The grounds are an effective filter for hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas, which smells like rotten eggs and can be dangerous. This is good news for those who work with sewage systems. Some workers have even died from overexposure to H2S as a result.

Why do old coffee grounds work so well as an odor filter? It’s the caffeine. It turns out that caffeine contains nitrogen, which can capture airborne sulfur. Most typical carbon-based sulfur filters require additives like ammonia, but the coffee grounds don’t need any such boost.

The filters are made by baking a slurry of coffee grounds, water, and zinc chloride at 1500 degrees, creating nitrogen-lined holes in the carbon particles ideal for trapping H2S. The New York team’s research could result in a commercially-available eco-friendly H2S filter.

Check out this paper on the research recently published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Related articles

• coffee grounds may hold the solution to a stinky problem (alternativeconsumer.com)
• Grounds for the ground (askalbin.com)
• Survey – How do you use spent coffee grounds? (groundtoground.org)
• Coffee Grounds Are Buried Treasure! (groundtoground.org)
• Coffee grounds could be used to suck up sewer stench (gizmag.com)

Photo courtesy of Solvay International

Did you know that a new “super battery” (the largest fuel cell of its type), can produce enough clean electricity to power over 1,400 homes? I saw this over at Solvay International Chemical Group’s site, and immediately thought of all of the innovative applications and energy-saving ideas that could come from this. Cars, ships, and any number of potential uses could benefit from this Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell, which uses hydrogen’s chemical energy and an electrochemical reaction with oxygen to create clean energy.

The project is happening in Antwerp, Belgium, where 800 hours of operation generated more than 500MWh, the equivalent to the use of energy from 1,400 houses.

Related articles

• 1 MW PEM Fuel Cell (That’s Big) At Work In Belgium (earthtechling.com)
• Solvay hails world’s largest fuel cell of type in Flanders (expatica.com)
• Fuel Cell Energy: What is it? What can it do? (txu.com)
• Fuel cell- a new concept in power generation (ahilan007.wordpress.com)
• Belgian battery can power 1,400 homes (mnn.com)
• U.S. Army unveils GM-made fuel-cell military vehicles (green.autoblog.com)
• Solvay commissions 1 MW PEM fuel cell at SolVin’s Antwerp plant (greencarcongress.com)

Rooftop farms are gaining in popularity in many areas of the world, and German company Frisch vom Dach is doing something that may lead to future innovation to feed the world–one rooftop at a time.

Constructed from an upcycled shipping containers, this farm also has a fish tank and attached greenhouse. It operates on a closed water cycle system, and the cool thing is that fish waste fertilizes the plants, and the plants purify the water.How is that for an eco-system?

Similar systems are popping up that produce both vegetables and fish, and operate within Germany’s sustainable aquaculture guidelines. The farm’s first harvest is coming early next year, and the company says it will sell its produce at its onsite shop as well as to local retailers.

Check out their website for more photos.

Related articles

• Urban rooftop farm expanding (mentalflowers.wordpress.com)
• On a Berlin rooftop, aquaponic farm will produce vegetables and fish (springwise.com)
• Industrial-Sized Rooftop Fish Farm and garden Planned for Berlin to prove sustainable urban agriculture (nextbigfuture.com)
• The Fine Line Between Aquaponics and Factory Farms (treehugger.com)
• 1,200 Acres of Rooftop Farms for New York City (planetsave.com)
• Farm the Rooftops (dirt.asla.org)

Imagine using human and livestock waste as a source of green energy. Many companies have explored this, but one in particular is getting the go-ahead to make some headway in Kenya with the development of biochar. Fast Company recently featured Jason Aramburu, the CEO of re:char, who is working with the emerging area of biochar thanks to a grant from the Gates Foundation to develop a system to transform human waste into biochar. Biochar is carbon negative, which means that every ton of biochar produced represents carbon extracted from the air, which cannot get back into the atmosphere.

For over 3,000 years, indigenous farmers In the Amazon basin have been making charcoal and burying it in the ground to improve the soil’s ability to capture and retain nutrients for their crops. This biochar makes a lasting impact on the soil, and the land is now rich and fertile.

