Thursday, February 5, 2009
Castor Beans in Brazil' - B5 Biodiesel Test Starts Using Soy and Castor Bean
An old, April 2007 article, but thought it could be of interest to some
Brazilian government-controlled oil company Petrobras began testing its B5 Biodiesel, a conventional diesel oil containing 5% of biodiesel.
The project, jointly developed by the government of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, Ford, the University of Salvador (Unifacs - Bahia), Siemens VDO, MWM International, TI Automotive, Mahle, and Michelin, forecasts that six Ford Ranger vehicles should drive for 100,000 kilometers over a nine-month period in the state of Bahia.
Two types of biodiesel extracted from oleaginous plants will be used, one from castor bean, and another from soy. Two vehicles will test the biodiesel produced from castor bean, two will use soy biodiesel, and two other vehicles will run on regular diesel.
More from here
Brazilian government-controlled oil company Petrobras began testing its B5 Biodiesel, a conventional diesel oil containing 5% of biodiesel.
The project, jointly developed by the government of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, Ford, the University of Salvador (Unifacs - Bahia), Siemens VDO, MWM International, TI Automotive, Mahle, and Michelin, forecasts that six Ford Ranger vehicles should drive for 100,000 kilometers over a nine-month period in the state of Bahia.
Two types of biodiesel extracted from oleaginous plants will be used, one from castor bean, and another from soy. Two vehicles will test the biodiesel produced from castor bean, two will use soy biodiesel, and two other vehicles will run on regular diesel.
More from here
Biogas from castor cake
This is one interesting possibility that can be tried out...there are some minor attempts, but for the most part the cake is used either for co-firing or as organic fertilizer
Keetsa sells ecofriendly mattresses made from castor oil
Keetsa, a San Francisco retailer that calls itself "the eco-friendly mattress store," sells mattresses made from a material it enthusiastically promotes as "BioFoam," 12 percent of the oil for which comes from castor beans. The other 88 percent, though, is still petroleum-based. Joe Alexander, the sales director of Keetsa, says the castor oil component represents a huge step forward and is a significant engineering feat. "It takes a lot of work and experimentation to be able to do that," he said.
Source
Source
Icynene introduces castor-based spray foam insulation – ICYNENE LD-R-50™
Icynene introduces renewable-based spray foam insulation – ICYNENE LD-R-50™
Mississauga, ON (January 21, 2009) – Icynene Inc., the leading manufacturer of opencell foam insulation products, has introduced ICYNENE LD-R-50™, a renewable-based foam insulation and air barrier material that reduces the need for petroleum-based polyols.
ICYNENE LD-R-50™, the next generation of Icynene’s high-performance products, is responsibly made using castor oil and exceeds United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferredSM and International Code Council (ICC) requirements for a rapidly renewable product.
Numerous environmental benefits
Extracted from the castor plant, castor oil is a natural ingredient that is safe enough for use in personal care products such as lip balm. Production of the castor plant has low energy dependence and requires no pesticides, fungicides or man-made irrigation. The castor oil used for ICYNENE LD-R-50™ has a make-up which is extremely consistent year over year, from location to location and has a higher yield by weight (~40%) than soya oil (~17%).
“With the introduction of ICYNENE LD-R-50™, Icynene has moved forward and added another layer of green consciousness to an already superior product,” says Alan Rankin, President & CEO of Icynene Inc. “Homeowners, builders and architects can feel even more confident that the insulation they’re using is helping reduce their environmental impact from production of the product through its contribution in the building envelope.”
Key benefits for homeowners, building professionals, architects
ICYNENE LD-R-50™ offers many advantages for building professionals, architects and homeowners:
It is an environmentally preferable product that is 100% water-blown, free from HFCs and PBDEs.
It insulates and air-seals in one step for maximum energy conservation while minimizing the environmental impact during manufacturing and construction.
By significantly reducing air leakage, ICYNENE LD-R-50™ contributes to a healthier, quieter and more comfortable indoor environment, while reducing energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 50%.
Icynene takes green action
As a company dedicated to producing product innovations that reduce our environmental footprint, Icynene is also reducing the environmental impact of its business operations.
The company has established a “Go Green” company-wide initiative to reduce environmental impact in the workplace and offers green improvements employees can make at home.
Icynene is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and educating employees on conservation issues, teaching them how to be greener, and directing them to additional environmental resources.
About the company
Established in 1986, Icynene Inc. is the leading manufacturer of open-cell foam insulation products that are designed to help create Healthier, Quieter, More Energy Efficient® environments. Icynene® is the insulation of choice for green building around the world, setting a standard for energy performance, comfort and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Icynene’s line of insulation/air barrier products is distributed (throughout North America, Australia, Asia and Europe) through a network of Icynene Licensed Dealers and Distributors who perform installation on-site for each custom application.
