Green Options » manufacturing http://greenoptions.com/tag/manufacturing Posts tagged 'manufacturing' Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Nike’s Lorrie Vogel on Closing the Loop. Part 2- The Human Impact http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/18/nike%e2%80%99s-lorrie-vogel-on-closing-the-loop-part-2-the-human-impact/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/18/nike%e2%80%99s-lorrie-vogel-on-closing-the-loop-part-2-the-human-impact/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:09 +0000 Susanna Schick http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/18/nike%e2%80%99s-lorrie-vogel-on-closing-the-loop-part-2-the-human-impact/

Laura Kurgan, Chris Jordan, Lorrie Vogel and Assaf Biderman - Pop!Tech 2009 - Camden, ME

In Part One, Lorrie Vogel explained some of the work Nike is doing to increase recycled and organic content in their products. Our conversation continues with discussing how Nike designers are encouraged to use sustainable principles in their work.

SS: You mentioned something about rewarding designers for innovating around sustainability, how does that work?

LV: As with any company centered on innovation, the process begins with Nike’s designers. To influence the designers to make responsible choices, Nike designers are scored against the Considered Index. In order to get new Considered innovations adopted faster, Nike gives innovation points to designers who come up with a brand new idea, as well as to teams who adopt considered innovations in the first year.

SS: And how are employees outside of the design department scored against the Considered Index?

LV: At Nike, there are so many different groups in different matrices, a lot of them are expected to calculate their CO2 footprint. But the Considered Index is primarily for designers.

SS: Sustainability 101 and Step by Natural Step (mentioned in this press release)- are they teaching personal sustainability practices, or teaching employees how to spot opportunities to be more responsible in the choices they make in their jobs?

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/18/nike%e2%80%99s-lorrie-vogel-on-closing-the-loop-part-2-the-human-impact/feed/ How Nike Considered Uses Innovation and Collaboration to Close the Loop http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/16/how-nike-considered-uses-innovation-and-collaboration-to-close-the-loop/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/16/how-nike-considered-uses-innovation-and-collaboration-to-close-the-loop/#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:33:03 +0000 Susanna Schick http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/16/how-nike-considered-uses-innovation-and-collaboration-to-close-the-loop/

This impressive footprint is Nike’s Considered Air Jordan XX3, their first basketball shoe designed using the Considered Ethos.

Lorrie Vogel is the general manager of Nike Considered, Nike’s in-house sustainability think tank. She holds a degree in Industrial Design from Syracuse, and numerous patents. Her work in innovating around sustainability has helped put Nike on Fast Company’s Fast 50 list multiple times. Considering how aggressive Nike’s sustainability goals have been, it’s even more impressive that they are on track to meet their targets.

Sustainability is second only to performance when ranking the critical factors of a product. Nike is committed to making their entire collection as environmentally responsible as possible. Lorrie Vogel spoke at the Opportunity Green conference in Los Angeles, explaining some of the ways Nike is meeting these targets. In this phone interview, Lorrie expands on some of the points she touched on in her presentation. The conversation is split into two articles, in order to go deeper into the many changes that need to happen to increase use of recycled and organic materials in apparel and footwear. We begin with a discussion about materials, and conclude with the human element needed to ensure these changes occur in a timely manner.

From Nike: The long-term vision for Considered is to design products that are fully closed loop: produced using the fewest possible materials, designed for easy disassembly while allowing them to be recycled into new product or safely returned to nature at the end of their life. By 2011, 100 percent of footwear will meet baseline Considered standards, apparel by 2015 and equipment by 2020 – creating better performing products while minimizing environmental impact by reducing waste, using environmentally preferred materials and eliminate toxins.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/16/how-nike-considered-uses-innovation-and-collaboration-to-close-the-loop/feed/ New Bio-Based Glue Lets Cows Have their Cake and Eat it, Too http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/new-bio-based-glue-lets-cows-have-their-cake-and-eat-it-too/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/new-bio-based-glue-lets-cows-have-their-cake-and-eat-it-too/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:04:11 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/new-bio-based-glue-lets-cows-have-their-cake-and-eat-it-too/ A researcher from Kansas State University has developed a bio-based glue used to make edible barrels for cattle feed.Researcher Susan Sun of Kansas State University has an answer for all those hungry cows out there:  let them eat barrels.  Sun’s work on sustainable biomass adhesives has already lead to an edible barrel for cattle feed made with straw and soy adhesive.  More products are on the horizon, including a new formula that improves the flowability and strength of raw bioplastic, making it easier to pour and mold.

The edible barrels replace oil drums, which cost approximately $6 per barrel to clean for re-use as feed containers in addition to the cost of the barrel.  Sun’s elegant waste reduction solution relieves farmers of this expense while practically eliminating the risk of oil-contaminated feed from poorly cleaned barrels.  It also eliminates waste or water pollution associated with the cleaning process, and it eliminates the cost (and carbon footprint) of returning used barrels for re-use.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/10/new-bio-based-glue-lets-cows-have-their-cake-and-eat-it-too/feed/ Nanomaterial Being Produced By the Ton http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/30/nanomaterial-being-produced-by-the-ton/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/30/nanomaterial-being-produced-by-the-ton/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:27:01 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/30/nanomaterial-being-produced-by-the-ton/
Nano carbon Graphene is already being produced in decidedly non-nano quantities by Ohio-based Angstron. Yet the atom-thick nano-material was discovered so recently that researchers are still in the process of discovering what to use it for.

Graphene is an extremely low density material, almost an atomic-scale chicken wire made of carbon atoms and their bonds. It has been the focus of much research because of its exceptional electrical, mechanical and optical properties. It holds great promise in renewable energies.

Among the so far underutilized advantages Graphene offers are that it is fifty times stronger than steel, and it has five times the conductivity of copper, with only one quarter of the density.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/30/nanomaterial-being-produced-by-the-ton/feed/ Chinese Manufacturer First to Export Wind to U.S. http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/30/chinese-manufacturer-first-to-export-wind-to-us/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/30/chinese-manufacturer-first-to-export-wind-to-us/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:33:26 +0000 Yael Borofsky http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/30/chinese-manufacturer-first-to-export-wind-to-us/ A-Power Energy Generation Systems won one aspect of the clean energy race and made history, as it will become the first Chinese manufacturer to export wind turbines to the United States. A-Power Energy Generation Systems and a consortium of Chinese and American companies — U.S. Renewable Energy Group, Cielo Wind Power, and the Shenyang Power Group — are planning to build a 600-megawatt wind farm in West Texas.

The project, which could power as many as 180,000 homes, will require 240 2.5-megawatt turbines and the farm will occupy 36,000 acres of land in West Texas. Nearly shovel ready, the construction effort is projected to create about 30 permanent jobs and 300 temporary ones. Ground-breaking on the wind farm is slated for March of 2010.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/30/chinese-manufacturer-first-to-export-wind-to-us/feed/ Iowa State Students Devise 35% Faster Turbine Production http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/01/iowa-state-students-devise-35-faster-turbine-production/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/01/iowa-state-students-devise-35-faster-turbine-production/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:32:09 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/01/iowa-state-students-devise-35-faster-turbine-production/
As the US finally moves into manufacturing our own clean energy, a new kind of engineering is starting to move to the forefront. Manufacturing processes engineering. Under the direction of associate professor Vinay Dayal; Iowa State U students are trying to find the way to make wind turbines roll off US assembly lines more efficiently. If we can work out cheap production processes here, we can build parts here.

The university is using a $6.3 million fund from the US Department of Energy, TPI, and and the Iowa Power Fund and has the assistance of scientists from Sandia National Labs and TPI, which operates a local turbine blade factory. Initially they are trying to see how they can boost the speed of the manufacturing process by increasing automation and by automating quality control.

They could improve the productivity of turbine blade factories by as much as 35%.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/01/iowa-state-students-devise-35-faster-turbine-production/feed/ Guest Post: Driving Innovation - How Plastics are Making Vehicles More Fuel Efficient http://gas2.org/2009/10/01/guest-post-driving-innovation-how-plastics-are-making-vehicles-more-fuel-efficient/ http://gas2.org/2009/10/01/guest-post-driving-innovation-how-plastics-are-making-vehicles-more-fuel-efficient/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:13:07 +0000 Mary Fraser http://gas2.org/2009/10/01/guest-post-driving-innovation-how-plastics-are-making-vehicles-more-fuel-efficient/ BMW Vision EfficientDynamics

Editor’s Note: This is a guest contribution by Mary Fraser, BASF, American Chemistry Council - Plastics Division Automotive Team

Despite all of the challenges facing the automotive industry today, this is a time of great innovation.

Electric vehicles are just months away from entering the U.S. market and evolving engine technology is consistently improving fuel efficiency. Auto manufacturers are taking big steps to reduce emissions and hybrid cars are becoming mainstream. While powertrain technology has significantly improved fuel efficiency in recent history, the materials used in production of automobiles are increasingly playing a key role in making vehicles more sustainable.  One group of materials, in particular, that is opening new doors to auto design and fuel economy is plastics.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/10/01/guest-post-driving-innovation-how-plastics-are-making-vehicles-more-fuel-efficient/feed/ Mass Customization’s Role in a Sustainable Economy http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/09/27/mass-customizations-role-in-a-sustainable-economy/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/09/27/mass-customizations-role-in-a-sustainable-economy/#comments Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:23:09 +0000 Fred Etcheverry http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/09/27/mass-customizations-role-in-a-sustainable-economy/

Mass production has been used since the industrial revolution as a means of creating large quantities of standardized products. It has many advantages over one-at-a-time production. It reduces coast and provide interchangeable parts.  Its disadvantages are that it can over produce and it dehumanizes labor.

Mass production will often continue to build inventory in spite of an economic slump. Large inventories can lead to massive layoffs. Unemployment reduces consumption and a viscous circle ensues.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/09/27/mass-customizations-role-in-a-sustainable-economy/feed/ Fab2Farm Could Be the Next ‘Beatles’ of Solar http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/26/fab2farm-could-be-the-next-beatles-of-solar/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/26/fab2farm-could-be-the-next-beatles-of-solar/#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:08:38 +0000 Jeff Kart http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/26/fab2farm-could-be-the-next-beatles-of-solar/ Fab2Farm


The idea looks like a cool new version of the old SimCity computer game. You link a city to a solar manufacturing plant to a solar farm. The plant employs the people, the farm collects the energy and the city is up and running.

But this isn’t a game, it’s a pitch from Applied Materials, a Fortune 500 company known for making computer microchips.

They call it the best idea in the last 4 billion years.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/26/fab2farm-could-be-the-next-beatles-of-solar/feed/ US Farm Recycles Wind Turbines From Denmark and Germany http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/21/us-farm-recycles-wind-turbines-from-denmark-and-germany/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/21/us-farm-recycles-wind-turbines-from-denmark-and-germany/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:33:59 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/21/us-farm-recycles-wind-turbines-from-denmark-and-germany/
Iowa leads the US in the percentage of wind power on the grid. The local utility companies pay area farmers royalties of $3,000–5,000 per year so huge wind turbines can share their vast farmland acreage and feed the power to the grid. The arrangement has been so successful that 15% of Iowa’s power now comes from wind.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/21/us-farm-recycles-wind-turbines-from-denmark-and-germany/feed/ Dow Corning Adds Monosilane Gas to Rust Belt’s Green Renaissance http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/16/dow-corning-adds-monosilane-gas-to-rust-belts-green-renaissance/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/16/dow-corning-adds-monosilane-gas-to-rust-belts-green-renaissance/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:41:49 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/16/dow-corning-adds-monosilane-gas-to-rust-belts-green-renaissance/ Dow Corning is set to build monosilane gas plant, key to manufacturing thin film solar panels.

The trickle of green jobs into the Rust Belt has been rapidly swelling into torrent, and with headquarters in Michigan it was only a matter of time before Dow Corning joined the “green rush” to a more sustainable economy. The manufacturing giant has just announced that it will begin construction on a new facility to manufacture monosilane gas, which among other things is used to make thin film solar cells.  The plant will be constructed in Michigan’s Thomas Township.

At a cost of $100 million, the new monosilane gas facility represents a full-throttle comment to solar power by Dow Corning.  The company’s headquarters in Midland, Michigan is also set to open a solar panel installation and solar education center.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/16/dow-corning-adds-monosilane-gas-to-rust-belts-green-renaissance/feed/ First Solar and China to Partner on Gigantic Solar Power Plant http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/14/first-solar-and-china-to-partner-on-gigantic-solar-power-plant/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/14/first-solar-and-china-to-partner-on-gigantic-solar-power-plant/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:34:33 +0000 Yael Borofsky http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/14/first-solar-and-china-to-partner-on-gigantic-solar-power-plant/

On Tuesday, the announcement that U.S.-based First Solar and the Chinese government will partner to build a 2GW photovoltaic (PV) power plant Ordos New Energy Demonstration Zone in China, sent shockwaves of excitement through the solar and clean energy communities.

The memorandum of understanding, which both companies signed on Tuesday, sets the stage for the construction of the world’s largest PV power plant to be completed by 2019.

According to the New York Times the plant is part of a planned 11,950-megawatt renewable-energy park slated for this region of Mongolia, that “would generate enough electricity to power about three million Chinese homes.”

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/14/first-solar-and-china-to-partner-on-gigantic-solar-power-plant/feed/ Are You Giving This Green Industry Its Due? http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/09/11/are-you-giving-this-green-industry-its-due/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/09/11/are-you-giving-this-green-industry-its-due/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:08:03 +0000 Heidi Tolliver-Nigro http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/09/11/are-you-giving-this-green-industry-its-due/ Three days ago, I blogged about the EPA’s Green Power Partners site, which lists the top green power users in the country. That post got more traffic in a day than my posts normally get in a month. That was very exciting for me. People clearly care about this issue. At least for me, when all things are equal a company’s commitment to environmental sustainability can make the difference between one product choice and another. I hope it does for others, too.

Let me build on that by saying that there is even more good news than this. Did you notice that the Green Power Partners site also has Top 20 lists by category? These include college & university, local government, retail, on-site, and printers.

What’s interesting here is printers. This is a highly unglamorous category. Why would the EPA care about commercial printing and packaging companies? For the same reasons that anyone interested in environmental sustainability should care about them.

1. Printing is the third largest manufacturing industry in the country

2. Printing is a very aggressive with environmental sustainability, including its use of green power.

Put these together and you have the third largest manufacturing industry making a major move to sustainability. When not just individual companies but an entire industry embraces green technologies and processes, it makes a real difference. That’s exciting!

Yet, where’s all the buzz? E-media! With its 24-hour-a day, 7-days-a-week power usage, its ubiquitous energy-using devices from desktop computers to laptops to servers to cellphones, PDAs, and every other mobile device that now blanket the planet and drain the power grid. Meanwhile, because printing uses — dare I say the word — paper, it’s the bad guy?

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/09/11/are-you-giving-this-green-industry-its-due/feed/ India Looms As Global Manufacturing Cradle For Small Cars http://gas2.org/2009/09/09/india-looms-as-global-manufacturing-cradle-for-small-cars/ http://gas2.org/2009/09/09/india-looms-as-global-manufacturing-cradle-for-small-cars/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:30:17 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/09/09/india-looms-as-global-manufacturing-cradle-for-small-cars/

To many Americans, India is just another one of those countries with LOTS of people in the general vicinity of China where they sometimes get routed when they call customer support with questions about why the new HP they just bought won’t turn on.

And that’s a shame, really, because India has so much to offer. From excellent food to the funky movie scene, India has some pretty great stuff. And now we can add another bean to India’s basket — the country has been stealthily gaining a reputation with auto manufacturers as the place to build fuel-efficient, small cars for export to the rest of the world.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/09/09/india-looms-as-global-manufacturing-cradle-for-small-cars/feed/ #1: Clean Energy Patents Hit Record High in the US http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/27/clean-energy-patents-hit-record-high-in-the-us/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/27/clean-energy-patents-hit-record-high-in-the-us/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:14:00 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/27/clean-energy-patents-hit-record-high-in-the-us/
The economy is down, but here is another sign that green technology may be the way out of our economic dilemma. US clean energy patents hit a record high last quarter.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/27/clean-energy-patents-hit-record-high-in-the-us/feed/ New World Record in Solar Power Efficiency http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/21/new-world-record-in-solar-power-efficiency/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/21/new-world-record-in-solar-power-efficiency/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:21:34 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/21/new-world-record-in-solar-power-efficiency/

A Chinese company set a new world record in solar power efficiency this week. According to the company, Suntech Power Holdings, they achieved a 15.6% conversion efficiency on “a commercial grade multi-crystalline silicon PV module.” This breaks a 15-year-old world record set by US company Sandia National Labs.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/21/new-world-record-in-solar-power-efficiency/feed/ The Global Wind Sector Weathers Financial Upheaval http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/19/the-global-wind-sector-weathers-financial-upheaval/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/19/the-global-wind-sector-weathers-financial-upheaval/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:24:59 +0000 Yael Borofsky http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/19/the-global-wind-sector-weathers-financial-upheaval/

On the endless laundry list of markets that have struggled to muddle through the financial mess known as the global economic crisis, the wind sector seems to be showing signs of a rebound, albeit a small one. A recent article featured in the Financial Times highlighted the “period of calm” that wind producers and investors, alike, are more than relieved to see return in the market.

Prior to the global economic vortex that has sent the sensitive wind market spinning (as well as other renewables markets), wind had been showing strong growth in the first half of 2008. The market for turbine installation was worth $47.5 billion and global wind power capacity was 121 GW - more than twice the 48GW capacity in 2004.

Unfortunately, investors and analysts do not even need the figures from late 2008 and the first half of 2009 to know that the pleasant breeze of financial success had turned into a market maelstrom. In the aftermath, there is reason to hope that recent signs of improvement may lead to more growth.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/19/the-global-wind-sector-weathers-financial-upheaval/feed/ The Renewable Landscape: A Look at Clean Energy in Asia http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/18/the-renewable-landscape-a-look-at-clean-energy-in-asia/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/18/the-renewable-landscape-a-look-at-clean-energy-in-asia/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:12:21 +0000 Yael Borofsky http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/18/the-renewable-landscape-a-look-at-clean-energy-in-asia/ Asian countries may soon lead the world in clean energy technology. Take a look at how they are using it today.

Despite President Obama’s call for the United States to lead the clean energy technology industry, a weak climate bill (H.R. 2454) awaiting the Senate to return from recess promises limited funding for research and development of renewable clean energy technologies.

Asia, however, has recognized the advantages of embracing clean energy development and the race for clean energy dominance is heating up faster than the planet. Here’s a look at the development of clean energy technology in the some of the world’s developing Asian economies.

1. Kunming - China’s “Solar City”

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/18/the-renewable-landscape-a-look-at-clean-energy-in-asia/feed/ Singapore Jumpstarting Electric Vehicles http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/17/singapore-jumpstarting-electric-vehicles/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/17/singapore-jumpstarting-electric-vehicles/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:47:30 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/17/singapore-jumpstarting-electric-vehicles/

Singapore will be testbedding electric vehicles starting next year. A task-force of its leading organizations and agencies related to electric vehicles will conduct extensive work identifying the needs and possibilities of these vehicles.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/17/singapore-jumpstarting-electric-vehicles/feed/ New Catalyx Landfill Gas Project Makes Nanofibers from Thin Air http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/07/new-catalyx-landfill-gas-project-makes-nanofibers-from-thin-air/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/07/new-catalyx-landfill-gas-project-makes-nanofibers-from-thin-air/#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:32:00 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/07/new-catalyx-landfill-gas-project-makes-nanofibers-from-thin-air/ Catalyx Nanotech, Inc. has started a pilot project to convert landfill gas to elemental carbon and hydrogen.

The concept sounds like spinning fabric out of thin air, but the science is rock solid.  Catalyx Nanotech, Inc., a relatively new player in the nanomaterials market, has completed its pilot project to manufacture nanofibers from landfill gas, using a patented cracking process to break down methane into soot free elemental carbon and hydrogen.  Based on Catalyx’s success with a similar production facility in Canada, it appears that yet another way to recycle old landfills is right around the corner.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/07/new-catalyx-landfill-gas-project-makes-nanofibers-from-thin-air/feed/