Re:char also sells kilns to farmers in Kenya that allow them to convert their farm waste into biochar, which is quickly becoming known for its cost-effective solution to curtail poverty, and slow down the deforestation by encouraging people there to use biochar as cooking fuel instead of cutting down trees for firewood.

Related articles

• How Biochar Will Help Kenya Go Green And Save Money (fastcompany.com)
• New Home Biochar Kits From re:char Also Support Kenyan Farmers (treehugger.com)
• What We’re Reading: The search for an AIDS vaccine (one.org)
• Biochar Value to Glacial Soils and Greenhouse Gases (cleantechies.com)
• Carbon farming – how does it work? (greeningaustralia.wordpress.com)

Click on the picture to see the photographs Boeri posted of the towers’ construction on his blog last month.

Scientists say it’ll actually improve the city atmosphere, and not just the skyline. According to Boeri, the diversity of the plants and their characteristics produce humidity, absorb carbon dioxide and dust particles, producing oxygen and protect from radiation and acoustic pollution, improving the quality of living spaces and saving energy. Plant irrigation will be produced to great extent through the filtering and reuse of the grey waters produced by the building. Additionally Aeolian and photovoltaic energy systems will contribute, together with the aforementioned microclimate to increase the degree of energetic self sufficiency of the two towers.

The lush vegetation will also encourage the presence of birds and insects within the miniature gardens. It will also balance out the city’s environmental damage, by creating a self-sufficient ecosystem. And with construction costing only five percent higher than that of a typical skyscraper, the concept of a vertical skyscraper is incredibly accessible for other cities facing similar plights.

Related articles

• Bosco Verticale: the world’s first vertical forest (gizmag.com)
• Stefano Boeri’s incredible vertical forest in Milan! (empreendersaude.com.br)
• Tree Towers: World’s First ‘Forest In The Sky’ (news.sky.com)
• Bosco Verticale in Milan Will Be the World’s First Vertical Forest (leggotunglei808.wordpress.com)

Check out this article on Greener Package.com about a new package disrupting the detergent aisle. It has a molded-pulp outer shell made from  recycled cardboard and old newspapers, with an inner film pouch–both parts can easily be recycled. Read on:

Image via greenerpackage.com

 

Molded-pulp bottle disrupts laundry detergent category

Ecologic Brands has found a winning application for its multi-component molded-pulp package in Seventh Generation’s new 4X concentrated brand of liquid laundry detergent. The product has been on shelf for just 12 weeks (at presstime) and is already the number-three top-selling detergent in its category of 150 SKUs. The package was also a winner with the 2011 Greener Package Awards judges, who rewarded it with an Environmental Impact award in the Non FDA-Regulated Products category.

The Seventh Generation container consists of a molded-pulp outer shell made from 70% recycled cardboard (OCC) and 30% old newspapers (ONP) that can be recycled up to seven times. The material, without the paper label, has been certified through the Biodegradable Products Institute as being compostable per ASTM 6868. The package’s inner film pouch with spout has been constructed of polyethylene only, making it suitable for recycling with plastic grocery bags in retailer drop-off bins from Trex. When compared with a rigid plastic container, the pouch reduces plastic use by 75%, Ecologic informs. And, because the shells can be nested and the pouch can be transported flat to Seventh Generation, one truckload of the packaging materials equals nine truckloads of rigid plastic containers. Lastly, the package closure, as with most traditional laundry containers, is made from polypropylene, and is recyclable through Preserve’s Gimme 5 recycling program, found in Whole Foods Market stores. The result: A lighter-weight package that easily fits into the existing recycling stream.

Not that Seventh Generation is any newcomer to sustainable packaging advancements. At 80%, the company boasts the largest content of post-consumer recycled high-density polyethylene in its rigid laundry detergent containers. “We were reluctant at first to look at the molded-pulp bottle, because we had worked so hard at recycled HDPE,” says Peter Swaine, Seventh Generation’s director of packaging development. “But the reality is that only 29 percent of HDPE is recycled.”

Swaine attributes the low number to several factors, including lack of consumer education, confusion surrounding the SPI codes for plastics, and the lack of recycling in many U.S. municipalities.

