Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 05/09/2008
This is the weekly bulletin of the TURI Library, reporting a selection of recently published titles we have acquired. Our pledge is to keep the bulletin relevant to your work and brief -- no more than 10 titles. You are welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more information on any of the articles listed here.
Titles here, abstracts below:
- Making nanotubes without harming the environment
- Mercury levels from products decreasing, though still at dangerous levels
- Operational change as a profitable cleaner production tool for a brewery
- The greenwash guide
- Dust a possible C8 source, EPA study says
- Survey: green consumers adapt to poor economy
- Green your facility, boost your bottom line
- Nanotechnology: better guidance is needed to ensure accurate reporting of federal research focused on environmental, health, and safety risks
1. Making nanotubes without harming the environment
Author: Villano, Matt
Source: Oceanus, April 3, 2008
Abstract: Ever since their discovery in the early 1990s, carbon nanotubes have been hailed as a new “wonder material.” They are tiny building blocks with mammoth potential to make fibers, films, filaments, wires, and circuits for a wide spectrum of industrial applications—from reinforced concrete, tear-resistant clothes, and stronger, lighter tennis rackets and bicycle parts to revolutionary electronics at the core of numerous multibillion-dollar industries in the 21st century. In a headlong rush to capitalize, the nanotube industry is projected to more than double every year.
“I predict (carbon nanotubes) will be as pervasive as plastic,” said Phil Gschwend, an environmental chemist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Before we know it, they will be everywhere.”
But that’s exactly what gives pause for concern to Gschwend and his colleagues—Chris Reddy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and MIT/WHOI graduate student Desirée Plata. Because as useful as nanotubes may turn out to be, the process of making them may have unintentional harmful impacts on the environment and public health.
So before the carbon nanotube industry truly ramps up, the three researchers are championing a new paradigm: “We are trying to encourage forethought and collaboration—academia and industry working together during the design phase to develop methods that pre-empt potential dangers and maximize the safe use of new materials,” Plata said.
The MIT/WHOI team has been tracking these possibilities from the beginning. Last year, at the American Chemical Society meeting, Plata reported research in which she monitored common carbon nanotube manufacturing processes in MIT labs. She found the synthetic process also produced several cancer-causing compounds and substances that can contribute to ozone and smog formation, both of which cause respiratory ailments.
In new research, published online April 3 in the journal Nanotechnology, Plata, Gschwend, and Reddy analyzed 10 commercially made carbon nanotubes to examine what metals and organic residues are co-produced with these nanotubes, and thereby potentially released to the environment. Notably, they found that all carbon nanotubes are not created equal: Different manufacturing processes produce a diversity of chemical signatures, making it harder to trace nanotubes’ impacts in the environment.
WWW: http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=39147
2. Mercury levels from products decreasing, though still at dangerous levels
Source: ScienceDaily, May 7, 2008
Abstract: A recent study shows that mercury releases from products in the U.S. declined dramatically between 1990 and 2005, but that they continue to be a significant source of environmental contamination. Mercury released from products contributes nearly one-third of total mercury emissions to the air in the U.S. The findings offer a new view into the relative magnitudes of the different sources of mercury release.
Release of mercury to the environment is a serious problem and can harm the development of a fetus if the mother is exposed to high levels. Mercury also frequently accumulates in fish populations. A number of highly-used products release mercury throughout their lifecycles, often in ways that are difficult to measure directly. Therefore, there are considerable uncertainties about the magnitude of mercury release into the environment that is associated with these products.
The study, published in Journal of Industrial Ecology, uses a method called substance flow analysis to develop improved estimates of the environmental releases caused by mercury-containing products and to provide policy-makers with a better understanding of opportunities for reducing releases of mercury into the environment.
“Mercury-containing products such as thermometers, switches and dental products release mercury throughout the product life-cycle, including during production, use and disposal,” says Alexis Cain, lead author of the study and an environmental scientist with the EPA. “Substance flow analysis can be used to estimate the mercury releases to air, land and water at different stages of a product lifecycle. It can also help identify actions that would be effective in minimizing mercury releases."
