Environment Report 10 Sep 2001 to 16 Sep 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

S/N	Title	Synopsis
I. Subject Area: Environmental Management
1	Nickel smelting companies required to reduce emissions	Ontario state government requires two giant nickel companies to reduce harmful emissions from their large smelting operations in Sudbury.
2	Tougher EU ecolabel rules	EU imposes tougher ecolabel criteria for personal and portable computers and dishwashing machines.
II. Subject Area: Environmental Technology
3	US company introduces new generation ozone process for chip makers	FSI International introduces a new process for chipmaking that reduces chemical consumption, thereby diminishing environmental impact of waste treatment and chemical handling.
4	Researchers find use for waste tires	US researchers found that rubber from waste tires could be used as raw material for Portland cement concrete.
III. Subject Area: General Environmental News
5	UNEP study examines coral reefs	A UNEP study found that coral reefs are dying faster than previously thought.
6	UK Government: Whitehall Th!nks Green	UK's Cabinet Office is trying out a battery-powered car as a dispatch vehicle.

SUMMARY REPORT

Period Covered: 10 Sep 2001 to 16 Sep 2001

Item 1	Nickel smelting companies required to reduce emissions
Summary	The government of the Canadian province of Ontario will order nickel giants, Inco Ltd and Falconbridge Ltd, to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide from their large smelting operations in Sudbury. The companies will have to reduce ground level sulfur dioxide concentrations by 32 percent by Apr 2002 and cut limits on annual emissions by 34 percent by 2006. Both companies will also be required to have a public notification system for unfavorable air quality in place by the end of Sep 2001 and to report annually on their progress.
Reference	http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12339&newsdate=10-Sep-2001

Item 2	Tougher EU ecolabel rules
Summary	The criteria for personal and portable computers as well as dishwashing machines of the EU's ecolabel scheme have been revised. The more stringent criteria for personal and portable computers include better energy efficiency, limits on electromagnetic radiation and longer product durability. Dishwashing machines must meet lower water and energy consumption and noise emissions. The three electrical product groups have to exclude all polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) and short-chain chloroparaffins from plastic parts over 25 grams in weight.
Reference	http://www.environmentdaily.com/articles/index.cfm?action=article&ref=10602

Item 3	US Company Introduces New Generation Ozone Process For Chipmakers
Summary	FSI International, a supplier of equipment and processes to manufacturers of mircroelectronics products, has introduced a new 'ozone processing' process for the production of microchips. The new process offers cost savings of up to 65%. It reduces chemical consumption by greater than 95 percent, with the complete elimination of H₂SO₄ and a reduction of H₂O₂. This reduction diminishes the environmental impact caused by waste treatment measures and the risks associated with chemical handling, while decreasing the chemical cost.
Reference	http://www.pollutiononline.com/content/news/article.asp?DocID={B7685-A440-11D..}

Item 4	Researchers find use for waste tires
Summary	Researchers from Arizona State University in the US have found that ground rubber crumbs from used tires can be added to Portland cement concrete (PCC) with good results. Though the overall compressive strength is lowered, the benefits include reductions in thermal expansion, drying shrinkage and brittleness caused by hot Arizona weather. The rubber also acts to buffer the concrete from the freeze/thaw damage prevalent in colder climates. The compressive strength of PCC can be restored by adding small amount of gypsum to the mix. According to the Arizona Cement Association, the new PCC technology could be used to recycle the 5 million scrap tires produced annually statewide to produce more pliable PCC for use in sidewalks, parking lots and concrete walls. The research has provided a solution to dispose off the huge amounts of waste tires produced annually in US.
Reference		http://www.gnet.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=17812

Item 5	UNEP Study Examines Coral Reefs
Summary	The U.N. Environment Program's World Conservation Monitoring Center has found that coral reefs worldwide occupy a much smaller area than previously thought and that virtually all of Southeast Asia's reefs were threatened. Coral reefs provide vital marine ecosystems for fisheries and wildlife. They help prevent erosion and draw tourists. The UNEP study shows that coral reefs are rapidly degraded by human activities such as: widespread use of dynamite or cyanide to stun and catch fish that live in reefs pollution from sewage and fertilizer runoff global warming damages reefs by causing bleaching. The study found that risks to coral were severe in the three countries with the largest reefs: Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines.
Reference	http://www.pollutiononline.com/content/news/article.asp?docid={4B943BD2-A6F5-11D5-..}

Item 6

UK Government : Whitehall Th!nks Green

Summary

The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA), an executive agency of the UK's Cabinet Office is trying out an electric vehicle, called the Th!nk vehicle. It is a part of Ford Motor's Th!nk@bout London initiative to encourage people to use environmentally friendly transport. Under the initiative 15 Th!nk vehicles will be tried out in London over the next 18 months. Regular data on their operation will be supplied to Ford during the trial period.

The Th!nk vehicle can be charged directly from mains electricity, has a range of about 56 miles and produces no harmful emissions during use.

GCDA will use the trial vehicle as a replacement of its diesel van used for government dispatch.

Reference

http://www.pollutiononline.com/content/news/article.asp?docID={4B943FF7-A6F5-11D5-..}

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws