Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 08/26/2005
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 them:
- Biopolymers: Has Their Time Come? August 2005
- Commission Decision of 18 August 2005 amending Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council for the purpose of establishing the maximum concentration values for certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment [RoHS Directive]
- Generation Lost: Young Financial Analysts and
Environmental, Social and Governance Issues. 2005
- Alternatives to Perchlorate Reduce DoD's [Department of
Defense] Future Liabilities. Summer 2005
- Switchable Solvents Make Chemical Maufacturing More Environmentally-Friendly. 2005
1. Biopolymers: Has Their Time Come?
AUTHOR von Hassell, Agostino
SOURCE Modern Plastics Worldwide, v82 n8, August 2005,
pp36-38
ABSTRACT Whether they are referred to as biopolymers, natural plastics, or agro-plastics, resins from sources of "new carbon," namely crops, grasses, and agricultural waste, are increasingly making the news. Skyrocketing energy costs have piqued most of this interest, but the increased performance characteristics of many of these new biopolymers, along with growing environmental and security concerns, have also played their part. For the average processor, commercial viability remains the key issue. The issue of viability is not necessarily always clear cut; there are several variables including availability, cost, and performance requirements, which must be carefully considered. At the moment, the small number of biopolymer suppliers and their often-limited production capacities do create market limitations for processors who are interested in making the switch to natural plastics. However, according to many industry experts, these restraints are quickly dwindling. The U.S. Dept. of Energy, for example, is striving to convert 25% of chemical manufacturing to agriculturally based production by 2030. A lot can happen in 25 years, but many leading firms like Cargill, DuPont, and BASF are increasingly signing on to the idea of biopolymers. While the science behind biopolymers is nothing new-Henry Ford initially used agricultural commodities like soybeans to produce plastic auto parts-the low cost of oil made this renewable feedstock the less attractive option. Fast forward to today's $60/bbl oil prices and you have a decidedly different picture.
2. Commission Decision of 18 August 2005 amending Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council for the purpose of establishing the maximum concentration values for certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment [RoHS Directive]
AUTHOR Commission of the European Communities
SOURCE Official Journal of the European Union, 19.8.2005,
L 214/65
ABSTRACT Since it is evident that a total avoidance of heavy metals and brominated flame retardants is in some instances impossible to achieve, certain concentration values for lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in materials should be tolerated. The proposed maximum concentration values are based on existing Community chemicals legislation and are considered the most appropriate to ensure a high level of protection. For the purposes of Article 5(1)(a)[of the RoHS Directive], a maximum concentration value of 0.1 % by weight in homogeneous materials for lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and of 0.01 % by weight in homogeneous materials for cadmium shall be tolerated.
3. Generation Lost: Young Financial Analysts and Environmental, Social and Governance Issues
AUTHOR World Business Council for Sustainable
Development, Young Managers Team
DATE 2005
ABSTRACT Integration of environmental, social, and
governance issues in financial analysis would spur progress toward more
sustainable business practices. To date, however, efforts to convince financial
analysts to incorporate these issues have met with little success. The World
Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Young Managers Team (YMT)
and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
joined forces to assess whether young analysts might be more amenable to
integrating environmental, social, and governance issues than their older
colleagues. If they are, we could expect the industry to gradually evolve to
embrace environmental, social, and governance factors as new generations of
analysts come on board. Our work suggests that this anticipated ‘generational
change’ is not happening. Young analysts appear unconvinced over the
materiality of most environmental, social, and governance issues to business;
unable to consider them because of inadequate information, training, or tools;
and unwilling to depart from business as usual because of conflicts with
remuneration, career advancement, or culture. Based on the perspectives gained
during this study, the WBCSD YMT and UNEP FI suggest that: 1) Sustainability advocates
could group environmental, social, and governance issues as intangibles along
with reputation, strategic vision, brand equity, and other subjectively-valued,
but undeniably material, intangibles. The term non-financial is best avoided, as
are moral arguments. To overcome the widespread cynicism over materiality, it
will be important to put forth credible, specific examples. 2) Financial
institution executives could consider communicating internally their commitment
to incorporate environmental, social, and governance issues, and clearly
linking analysts’ career progress and remuneration to analysis of
environmental, social, and governance issues. It will be important to invest in
education and the development of quantitative and qualitative tools for such
analysis. 3) WBCSD, UNEP FI, and other partnerships could encourage our members
to solicit and present environmental, social, and governance information at
corporate results presentations, showcase good examples and institute an annual
prize for incorporating environmental, social, and governance research.
