Environment Report 10 Dec to 16 Dec 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

S/N	Title		Synopsis
I. Subject Area: Environmental Pollution and Health
1	Study finds link between air pollution and birth defects	A University of California study found that birth defects were linked to the harmful effects of dirty air.
II. Subject Area: Waste Management and Green Energy
2	San Francisco steps up its recycling efforts	San Francisco is putting in more effort to recycle waste by introducing a 'Fantastic Three' and continuing its commercial food scrap and organic waste collection programs.
III. Subject Area: Environmental Technology
3	New technology converts landfill gases into energy	Acrion Technologies Inc. has developed a technology process called the "CO₂ Wash" to capture the carbon dioxide and methane released from landfills and converts them to energy to create significant reductions in pollution and air emissions.
4	Scientists develop bacteria that can produce cleaner coal	Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed and received a patent for new bacteria that could create cleaner and more efficient coal for use in power plants.
5	Zeolites could act as pollutant sponges	Researchers are investigating the possibility of using zeolites that could expand under pressure and regain their original shape once the pressure is removed, as sponges for soaking up pollutants and even radioactive waste.
6	Cars that use gas but produce half the pollution at low costs	Cars that run on gasoline but cut air polluting chemicals by half could be on the road next fall - for an additional cost of less than US$100.

IV. Subject Area: Environmental Management
7	Canada invests in new clean vehicle technologies	The Government of Canada is looking to reduce its climate change liability by investing in cleaner vehicles; specifically vehicles that would use advanced propane and natural gas control systems.
V. Subject Area: General Environmental News
8	Asia needs big investments for clean fuels		Shutdown or upgrade. That's the advice oil experts will dish out to Asian oil refiners for the next decade as growing insistence for cleaner air standards and intense market competition generate demand for more complex plants.
9	HK people want more action on environment - survey		Most Hong Kong people want the government to urgently tackle environmental problems such as pesticides in vegetables, contaminated seafood, and water and air pollution, a survey released last week showed.

SUMMARY REPORT

Period Covered: 10 Dec to 16 Dec 2001

Item 1	Study finds link between air pollution and birth defects
Summary	The Los Angeles Times reported that a study by the University of California found that birth defects were linked to the harmful effects of dirty air. The research was conducted on thousands of pregnant women in the Los Angeles area. Research results found that women who were exposed to high levels of ozone and carbon monoxide were three times more likely than others to have babies born with cleft lips and palates and defective heart valves. According to the scientists, the pregnant women would be under greatest risk during their second month of pregnancy when the foetus are developing most of its organs and much of its facial structures. In response to the research results, officials with the US Environmental Protection Agency said that before the federal limits for ozone and microscopic particles could be further strengthened, more research is needed to determine which pollutants are most harmful and at what stage of pregnancy they do most damage.
Reference	http://www.pollutiononline.com/content/news/article.asp?docid={C6BBE548-F2F7-11

Item 2	San Francisco steps up its recycling efforts
Summary	San Francisco's current waste recycling and diversion rate at 46 percent had not fulfilled the target of diverting at least half of the waste stream material from landfills by 2000 set under the state law. However, there had been immense improvements in waste diversion rates over the years. The San Francisco Department of Environment had requested for an extension of dateline and would strive to achieve the target within the next 3 years. To meet the target, San Francisco had further called for new recycling programs including the 'Fantastic Three' and commercial food scrap and organic waste collection programs. Under the 'Fantastic Three' program, three carts are provided at the curbside for food and yard scraps; paper, cans and bottles and non-recyclable waste respectively. This pilot program would be rolled out extensively to homes, apartments and businesses. In addition, San Francisco would continue with its most successful commercial food scrap-recycling program, which had proven to be a major factor in improving its recycling rate, by offering incentives to the commercial food operators.
Reference	http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/12/12132001/s_45870.asp

Item 3

New technology converts landfill gases into energy

Summary

Following the decomposition of garbage dumped in landfills, CO₂ and methane are released into the atmosphere and this source of air emissions possibly contributes to the greenhouse gas effect. Acrion Technologies Inc. has developed a technology process called the "CO₂ Wash" to capture the carbon dioxide and methane released from landfills and convert them to energy to create significant reductions in pollution and air emissions.

The "CO₂ Wash" process works by first removing moisture from the landfill gases, followed by compression of the gases. The gases would then be condensed into liquid form. Volatile organic contaminants are then cleansed from the gases using a portion of the liquid CO_2.The end product of the process would be high-grade, clean fuel gas, which can be used directly as energy source in turbines, boilers and even in fuel cells to generate electricity.

According to Acrion, the pure liquid CO₂created from its system is 99.9% pure and has a wide range of potential uses, including the manufacture of dry ice and soft-drink-carbonation. The methane produced through the system is also two to three times cleaner than that necessary to function properly in a fuel cell.

The new process marks a major breakthrough in making "landfill gas-to-energy" projects economically and environmentally viable. According to the USEPA, every 1 million tons of landfill waste produces enough gases to generate enough electricity for use in 700 homes each year.

