Tag Archives: green
Propagating Wonders Of Bamboo Production
Posted by Online on Sep 14th, 2013 Labelled as the “wonder wood,” bamboo and its many environmental and economic benefits were discussed at a recent forum held by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Tacloban City, Leyte. Attended by about a hundred participants from local government units (LGUs), the academe, bamboo industry, and government agencies, the forum focused on the importance and viability of bamboo production as a livelihood enterprise and as a means to promote ecological stability. The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) estimates that approximately 1.5 billion people in the planet depend in some way or another on bamboo and rattan. Considered the fastest growing plant on the planet, bamboo is a most viable substitute for wood, an essential structural material to prevent soil erosion, and a renewable source for agroforestry production. Although it takes two years for a new bamboo plant to grow, when the mature plant is harvested it grows again after only a year. This is because bamboos are actually large grasses which regrow fast after being cut – unlike hardwood trees which when cut take several decades to grow again. There are over 1,200 different species of bamboo. Some species can reach heights of up to 30 meters and more. About 18 million hectares of bamboo are spread all over in Asia, Africa, and America. In developing countries, bamboo is a basic raw material with numerous traditional uses like building houses and making furniture, utensils, and handicrafts. It is also widely used in modern wood and paper industries. Bamboo charcoal can also replace firewood to help save trees. The plant requires few nutrients and can grow in soil inhospitable to other plants. Its roots strip heavy metals from the soil, hold the soil together, and draw water closer to the surface. When planted on a steep slope or riverbank, it prevents mudslides and erosion. Bamboo production requires only a modest capital investment and generates steady income to farmers. It has a tremendous economic impact in many countries of the world, giving rise to many new industries and products. Many export markets have been opened amid the development of innovative products made from bamboo. The plant is also now being used to produce pulp and paper. We congratulate the Department of Environment and Natural Resources headed by Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje, and Department of Trade and Industry led by Secretary Gregory L. Domingo for taking the lead in propagating the wonders of bamboo in our countryside in our Republic of the Philippines. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY! Continue reading
Novozymes Sticks to Sales Goal as China Slows
By Bloomberg News – Sep 6, 2013 (Corrects to say sugarcane-bagasse plants in fifth paragraph of story originally published Sept. 5) Novozymes A/S (NZYMB) , the largest maker of industrial enzymes, expects to achieve a target to sell its output to more than 15 cellulosic-ethanol plants by 2017 even as markets in the U.S. and China slow. “That will happen, so I’m not so concerned,” Peder Holk Nielsen, chief executive officer of the Bagsvaerd, Denmark-based company, said in an interview in Beijing. Novozymes, which hasn’t said how many cellulosic-ethanol plants it already sells to, seeks to add clients as governments study using more biofuel to replace gasoline. Its expansion in Brazil , where use of sugarcane biogas is growing, was given a boost with its 2012 acquisition of a stake in Beta Renewables SpA , which uses Novozymes products to break down non-food crops or waste and turn them into the sugary liquids used in biofuels. Beta Renewables has sold a technology license to Brazil for production of biofuels that use agricultural waste as feedstock, Nielsen said yesterday. The CEO expects more sugarcane-bagasse plants to open in the Latin American country, the world’s top sugar producer, around 2015. Residue from sugarcane processing “already sits in the backyard of ethanol plants, so it’s very available and makes it easiest for the Brazilians to go for it.” Biofuels growth has eased in North America and China as economic expansion ebbs. The U.S. corn-ethanol market shrank last year after overproduction caused a glut and corn prices soared, and will recover slowly, Nielsen said. China doesn’t yet offer subsidies to blend cellulosic ethanol into gasoline, curbing demand. Expansion Slows “Back in 2008, Chinese companies had very aggressive plans, so did American companies, and everything got delayed because of the crisis at least outside China and a lack of political commitment to do it,” Nielsen said. Beta Renewables has a cellulosic-ethanol demonstration plant in Crescentino, Italy , that started in the first half and will produce as many as 20 million gallons a year. Producers of biomass use the facility to process their material and can buy enzymes — the catalysts needed for conversion — from Novozymes, Nielsen said. “There’s a long line of partners waiting to get in. We’re working to get the plant running at full speed continuously,” he said. He expects the site to operate at maximum capacity this year. Novozyme’s bioenergy division accounted for 15 percent of sales in the first half. The household-care unit contributed the biggest share at 35 percent. To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Feifei Shen in Beijing at fshen11@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net Continue reading
US Biodiesel Imports Surge In June
By Ron Kotrba | September 04, 2013 Here’s a breakdown of where the imports came from, and where the exports went. The U.S. also imported nearly 22 million gallons of “other renewable diesel” in June, up from only 5.7 million gallons in May. In June, 17.2 million gallons of “other renewable diesel” came from Singapore while 4.7 million gallons originated in Finland—two Neste Oil strongholds. Roughly half of the 24.6 million gallons U.S. exports in June went north of the border to Canada (12.8 million gallons), while 6 million gallons was shipped to Spain, and nearly 5.7 million gallons went to Malaysia. Australia received 126,000 gallons of U.S. biomass-based diesel while 42,000 gallons was sent to Taiwan. Continue reading
