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A Brazilian petrochemical company declares it has made a plastic commonly used in flexible packaging that is based on ethanol derived from sugar cane. RedHerring reports that São Paulo, Brazil-based Braskem, a large maker of conventional plastics, said the ethanol-based, high density polyethylene plastic is made up entirely of materials that are renewable. The company has invested $5 million to develop the product and aims to begin commercial production of up to 200,000 tons a year by the end of 2009.
Braskem claims its sugar cane-derived polyethylene material is the first "certified green" bioplastic in the world, based on lab results from Beta Analytic.
RedHerring obeserves that it is hard to know what that really means. Experts note that there are two sides to "green" plastics – what they‘‘re made of and whether or not they are biodegradable. Polyethylene – a series of carbon atoms – may not biodegrade, even if originally made from renewable raw materials. Bioplastics are made either from starches or from fermentation, in which micro-organisms are fed sugar-based feedstocks like hydrolyzed corn syrup. However it is made, bioplastics are a growing market, and both giant multinational corporations and technology-focused startups are working to advance and commercialize all manner of new technologies.
Last year, Archer Daniels Midland and Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Metabolix formed a joint venture to commercialize plastics made from microbial fermentation. Segetis, a Minneapolis-based startup, raised $15 million in funding from Khosla Ventures in April to develop chemical and plastic products from agricultural and forestry feedstocks. Cargill is also getting into the act.
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Egypt reviews Red Sea waste management system – Dailynewsegypt
Egypt’s Minister of Local Development and Environment, Manal Awad, and Red Sea Governor Walid El-Barqi held an extensive meeting to review the performance of the governorate’s waste management system and discuss measures to improve environmental services and operational efficiency. The meeting, held during Awad’s visit to the Red Sea Governorate to mark World Environment Day, focused on assessing current challenges facing waste collection, sorting, recycling and disposal operations, as well as identifying priority actions to strengthen the system’s performance. Awad stressed that the government places significant importance on developing an integrated waste management system in the Red Sea Governorate, given its strategic importance as one of Egypt’s leading tourism destinations. She emphasized the need to comply with environmental and technical standards governing sanitary landfills, waste treatment facilities and environmentally sound disposal practices. During the meeting, officials reviewed the current status of waste management operations in Hurghada, including collection, transportation, sorting, recycling and final disposal activities. Discussions also covered the infrastructure upgrades required to improve system efficiency and ensure the proper operation of sanitary landfill facilities. Yasser Abdullah, head of Egypt’s Waste Management Regulatory Authority, presented updates on temporary waste collection and sorting sites and outlined measures to strengthen operational management and oversight. He highlighted the importance of improving monitoring mechanisms for waste handling activities and maximizing the recovery of recyclable materials while reducing informal and unregulated practices.