WWW: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506163915.htm
3. Operational change as a profitable cleaner production tool for a brewery
Author: Rivera, Alejandro; Gonzalez, Jorge Silvio; Carrillo, Raul; Martinez, Jose Maria
Source: Journal of Cleaner Production, Article in Press, Online May 5, 2008
Abstract: The development and implementation of new procedures and operational changes in the production processes constitutes a powerful tool for the practical application of Cleaner Production in industries. In this work an operational change (new procedure) was developed for the elaboration of a type of beer which uses sugar as malt adjunct. The change consists in processing separately the three main components of the beer wort: malt extract, sugar and water, and use them properly in a different sequence than that used up to date in the traditional process. The new procedure was successfully assayed on industrial scale in Tý´nima brewery, located in Camaguey, Cuba, obtaining a good quality beer, technological and economical advantages with benefits for the environment, registering significant savings in energy (49%), sugar (4%), water (7%) and caustic soda (3%) consumption; and diminishing the surplus hot water (74%), waste generation (11%) and greenhouse gases emission (21%). Beer production capacity is increased also almost three times. With the application of the new technology to the Cuban beer type of 8 P, it was achieved a total saving of US$ 481.83/1000 hL of beer produced.
4. The greenwash guide
Source: Futerra Sustainability Communications, 2008
Abstract: Greenwash is with us, and unless we take action, it is likely to be with us to stay. Greenwash is an environmental claim which is unsubstantiated (a fib) or irrelevant (a distraction). Found in advertising, PR or on packaging, and made about people, organisations and products. Greenwash is an old concept, wrapped in a very modern incarnation.
And greenwash is growing. The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK is upholding more and more complaints against advertising that can’t live up to its green bluster. Around the world regulators are trying to keep up, and the USA’s Federal Trade Commission has brought forward to 2008 its plan to review their environmental marketing guidelines. France has just announced new guidelines and the UK is reviewing the advertising Green Claims guidance. But is this enough?
This guide reveals the industries most actively greenwashing, and those environmental claims most likely to be greenwash. Not enough is being done to prevent this accelerating negative feedback loop. None of the UK’s biggest advertising agencies claim to have training or guidelines for their staff on what is a justified green claim. And none of the main publications in the UK who sell advertising space have their own standard.
WWW: http://www.futerra.co.uk/downloads/Greenwash_Guide.pdf
5. Dust a possible C8 source, EPA study says
Author: Ward, Ken Jr.
Source: The Charleston Gazette, April 25, 2008
Abstract: Household dust could rival food packaging as a potential major route for human exposure to C8 and related toxic chemicals, two federal government scientists conclude in a new study.
C8 and other perfluorinated compounds were found in 95 percent of the dust samples in homes in Ohio and North Carolina, according to the study by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency experts.
"This could indeed be a significant source of exposure," said Andrew Lindstrom, an environmental scientist with the EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
Lindstrom and Mark Strynar, an EPA physical scientist, tested dust taken from vacuum cleaner bags from 100 homes and 10 day-care centers for C8 and other perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs.
They found median concentrations of C8 of 142 parts per billion and median concentrations of the related chemical PFOS of 201 parts per billion.
"These results indicate that perfluorinated compounds are present in house dust at levels that may represent an important pathway for human exposure," they reported this week in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology.
WWW: http://www.sundaygazettemail.com/News/200804240691
6. Survey: green consumers adapt to poor economy
Source: Environmental Protection, May 8, 2008
Abstract: Consumer interest in buying green environmentally friendly products and healthy organic food remains high despite the tough economy and rising food and energy prices. A recent market research survey released by Mambo Sprouts Marketing showed that consumers are placing a priority on buying green and finding ways to keep doing so.
Consumers reported buying the same (52 percent) or more (36 percent) green environmentally friendly products versus six months ago. About 7 in 10 consumers say they are still willing to spend up to 20 percent more for "green" sustainable products. Only 17 percent of respondents reported buying fewer natural and organic foods, as individual comments suggested that short-term savings would have long-term costs to their family's health and the environment.
