Green Energy News | February 3, 1997

February 3, 1997 – Vol.1 No.44

ENERGIES... week of February 3, 1997

POLYPROPYLENE PLASTICS PLANT. Oil giant ARCO will build the West Coast’s first manufacturing facility for recyclable polypropylene next door to its Carson, California refinery. Built to meet the growing demand for recyclable plastic in the U.S., Mexico and Pacific Rim nations, the plant will also help reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions normally released from the refinery.

Instead of burning off waste products from the oil refining process, the residue will be turned into plastic which will eventually end up as light weight and energy saving recyclable products. Virgin polypropylene pellets from the plant will be sold directly to plastic product producers.

PELLET FUEL. Mix byproducts from plastic and paper manufacturing processes with coal, pelletize the concoction and you have a new product known as E-Fuel (tm). Duquesne Energy and CQ Inc., technical developer, will build new facilities to produce the alternative fuel.

According to the manufacturer, E-Fuel has lower SO2 and NOX than coal and can be substituted for it in industrial situations. What’s more, E-Fuel is made from waste that usually ends up in already stressed landfill dumps.

SLACK RECYCLING COVERAGE. According to the Steel Recycling Institute, mainstream media coverage of recycling news has diminished over the past five years. The SRI says the general public gets most of its information about recycling from the media. When coverage slacks, so do recycling efforts.

Contrary to popular belief, says SRI, recycling isn’t universal throughout the U.S. Many people are still confused about what can be recycled and what can’t, thus don’t participate fully in available programs. Further, they are unaware of how much recycling can benefit the economy and the environment

For the next year SRI, through their web site (www.recycle-steel.org), will be polling the general public with a series of questions about recycling. Results from the one-question-a-month “Dialogue with America” program will be passed on to the media with hopes for publication.

SO, ARCO recycles waste from oil refining into recyclable plastic. Duquesne and CQ turn the waste from that process into an alternative fuel, reducing what wouldn’t get recycled. And SRI wants more recycling coverage. There you have it.