largest carbon polluter was severely damaged during the Trump administration, when the US pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and dismantled various rules aimed to reduce emissions. The US’s return to the international fold has come with added expectations, with Laurence Tubiana, a French diplomat and key architect of the Paris agreement, saying the American target should be “at least” a 50% reduction.

“There are broad expectations from America’s allies that the NDC needs to start with a ‘5’,” said Keohane. “There is a level of urgency you hear from folks in the White House that is a sea change from even the Obama administration. I think they are serious in putting out an ambitious marker.”

John Kerry, Biden’s climate envoy, is currently on a trip to Europe to meet leaders in the lead-up to crucial UN climate talks in Glasgow later this year. Kerry met with the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, on Monday and will this week hold talks with officials from the European commission and the French government.

Kerry said the UK was a “strong partner” in facing the climate crisis but that the world’s largest emitters needed to do far more. Before his trip, Kerry had said the world was “marching forward to what is almost tantamount to a mutual suicide pact” by failing to cut emissions quickly enough. China, the world’s largest emitter, recently released a five-year plan that severely disappointed environmentalists.

By Oliver Milman

Source The Guardian