October, 2010

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29
Oct 10

Urban Mining – Rare Earth Metal Mining

As one can imagine, there is much (so very, very much!) to be salvaged besides rare earth materials from the stuff of human society. Metals, minerals and rock that have already been mined, wood that has been grown, are all “industrial nutrients” which can be upcycled – used again to make products of similar or higher value – if they can be recovered. (Plastic and other synthetic substances are usually far less “nutritional”, generally being downcycled if ever used again.) Tossed machines and electronic devices are one gigantic mass to be mined. Let’s take a little one. In 2008, 1.3 billion cell phones were sold.

Recently the Japanese government launched an advertising campaign that included prizes offered, to get their citizens to recycle their unused cell phones. Over a half million were collected in 100 days, enough to yield close to 50 pounds of gold, 175 pounds of silver, 2 pounds of palladium and over 5 tons (10,000 pounds!) of copper.

Toyota is beginning to recover batteries from hybrid vehicles no longer in use. The nickel will be used to make half again as many new batteries.

The Japanese and Europeans are moving quickly. German corporations Alba, MeWa and Hamos GmbH are three who handle many thousands of tons of e-waste, vehicles, appliances, cabling, etc. or make and sell the equipment to do so.

E-waste and other hazardous waste has been exported from richer to poorer countries where extracting anything of value was toxic and dangerous. An international treaty, the Basil Convention (BAN), was placed into effect in 1992 to limit these activities, although they still occur. As industry finds the economy in dealing with these materials and the ability to do it safely, this business is growing. Perhaps the repair industry could grow too?

http://electronicrecyclers.com/urban-mining.aspx
http://www.ban.org/main/about_BAN.html
http://www.ifat.de/link/en/23890451

^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~
Barbara Hirsch, recording engineer, eco-person

“Unless someone like you cares a whole lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Ecofacts blogs presented by Green Products Global:

http://www.greenproductsglobal.com/

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22
Oct 10

Rare Earth

Rare earth, what an intriguing name for a material. Isn’t it almost fantastical? It is a label for a group of elements of the periodic table – 17 metals – that have been isolated from certain mineral ores in which they concentrate. Some of them are relatively abundant but it seems that all are difficult to mine and extract, hence their rareness.

Applications for these substances are increasing steadily in our increasingly “techno” world. They are found in rechargeable batteries and all the portable equipment that uses them (e.g. computers, cell phones, music players); small strong magnets – also with myriad uses; hybrid cars, lasers, fiber optics, wind turbines, X-ray machines, guided missiles, fluorescent lamps, catalytic converters, super conductors. Some are used as pigments for glass and ceramics.

Most of the world’s rare earth materials are exported from China currently (95%!) where mining has been cheaper and with less environmental regulation. Just recently China has begun severely restricting shipments, causing panic among buyers, chiefly the U.S. and Japan. Reasons may be environmental protection, economic control, overexploitation of resources, cracking down on illegal mining, etc.

Japan, with few resources of their own, has already begun mining of a different sort. Urban mining is reaping rare earth and other valuable metals like gold, from piles of old electronics. A reputable study* estimated that their e-trash could hold 10% of the world’s reserves in some metals. Jeez. . .
scenes from WALL-E. May the government and corporate forces be early investors – urban mining, worldwide industry of the future!

*http://www.nims.go.jp/eng/news/press/2008/01/p200801110.html
http://geology.com/articles/rare-earth-elements/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/business/global/20rare.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=rare%20earth&st=cse
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/20705/common_gadgets_may_be_affected_by_shortage_of_rare_earths.html

^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~
Barbara Hirsch, recording engineer, eco-person

“Unless someone like you cares a whole lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– The Lorax, Children’s book by Dr. Seuss

Ecofacts blogs presented by Green Products Global:

http://www.greenproductsglobal.com/

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15
Oct 10

Concrete – Environmental Impacts of Concrete

By far the most used human created material, concrete has served the human race well for millennia. A couple of hundred years ago, Portland cement was mixed up and has since been the essential binding material, along with water, in most modern concrete. The rest is mostly crushed aggregate – stone, gravel and sand, and a few chemicals. The cement itself is primarily a product of intensely heated limestone, clay, sand and iron ore, and its manufacture emits about a ton of CO2 for each ton of cement made.