Reference

http://www.gnet.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=18847&image1=2

Item 4	Scientists develop bacteria that can produce cleaner coal
Summary	Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory have received a patent for new bacteria that could create cleaner and more efficient coal for use in power plants. The burning of ordinary coal brings a host of environmental problems, the chief being the release of sulphur and nitrogen oxides and the remaining toxic metal-containing ash. According to the researchers, the development of these newly coal-adapted bacteria could provide a solution to the problem. In the chemists' research, the bacteria were found to be able to withstand extreme temperatures and acidity conditions. The heat stable bacterial strains digest the ordinary coal, breaking it down into simpler molecules and removing sulphur and heavy-metal contaminants in the process. Thus, the resulting cleaner coal could be burned or converted to liquid or gaseous fuel much more efficiently than untreated coal, while producing fewer environmentally undesirable by-products.
Reference	http://www.gnet.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=18860&image1=2

Item 5	Zeolites could act as pollutant sponges
Summary	Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the School of Chemical Sciences at England's University of Birmingham are investigating the possibility of using zeolites that could expand under pressure and regain their original shape once the pressure is removed, for their abilities to act as sponges for soaking up pollutants and even radioactive waste. Zeolites are solids containing aluminum, silicon and oxygen with a three-dimensional structure with regularly spaced pores in the molecular framework. Researchers have noted that this structure makes zeolites very useful for sucking up small molecules, ions or gases. By increasing the pressure on the zeolites, its pores would open up further to allow the entry of bigger molecules that might not have fitted otherwise. However, once the pressure is reduced, the material returns to its original configuration and trapped the molecules inside. These properties that zeolites exhibit under pressure would be useful as an effective pollutant absorber.
Reference	http://www.gnet.org/news/newsdetail.cfm?NewsID=18873&image1=2

Item 6

Cars that use gas but produce half the pollution at low costs

Summary

Cars that run on gasoline but cut air polluting chemicals by half could be on the road next fall - for an additional cost of less than US$100. The secret ingredient is a five-pound, onboard miniature oil refinery that provides better-burning gas to cold engines.

Most air pollution caused by hydrocarbons - incompletely burned gasoline - occurs just after a car engine is first turned on. This is because only gasoline vapour burns fast enough to work properly. But just one-fifth of gasoline evaporates in a cold engine.

The device works by separating the smaller molecules in gasoline that vaporise at low temperatures and storing them. Only these molecules are initially injected into the fuel tank, insuring more complete combustion.

The onboard distillation device, which has been patented by Matthews and other engineers at the University of Texas and the Ford Motor Company, is being tested and refined this year and could be ready for production next fall.

Reference

http://www.earthtimes.org/apr/environmentcarsthatuseapr7_01.htm

Item 7	Canada invests in new clean vehicle technologies
Summary	The Government of Canada is looking to reduce its climate change liability by investing in cleaner vehicles, specifically vehicles that would use advanced propane and natural gas control systems. The effort is supported by a $6.5 million investment in GFI Control Systems Inc. Under the project, GFI will conduct research and development to design and test propane and natural gas systems for incorporation into gasoline and diesel-based engines. This project will advance the technologies to work with more advanced sequential multipoint fuel injection systems used in conventional vehicles today. Each vehicle equipped with GFI's technology is expected to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by approximately 20%. In total, Canadian CO₂ reductions from this project are estimated at 411 tons per year by 2005 and 5,000 tons per year by 2010.
Reference	http://www.earthvision.net/ColdFusion/News_Page1.cfm?NewsID=18706

Item 8	Asia needs big investments for clean fuels
Summary	Shutdown or upgrade. That's the advice oil experts will dish out to Asian oil refiners for the next decade as growing insistence for cleaner air standards and intense market competition generate demand for more complex plants. Although nearly half of Asia's 20 million barrels per day (bpd) refining capacity is less than 20 years old, many plants will need revamping if Asia is to match US and European standards for lead-free gasoline and low sulphur diesel fuels. The necessary upgrading in the region will cost between $20 billion and $40 billion. That would be to reach a minimum 0.05 % sulphur diesel standard and fully unleaded gasoline supply. But given poor profits in the last few years, the refining industry - once a lucrative sector - may find it difficult to draw investment. If refiners are forced to make clean fuels, some of them may not survive, especially the older ones.
Reference	http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/13640/story.htm.

Item 9	HK people want more action on environment - survey
Summary	Most Hong Kong people want the government to tackle environmental problems such as pesticides in vegetables, contaminated seafood, and water and air pollution urgently, a survey released last week showed. 56% of respondents said they were concerned 'a great deal' with drinking-water pollution, 53% with pesticides in vegetables and 49% with air pollution. However, too many people were relying on the government to take care of the environment, ignoring their own duties. While 92% supported tougher penalties for littering, when asked why so many people litter in Hong Kong, 53% of the respondents said they did so because the practice was common or because there were not enough litter bins. 33% said they littered because the city was already very dirty.
Reference	http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/13626/story.htm

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