4. Alternatives to Perchlorate Reduce DoD's [Department of Defense] Future Liabilities
AUTHOR Strategic Environmental Research and Development
Program (SERDP)
DATE 2005
SOURCE SERDP Information Bulletin, Number 24, Summer
2005, pp2-3
ABSTRACT Pyrotechnic flares are used throughout DoD in a variety of applications. Signal flares direct troops in the field and provide illumination for operations at night whereas decoy flares in aircraft serve as countermeasures against missile attacks by simulating the aircraft’s spectral signature to draw away infraredguided missiles. The functions of these two flares are vital to military operations. Unfortunately, many of the current pyrotechnic formulations used in these flares contain perchlorate oxidizers. The high solubility of perchlorate coupled with its chemical stability in water leads to persistent groundwater contamination. Effective alternatives for perchlorate are needed to reduce future liabilities for the Department of Defense. For the past several years, SERDP has funded the development of replacements for perchlorate in DoD energetic formulations for pyrotechnics. Dr. Robert Shortridge, Naval Surface Warfare Center–Crane Division, is leading the SERDP project Elimination of Perchlorate Oxidizers from Pyrotechnic Flare Compositions (PP-1280). Through this effort, Dr. Shortridge has focused on the re-formulation of red and green signal flares and decoy flares. These new formulations consist of oxidizers, such as metal nitrates and oxides, high-energy metal, and/or alloy fuels, to offset the energy shortfall caused by the elimination of perchlorate oxidizers. By using these alternative ingredients, this project has developed pyrotechnic compositions that will be free of perchlorates and match or exceed the performance of existing flares in service. Three red signal flare composition candidates have been identified through laboratory-scale formulation optimization. Each formulation is 100% chlorine free. The new compositions contain mixtures of strontium nitrate and calcium nitrate oxidizers, as well as a curable epoxy binder system. While all three have magnesium as the principal fuel, one candidate contains an aluminum-magnesium (Al0.5Mg0.5) mechanical alloy developed by the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the third candidate contains commercial magnalium alloy. In addition to undergoing thermal analysis, each composition was subjected to safety related testing for impact, friction, and electrostatic ignition sensitivity. The candlepower intensity, dominant wavelength, and color purity also were measured during performance tests. All three candidates performed as well as the in-service red flare composition and are therefore considered ideal replacement candidates.
5. Switchable Solvents Make Chemical Maufacturing More Environmentally-Friendly
DATE 2005
SOURCE Queen's News Centre,
ABSTRACT Researchers from Queen’s University and the
Georgia Institute of Technology have discovered a new environmentally-friendly
way to make chemicals for pharmaceutical and other industries, such as
plastics, pesticides, dyes and fragrances. The team, led by Dr. Philip Jessop,
has developed new solvents (liquids that dissolve other substances) that are
both cleaner and cheaper when used in the production of many chemicals. Because
each step in a chemical process often requires a different solvent, there can
be a great deal of waste which is both costly and damaging to the environment.
“We all want the products of the plastics and pharmaceutical industries, but we
don’t want the pollution,” says Dr. Jessop, Canada Research Chair in Green
Chemistry. “Our research is seeking ways to decrease the amount of solvent
waste generated by these companies.” In the ratio of waste-to-product,
pharmaceutical and other “fine chemical” industries are far dirtier than the
oil industry, he notes. These new “switchable” solvents discovered by Dr.
Jessop’s team change their properties when alternately exposed to carbon dioxide
and nitrogen, making it possible to re-use the same solvent for multiple steps
in a chemical process, rather than discarding and replacing the solvent after
each stage. The organic solvents tested by this research group are known as
ionic liquids: a salt that is molten at room temperature, or near-room
temperature. “They have been widely hailed as environmentally benign because
they have no vapor pressure, and they also have some unusual properties,” says
Dr. Eckert, a professor in the
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