With a cubic yard of concrete for every person on the planet being produced each year, its environmental impact and potential solutions are a major concern to the industry. Residues from coal fired power plants and others are being used, and methods of sequestering CO2 in the concrete, permanently. Changing to CO2 neutral fuels for the kilns is another fix. Well, and then there’s all the mining required for the materials, all the hauling around of the cement and concrete and those emissions. Beside construction, there’s the demolition. Many of those materials can be used again and again to make more concrete. Or we could do like the Romans did, and just continue building on the good foundations of our past. Many of theirs are still around and quite functional.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/science/earth/31conc.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100329082011.htm
http://www.concretethinker.com/solutions/Locally-Produced.aspx

^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~
Barbara Hirsch, recording engineer, eco-person

“Unless someone like you cares a whole lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– The Lorax, Children’s book by Dr. Seuss

Ecofacts blogs presented by Green Products Global:

http://www.greenproductsglobal.com/

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8
Oct 10

Built environment, pt.2 – Green Architecture

In much of our modern human environment, concrete, asphalt and buildings have replaced earth and vegetation, which handled those most valuable elements – sun and rain – quite differently. While solar energy and water are absorbed and well utilized by soil and all life that springs from it, the built environment tries to counter their effects, to keep inhabitants dry and clean, and to keep weather out. Rainwater runs off the impermeable surfaces, carrying human detritus and pollutants into rivers and oceans. The sun heats the built surfaces, and is combined with waste heat from vehicles and building air systems to warm urban environments and subsequently change weather patterns. Rather than global warming, this is the urban “heat island effect”.

“The term “heat island” describes built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas. The annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1.8–5.4°F (1–3°C) warmer than its surroundings. In the evening, the difference can be as high as 22°F (12°C). Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and mortality, and water quality.”*

Architectural design elements (as previously mentioned) can mitigate these effects and lower energy use, waste and emissions. For example, green roofs with planted surfaces both insulate the building and absorb heat from the environment. Cool paving and roofing reflect heat. Permeable paving allows rainwater to be absorbed and naturally filtered rather than running off to storm drains. And more planted areas can have an all around beneficial effect on all.

*http://www.epa.gov/heatisld/
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Heat_island
^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~
Barbara Hirsch, recording engineer, eco-person

“Unless someone like you cares a whole lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– The Lorax, Children’s book by Dr. Seuss

Ecofacts blogs presented by Green Products Global:

http://www.greenproductsglobal.com/

EcoFacts — No Comments
1
Oct 10

Built environment, pt.1 – Passive Heating and Cooling

Amazingly, buildings use about 40% of all energy (commercial and residential being about split) and also contribute a similar percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, more than either transportation or industry. Their construction is responsible for some, of course, but far greater are the emissions from their energy use – heating, cooling, lighting – to be functional homes and workplaces. In the past, cheap and plentiful fossil fuels allowed for inefficiency in this realm. Clearly, this is no longer sustainable. And it wasn’t necessarily comfortable anyway!

Efficiency is the cheapest, cleanest and safest way of lowering any carbon footprint and increasing available energy, since it requires no new power plants, no more fossil fuels.

Even in cold climates, buildings are being built that have minimal heating systems, and in hot climates, ones that have no standard air conditioning, and which are still comfortable. They use carbon neutral, zero energy and “Passive House” design concepts, among others. “Passive House”, from Germany, is a very carefully controlled type of energy efficient building, and can reduce energy consumption up to 90%. More than 20,000 buildings like this have been built in Europe, and they are beginning to catch on in the States. Here are some of the techniques employed in these and others.

Daylighting – more natural lighting built-in, less electric needed
Cool roofs that reflect heat, and green roofs that allow for rainwater harvesting
Super insulation
High efficiency windows
Airtight construction with natural ventilation and/or heat exchangers, which replace stale air with fresh
Passive solar design – orientation towards sun for heat and hot water as well as light and electricity

http://www.jetsongreen.com/2009/09/video-amory-lovins-super-green-home.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_househttp://www.rmi.org/rmi/Stanford+Energy+Lectures
NYTimesBrighterShadeOfGreen20100925.pdf
http://www.daylighting.org/
http://www.preferredbuildings.com/
^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~
Barbara Hirsch, recording engineer, eco-person

“Unless someone like you cares a whole lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– The Lorax, Children’s book by Dr. Seuss

Ecofacts blogs presented by Green Products Global:

http://www.greenproductsglobal.com/