Results showed fuel prices are driving dual aspects of consumer behavior. Respondents are shopping closer to home and combining trips to reduce gas expense as well as buying more local and seasonal produce for lower prices and to reduce food miles and their carbon footprint.
WWW: http://www.eponline.com/articles/62417
7. Green your facility, boost your bottom line
Author: Raffin, Lisa
Source: Greener Buildings, May 8, 2008
Abstract: Despite the recent groundswell of greening products and programs, the United States remains the largest energy consumer in the world. Commercial buildings, which account for 60 billion square feet of space in the U.S., are responsible for a significant portion of that consumption, using about 40 percent of total primary energy produced annually. They also consume 15 trillion gallons of water and produce 136 million tons of construction and demolition debris.
Initiatives that reduce energy and waste in commercial buildings can also cut greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane. Water conservation techniques can help preserve scarce water resources in many regions.
Corporate real estate managers and building occupants, as well as members of the building industry, all have a role to play in reducing energy consumption and promoting sustainability in commercial buildings. The most energy-efficient businesses in the U.S. already consume 30 percent less energy than their counterparts.
What can organizations do with such savings? Possibilities include improving profit margins, increasing funds for development of new products and services, and enhancing overall corporate value.
WWW: http://greenerbuildings.com/feature/2008/05/08/green-your-facility-boost-your-bottom-line
8. Nanotechnology: better guidance is needed to ensure accurate reporting of federal research focused on environmental, health, and safety risks
Source: United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), 2008
Abstract: The NNI reported that in fiscal year 2006,federal agencies devoted $37.7million—or 3 percent of the $1.3 billion total nanotechnology research funding—to research that was primarily focused on the EHS risks of nanotechnology. However, about 20 percent of this total cannot actually be attributed to this purpose; GAO found that 22 of the 119 projects identified as EHS-related by five federal agencies in fiscal year 2006 were not focused on determining the extent to which nanotechnology poses an EHS risk. Instead, the focus of many of these projects was to explore how nanotechnology could be used to remediate environmental damage or to detect a variety of hazards. GAO determined that this mischaracterization is rooted in the current reporting structure which does not allow these types of projects to be easily categorized and the lack of guidance for agencies on how to apportion funding across multiple topics. In addition to the EHS funding totals reported by the NNI, federal agencies conduct other research that is not captured in the totals. This research was not captured by the NNI because either the research was funded by an agency not generally considered to be a research agency or because the primary purpose of the research was not to study EHS risks.
Federal agencies and the NNI are currently in the process of identifying and prioritizing EHS risk research needs; the process they are using appears reasonable overall. For example, identification and prioritization of EHS research needs is being done by the agencies and the NNI. The NNI also is engaged in an iterative prioritization effort through its Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) working group. NEHI has identified five specific research priorities for five general research categories, but it has not yet completed the final steps of this process, which will identify EHS research gaps, determine specific research needed to fill those gaps, and outline a long-term, overarching EHS research strategy. GAO found that the focus of most EHS research projects underway in fiscal year 2006 was generally consistent with agency priorities and NEHI research categories and that the projects focused on the priority needs within each category to varying degrees. The anticipated EHS research strategy is expected to provide a framework to help ensure that the highest priority needs are met.
Agency and NNI processes to coordinate activities related to potential EHS risks of nanotechnology have been generally effective. The NEHI working group has convened frequent meetings that have helped agencies identify opportunities to collaborate on EHS risk issues, such as joint sponsorship of research and workshops to advance knowledge and facilitate information-sharing among the agencies. In addition, NEHI has incorporated several practices that are key to enhancing and sustaining interagency collaboration, such as leveraging resources. Finally, agency officials GAO spoke with expressed satisfaction with the coordination and collaboration on EHS risk research that has occurred through NEHI. They cited several factors they believe contribute to the group’s effectiveness, including the stability of the working group membership and the expertise and dedication of its members.
WWW: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08402.pdf
You are welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more information on any of these resources. Also, please tell us what topics you are particularly interested in monitoring, and who else should see Greenlist. An online search of the TURI Library catalog can be done at http://library.turi.org for greater topic coverage.
This page updated Friday May 09 2008