With the molded-pulp bottle, consumers immediately understand the environmental proposition of the package. And, the likelihood of the molded-pulp shell being recycled is much greater, as OCC is recycled at a rate of 82% and ONP at 88%. “Recycled-content HDPE bottles are industry-leading,” says Swaine, “but it’s hard to tell the story because they look so much like traditional bottles. The new bottle is completely unique.”

As Ecologic founder and CEO Julie Corbett explains, part of that unique appearance also comes from the challenges associated with using recycled paper materials, which often have a large variance in the quality and origins of the feedstock. “Both these factors will have an effect on the color and outside appearance of the shell,” she says. “For example, small spots or flecks might be visible on the outside and inside of the shell.”

“If we want to continue to make products from recycled materials, this is something consumers will have to overcome. Our bottle’s general likeability and design will help consumers better understand that the beauty of a package is not only about the outside appearance, but also about the origins of materials.”

One current package-manufacturing drawback of the shell versus injection molding of rigid plastics is that the molded-pulp packaging requires the application of heat longer than required for plastic. Corbett assures that technology is quickly advancing to solve this issue. “The direction is the right direction, and this is an industry that has taken on a new life, but it’s kind of at its infancy in terms of infrastructure.”

Corbett reports that future projects in the works for Ecologic include the development of a 64-oz stock container, as well as other stock sizes, and “custom bottles for many other customers for liquids, dry ingredients, consumables, and non-consumable products.”

Says Greener Package Awards judge Jack DiMartino of Stonyfield Farms, “I love everything about this project; the amount of thought and consideration for its consumers and the environment puts Seventh Generation on a different level for sustainable packaging.”

Image via Wikipedia

I am very excited about the new developments in bioplastics research! Within the past few years there have been numerous new-to-market plastic products that either decompose in the landfill or make the recycling process cheaper, easier and more environmentally friendly.

One company from France has launched a plastic “coffee pod” (like the kind used in Keurig® and other machines) that is 100 percent biodegradable. Consumers can put their pods right in their backyard garden without any worries about landfill waste. And that’s just the beginning of more bioplastics ingenuity to come, as I wrote about in my weekly column. Check it out:

Via PostCrescent.com

How long does your trash live in the landfill?

For glass bottles, the time for it to degrade can be thousands of years or more. Plastics are an improvement, but many of them can still have a life span that is measured in decades. Fortunately new plastic materials being developed are shortening that time considerably.

Today’s new “green” plastics are being made of unconventional biodegradable materials — even milk curd. It’s all possible because of bioplastics, an innovative polymer technology that is transforming the plastics industry.

In spite of volunteer and mandatory recycling programs, environmentalists have long been concerned with the plastic that remains in the waste stream. According to Penn State University scientists, it may take up to 20 years for plastic grocery bags to break down, and some plastic containers will take 80 years to decompose. Some plastic, like those of the collars huddling six-packs can take an estimated 450 years before showing signs of decomposition.

In research labs around the world, we’re seeing bioplastic engineering teams that are making great strides in addressing this problem.

For example, Barcelona-based researchers have developed a bioplastic for food packaging that is based on whey protein. Whey is a by-product of cheese processing; it is essentially milk curd. The material dissolves in water, and this makes the plastic much easier to recycle and decompose. European cheese factories are currently discarding a large percentage of their whey, but if this “waste” can be utilized as a packaging material it is a win-win for both the factories and for the environment.

The development of whey-based bioplastics is another example of an effort that requires open partnerships. Fourteen different producers and researchers have come together to implement this technology on a larger scale to produce containers, trays and plastic films.

Bioplastics from agricultural materials like corn are also being injected into new consumer product spaces. In France, the Demetz company has launched the first biodegradable sunglasses, called B-wear. These eco-friendly sunglasses use polymers derived from castor oil and corn and are claimed to degrade in months in industrial compost or in just a few years in a natural setting.

Another French company, Vegeplast, is creating a splash in the coffee pod industry by launching its 100 percent biodegradable bio-pods. After using the coffee pod, it can be put into an organic waste bin or even composted in the garden. The company has also developed bioplastic components for products like golf tees, disposable spoons and forks, and even chewable dog bones.

Look for bioplastics partnerships and innovation to continue to grow and inspire new products in the months ahead. With more of these innovative products and more effective recycling programs, we can all look forward to a cleaner, tidier environment.

Genuine green advertising is not commercials promoting eco-friendly goods—to have a legitimate right to be called ‘green,’ the message should be placed in the medium made of natural elements, literally. This notion underlies Coca-Cola’s idea to construct a plant billboard in Philippines—the project was developed in collaboration with WWF, which have partnered with the soft drink giant on climate protection and water conservation in the country. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola unveiled an orange-powered Energie Naturelle advertising stand for its Tropicana brand in France, and now it has created a billboard using CO2 absorbing plants.

Photo: www.philstar.com

“We are proud that we have brought to life the first plant billboard in the country. It is an embodiment of our company’s Live Positively commitment to making a positive difference in the world by incorporating sustainability into everything that we do. With this, we hope to inspire Filipinos to join us in our journey, because we know that together, we can make a positive impact,” stated Guillermo Aponte, president of Coca-Cola Philippines.

Each of the 3,600 trees on the billboard can absorb up to 13 pounds of CO2 a year, commented botanist Anthony Gao. “This billboard helps alleviate air pollution within its proximate areas as it can absorb a total of 46,800 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, on estimate,” he added.  The light-weight potting mixture includes organic fertilizers and industrial by-products, the stable pots for the trees are made of recycled bottles of Coca-Cola’s drinks. Now the plants are small, but since they are placed not very close to each other, the can grow sideways and make the billboard greener and yet more powerful in terms of air cleaning.

Hopefully, the plants will live the long life on the billboard thanks to the clever and well thought out eco-friendly mechanism, which provides proper water treatment. “A drip irrigation system, also known as trickle irrigation or micro-irrigation, was especially installed for efficient water distribution. This irrigation method saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing and emitters. The system is operated on a schedule to distribute water with nutrients to the plants,” states the press release. Is it a new trend? Will natural billboards replace plastic stands? With Coca-Cola’s dedication to sustainable life-style it really can happen (at least for the company’s drinks).

Enjoy the article here.

Wiki Creative Commons photo

Electronics manufacturers are making a lot of progress in improving energy efficiency, and that’s good news for those of us trying to leave a smaller eco-footprint in our energy usage wake.  In my weekly column published yesterday I wrote about how manufacturers aren’t only improving the energy efficiency of electronic gadgets when they are on, but also looking to make sure that when they are off, as little power as necessary is used:

The next time you head to the electronics store to get that flat-panel digital TV you’ve had your eye on, will you be thinking about the environmental impact this set will have?

Typically when we buy a new gadget to make our lives more productive or more fun, we usually look at the capabilities and price first. But the Consumer Electronics Association says more of us are beginning to look at environmental attributes as important too.

The first thing many of us would look at when thinking about environmentally friendly electronics is energy usage…

Enjoy the rest of the article!

Whole Foods is a great place to go for market research in addition to enjoyable, quality food and other products. One can learn a lot about green packaging trends, innovations in flexible pouches, self-care products, organics, ingredients, and international cuisine. For many innovative areas, Whole Foods is consistently on the edge.

Photo courtesy of Yanko Design

I’ve been following green concepts over the years, and I’m always excited to see trends in energy power that will eventually make it into our hands someday. Or in this case, onto our fingers!

This innovative idea is a concept from the minds of two designers, Song Teaho and Hyejin Lee. Their new finger battery could one day be good news for those of us who are continually in need of a smart phone battery boost: A prototype mobile phone with a battery you can charge with a simple twirl of your finger.

The kinetic energy generated by the twirling motion powers the charge and would allow users to energize their cells.

It does take some coordination thought. The designers say you need to twirl for 130 rotations around your finger to generate about two minutes of talk or 25 minutes of standby power.

Perhaps there will come a day when we don’t have to expend quite that amount of effort. But it does give me hope that great minds are continually thinking of ideas for clean and green energy!

This photo is one of many you’ll want to check out on the AllCarsElectric site. It’s a concept car that will hopefully be in production someday. It is aerodynamic, futuristic and downright cool in my opinion. Nissan says it gets 150 MPC (miles per charge),but no word yet on the price one of these might cost. The 2011 Geneva Motorshow opens March 11.

Here’s a video of the ESFLOW concept car:

Photo courtesy allcarselectric.

Graham Hill launched the contest back in October and promised entrants that he not only would pay for the winning design, he’d live in it.  The public was asked to design a fully functioning living space in a tiny New York apartment, complete with room for a sit-down dinner for a dozen people, space for two guests, a home office, a hideable kitchen and a bed, shower and bike storage.

Hill says he wanted consumers to think about how much we really need in terms of space and stuff. The contest was designed to inspire architects and others to think environmentally by reducing their eco-footprint. Hill received 304 submissions, 600,000 entry views and thousands of comments on his website.

The winner’s design is titled, One Size Fits All. Check it out, along with the photos from the runners up here.

Today’ savvy “green” consumers are paying attention to the green marketing being pitched at them–everything from online data storage services, cookware and pet food are jumping on the eco-bandwagon. But consumers aren’t buying everything green they see. This year the Federal Trade Commission will revise its environmental marketing guidelines to combat something now called “Greenwashing,” or the misleading information and environmental benefits of products or practices many companies have advertised.

Consumers do look for these products as they become more and more caring of the environment, but they still want products that do the job. It isn’t good marketing to sell an environmentally-friendly dish detergent that leaves spots and streaks. According to trendwatching.com, this is the year that people are looking for “eco-superior” products.

Quality also needs to last. A cheap disposable product has a short life cycle, and may give off a chemical gas as it sits in the landfill. Many people are embracing antiques and locally-made items like clothing and furniture. These products may last longer, but often cost a little more.

One of the bigger trends of course is our quest to understand how social media can grow and expand our business. I’ve noticed that this past year many more companies have used social media in their pursuit of useful ideas than ever before.  I enjoyed reading a report from Greener World Media about crowdsourcing when it comes to sustainability projects.

The article looks at three efforts by GE’s Smart Grid challenge, eBay’s Green Team, and a leading European retailer’s green customer foray and how those leaders used crowdsourcing to generate sustainability ideas. Check it out.

One example that stood out to me was this summer’s “GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid.”The company and other firms spent $200 million to grab ideas from society via a new website. Nearly 4,000 ideas were submitted over a three-month period, and at the end there were more than 70,000 comments to sift through. GE held a contest for the best ideas and announced the winners earlier this month.

If you want to try something similar, the article suggests three rules to make your campaign successful:

1. Be painfully clear about the results you want from your campaign.

2. Embrace transparency.

3. Link the campaign to co-value creation.

In GE’s case, it asked participants to send forth their best thinking to create initiatives that would enhance an aspect of their own lives. Making it personal was the evident key in this crowdsourcing experiment.

Photo courtesy www.groasis.com

Imagine being able to grow trees anywhere in the world–including the desert. The AquaPro company developed the Groasis waterboxx, and it has indeed turned out to be one of the most innovative system of 2010. The waterboxx allows trees to grow in dry lands by providing a reservoir for roots with a sustainable water system that can last decades. Popular Science Magazine just named the waterboxx No. 1 in its Best of What’s New in 2010, and it’s no wonder.

With just a one-time fill of four gallons of water, the system surrounds a newly-planted sapling and prevents against evaporation, pests and other elements that can kill saplings before they’ve had a chance to mature.

The system was tested in the Sahara Desert and costs only a dollar per tree, making it affordable enough for those in poor nations. Check out this video on the Groasis waterbozz:

Many of these new kit-style classrooms can save up to 30 percent in materials costs. One builder says its structures are about $40 to $50 per square feet as opposed to new construction at $250 to $300 per square foot. And they’re actually quicker and easier to construct. Modular classroom contractors say there is typically a two- to -four-month install time.

Many contractors turn the project into a lesson in green technology, as students learn why a greener school is better for their community and the environment. Some of these classrooms are said to generate enough solar energy to be 100 percent sustainable. Check out Project Frog classrooms in San Francisco and the Gen7 from American Modular Systems.

At the moment most of these schools are being built in southern climates like California and Florida. But some in the U.K. are able to withstand cooler temps. No doubt we’ll be seeing more of these eco-friendly moduals coming to school as the younger population increases.

(Photo courtesy of American Modular Systems)

The photo looks like something out of this world, doesn’t it? It’s not by coincidence that the shape of the car resembles a leaf. The word Yez is actually Mandarin for leaf.

The car is produced by a little-known company, SAIC, which stands for Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. SAIC is GM’s partner in China.  A few months ago SAIC showed off this innovative concept car which uses photovoltaic conversion, wind energy conversion and CO2 absorption to generate it’s power.

Even the wheels are energy efficient, acting like small wind turbines to capture and convert wind energy into electricity. I particularly like how its roof is filled with solar cells that can find the sun’s in the sky and then rotate to produce the maximum energy-absorption.

At the moment this is just an idea. The auto company says it is definitely something to shoot for in the future, but is for now far off from reality.

This week Amyris announced a record number of deals and partnerships for a single week (a record among bioenergy companies, according to Biofuels Digest). These partnerships include P&G, Total, Soliance, Cosan, M&G Finanziaria, and Shell:

Amyris has taken it up a notch with a series of stunners surrounding its synthetic farsenene, which it has named Biofene – the first product that Amyris is seeking to produce at commercial scale.

Beyond its success this week with Biofene announcements, which are the basis for the P&G, M&G and Soliance partnerships — there are the broader arrangements with Cosan to develop a platform in renewable chemicals, and the equity agreement with Total that will provide needed capital as well as a broader platform for Amyris’s expansion into hydrocarbon fuels.

The mysterious agreement with Shell, regarding diesel, is one to watch. The decidedly vague disclosure was buried in Amyris’ amended S-1A registration statement, but not otherwise mentioned in a flurry of press releases from the company as it promotes its expansion in this pre-IPO environment. Shell Western Trading & Supply is one of 17 Shell trading companies that buy and sell to customers within and outside of Shell.

This news shows an interesting example of companies forming partnerships with an innovative start-up with great technology and apparently highly valuable IP. According to my Patbase search, Amyris has 21 patent families, quite a large number for such a young company. They clearly have been active and aggressive in pursuing patent protection, and those patents are critical for the meaningful partnerships they are now forming. It’s a great unfolding story of open innovation and technology transfer.

The story extends beyond the US. They have operations in Brazil, for example, which is one of the world’s hotbeds for bioenergy, bioproducts, and collaborative innovation.

1. How about a Grow Your Own Beer Garden Kit (pictured on the left), which includes the barley, hops and wheat seeds, plus a place for them to sprout, the plant stakes, gravel and decals. It costs about $25 over at ThinkGeek.

2. If your dad likes to cook, consider an oven that uses the sun for energy. You can find the Sun Oven for about $300, or you can find online directions on how to make your own sun oven with cardboard for under $40.

3. Lots of dads want to know if their household appliances are costing them more than necessary in energy costs. He can use a nifty device called the Kill A Watt (pictured on the right). He just plugs the appliance into the outlet and a meter tells him how much energy is being used.

4. What dad doesn’t like to control the remote? You might want to check into energy-saving remotes like this one over at ethicalsuperstore.com.

5. Usually a game of golf involves green in nature only. But now dads who enjoy sustainability can tee off with 100-percent recyclable golf balls by Dixon Earth.  Along with being recycled, the manufacturing process of these balls use no lead, cobalt, tungsten or heavy metals. You can order a package of six dozens for $40.

6. Dads who like to hike but need a charge might enjoy this solar panel backpack over at Amazon. At $220, it’s great for powering up cell phone batteries on the trail.

7. If you or your dad is a Father’s Day traditionalist (as in neckties and wallets), How about this innovative gift idea: a wallet made out of recycled neckties and suits! Designer Laura Skelton created the outside of the wallet from discarded silk ties, and lined the inside with a solid gray material from men’s suits. They sell for $28 over at UncommonGoods.

Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there!