Environment News - Bulletin 104 (Jul 09)

This month is mostly about plans to reduce carbon emissions and the drive to find ever more ingenious ways of developing bio-fuels.

Nissan brought the world up to date with it's "Nissan Green Program 2010" as well as future plans for reducing CO2 emissions. These include a clean-diesel slated for the Japanese market next year and the aim of the Nissan-Renault Alliance to put electric vehicles at the heart of its business strategy.

At the other end of the spectrum, luxury sportscar maker Lamborghini's green plans included their factory as well as their their cars. Photovoltaic systems and a factory refurbishment are set to reduce emissions from their Sant'Agata Bolognese plant by 30% in 2010.  A range of enhancements to their supercars - including the use of biofuels - should reduce their vehicle emissions by 35% from 2015.

Afton Chemicals are one of a number of global companies set to benefit from China's environmental plans, with a recent uplift in activity for the country's "Green GDP" programme which includes new directives on power generation, transport and manufacturing initiatives.

Amongst the biofuel innovations, a new dual-technology method of using soy-based oil could solve the issue of premature lubricant break down. The latest research from Northern Iowa's National Ag-Based Lubricants Center has put soy-based oil into a diesel engine as a lubricant, but then converts it to fuel for the same engine before the oil has a chance to break apart. Initially, the technology will be used in stationery engines, but could be adapted for ships and eventually trucks. Castor-oil plants were also in the mix, after Spanish researchers indentified a series of genes that can be modified to generate more oleic and palmitic acids to meet the needs of biolubricant production.

The mining sector has welcomed Shell's new Tellus EE, an addition to its Tellus hydraulic oil range, which is claimed to reduce hydraulic machinery energy consumption by an average of 8%; while International Energy Products announced a new patented technology called ‘Boron CLS Bond'. Under the brand name ‘Motorsilk', the product is a non-toxic, boi-degradable lubricant aimed at industrial applications and can be combined with the company's additive ‘Lubrisilk' to further reduce friction.

Tennesee gained its first ‘green motor oil' with the news that Parman Lubricants Corp has signed a deal with Safety-Kleen which includes their EcoPower engine oil, while in Nigeria, Oando will be providing LPG at its service stations following a deal with Banner Gas.

Waste oil also features this month with the news that Novo Energies is setting up Canadian subsidiary WTL Renewable Energy Inc. The company will set up a number of plants convert plastic and tyre waste into liquid fuel or fuel additives, with an estimated annual revenue of $3m per plant. And a major $12m clean-up is underway in Pennsylvania, according to Lube Report, after 36 companies charged with hazardous contamination agreed to clean a seven-acre former waste-oil transfer site.