For more information or to locate Icynene Licensed Dealers across North America, visit www.Icynene.com
Mississauga, ON (January 21, 2009) – Icynene Inc., the leading manufacturer of opencell foam insulation products, has introduced ICYNENE LD-R-50™, a renewable-based foam insulation and air barrier material that reduces the need for petroleum-based polyols.
ICYNENE LD-R-50™, the next generation of Icynene’s high-performance products, is responsibly made using castor oil and exceeds United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferredSM and International Code Council (ICC) requirements for a rapidly renewable product.
Numerous environmental benefits
Extracted from the castor plant, castor oil is a natural ingredient that is safe enough for use in personal care products such as lip balm. Production of the castor plant has low energy dependence and requires no pesticides, fungicides or man-made irrigation. The castor oil used for ICYNENE LD-R-50™ has a make-up which is extremely consistent year over year, from location to location and has a higher yield by weight (~40%) than soya oil (~17%).
“With the introduction of ICYNENE LD-R-50™, Icynene has moved forward and added another layer of green consciousness to an already superior product,” says Alan Rankin, President & CEO of Icynene Inc. “Homeowners, builders and architects can feel even more confident that the insulation they’re using is helping reduce their environmental impact from production of the product through its contribution in the building envelope.”
Key benefits for homeowners, building professionals, architects
ICYNENE LD-R-50™ offers many advantages for building professionals, architects and homeowners:
It is an environmentally preferable product that is 100% water-blown, free from HFCs and PBDEs.
It insulates and air-seals in one step for maximum energy conservation while minimizing the environmental impact during manufacturing and construction.
By significantly reducing air leakage, ICYNENE LD-R-50™ contributes to a healthier, quieter and more comfortable indoor environment, while reducing energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 50%.
Icynene takes green action
As a company dedicated to producing product innovations that reduce our environmental footprint, Icynene is also reducing the environmental impact of its business operations.
The company has established a “Go Green” company-wide initiative to reduce environmental impact in the workplace and offers green improvements employees can make at home.
Icynene is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and educating employees on conservation issues, teaching them how to be greener, and directing them to additional environmental resources.
About the company
Established in 1986, Icynene Inc. is the leading manufacturer of open-cell foam insulation products that are designed to help create Healthier, Quieter, More Energy Efficient® environments. Icynene® is the insulation of choice for green building around the world, setting a standard for energy performance, comfort and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Icynene’s line of insulation/air barrier products is distributed (throughout North America, Australia, Asia and Europe) through a network of Icynene Licensed Dealers and Distributors who perform installation on-site for each custom application.
For more information or to locate Icynene Licensed Dealers across North America, visit www.Icynene.com
Castor Bean a good investment - Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls is using soya bean-based polyurethane foam for auto interiors
Soya bean-based polyurethane foam blends have been a big hit for auto interiors maker Johnson Controls.
Since their launch, the soyfoam seats have found a place on 11 vehicles platforms in North America. But there was a problem taking the eco-friendly seating globally — the fact that soya bean oil was not available in quite the same way worldwide.
So now JCI is giving some international agricultural flair to its plant-based urethane program.
In Asia, it will make urethane foam with about 5% content from palm oil, while European foams will use a combination of castor oil and canola oil. JCI is calling the foam ‘natural-oil polyols’ or ‘NOPs’, rather than the previous label of ‘soyfoam’.
More from here
Soya bean-based polyurethane foam blends have been a big hit for auto interiors maker Johnson Controls.
Since their launch, the soyfoam seats have found a place on 11 vehicles platforms in North America. But there was a problem taking the eco-friendly seating globally — the fact that soya bean oil was not available in quite the same way worldwide.
So now JCI is giving some international agricultural flair to its plant-based urethane program.
In Asia, it will make urethane foam with about 5% content from palm oil, while European foams will use a combination of castor oil and canola oil. JCI is calling the foam ‘natural-oil polyols’ or ‘NOPs’, rather than the previous label of ‘soyfoam’.
More from here
Castor Could be the New Biofuel Feedstock?
Looking for a novel feedstock? Castor could be the answer, according to Dick Auld from Texas Tech. The castor plant is drought tolerant, salt tolerant, grows on marginal land, probably amenable to genetic modification and is quite oily. The plant could yield 63 to 210 gallons of oil an acre-that's low compared to some crops but it would grown on marginal lands, thereby dropping the cost of production. Auld speculated that the Texas Panhandle, the dry 80,000 square miles toward the top of the state, could turn into Castor country.
"We believe we could be the most economical source of biological feedstocks," he said.
More from here
"We believe we could be the most economical source of biological feedstocks," he said.
More from here
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