Author Archives: danny.clark

About danny.clark

Danny Clark is the President of ENSO Plastics, you can find contact information for ENSO Plastics by visiting our Contact page here on this site or by visiting www.ensoplastics.com.

Biodegradable Plastic – Compostable Not So Fast Says Stanford Daily

There was a recent press release issued by Media Juice titled “Biodegradable Plastic – Compostable Not So Fast Says Stanford Daily.” The press release reviews a study performed by students at Stanford University regarding compostable utensils and their performance in “real world” environments.

The study points out that what the company markets as a compostable PLA material and the “Compostable” certifications that organizations (such as BPI Biodegradable Products Institute) issue on the material is not necessary a reflection of what happens in real world environments.

This brings up a great point and discussion topic and one ENSO has pushed for the past five years and that is that we are mistaken in our approach to promoting, marketing or pushing materials that will go away in any real world environment in a specific timeframe. Even the much touted and pushed material of PLA is not a rapidly compostable as is promoted in marketing materials. Sure, we can create test environments which are highly controlled and manipulated that will maximize biodegradation and provide results that look and sound great, but the variety that nature brings in the real world can mean a huge difference in the amount of time needed for a product to biodegrade, from months to even years. This does not change the fact of whether a product is biodegradable, just simply that to dictate exactly when it will biodegrade is a bit misleading to the consumer.

So yes – labs can show specific time frames for biodegradation, but what happens when that same material ends up in real world environments? 9 times out of 10, it doesn’t perform as promised. So, what does this mean? How can a material tested and certified by industry organizations such as BPI not perform when introduced into real world natural environments? After all legislators are passing laws based on such certifications.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/biodegradable-plastic-compostable-not-so-fast-says-stanford-daily-225526.htm

http://forkprintproject.wordpress.com/

http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/Landis_polymers_LCA

http://new.ensoplastics.com/theblog/?p=1143

Methane Gasses: Least Expensive Form of Clean Energy?

Did you know that using the methane gasses generated from landfill sites are the least expensive form of clean energy we currently have available to us? It’s true, our waste when biodegraded anaerobically produce methane which is a flammable gas. