Bio-fuels & Plastic Lumber

-- Quote of the Day --

“Of the bio-fuels (we currently know of), I siezed on algae as being a reliable feed stock, it has the properties that has the ability to meet our requirements. …it can use brackish water, salt water… The productivity of the algae is such that it promises to yield more than other alternatives. ...Incubation is the first hurdle – the second one is growing to harvest without culture crashes. …The third one is harvesting the algae out of the water. The fourth is extracting the oil once you’ve harvested it. Algae can help us with our emission issues… capturing CO2 from the air using a design with sodium carbonate dissolved in water... and using a solar heater during the day, the CO2 is forced out in and piped to the algae.” 

~ Ron Brown

 Check out the full interview that aired back on Dec 21/'10, where this quote came from, via this hyper-linked title: Oil from Algae   or via the archive section either on our site: Brummet.ca  or on the Conscious Discussions Talk Radio show page.

-- Positive Eco-News --

Source: Recycling Product News (http://rpn.baumpub.com)

The Bay Bridge, located in California USA, was struck by a large 250-meter long container ship that resulted in a large tear in the vessel's hull - but not a mark on the Bay Bridge itself. Apparently protective fenders that "girdle the piers" were recently replaced with an innovative, shock absorbent synthetic lumber (Trelleborg) called SeaTimber.  This "lumber" is created from a type of recycled plastic material known as HDPE. The fortunate thing about this accident is that had this recent amendment not been in place, the original rotting wood barrier would have provided no protection at all for the bridge.  So I guess you could say that the timing on this construction project couldn't have been better. 

Both SeaTimber and SeaPile products have some exciting properties to it in that it will not shrink or expand, and it will not absorb water - unlike wood. The product can be altered so that it can have different levels of flexibility, lengths and colors. It won't rot or be affected by salt water, nor are they attractive to pests. Because they don't have to be treated with toxic chemicals and preservatives (like wood is) these products are safer to use in a marine environment. The icing on the cake here is that these synthetic lumbers have a lifespan of up to 50 years... compared to up to 10 for wood.

With so many benefits, including the consumption of recycled plastics from collected containers, is that the applications can include: buoys, marine protection, fender systems, mooring hooks, berthing aides, hoses, bearings, and more.

 -- A Note of Appreciation To... --

* Kudos to Terasen Gas, A Canadian natural gas supplier, who is exploring alternative energy from bio-gas.

* Note of appreciation to Rachel Stolle for her support of our work: http://rachelstolle.blogspot.com & auntloubooks.weebly.com

Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio program, newsletter, blogs, and more at: www.brummet.ca 

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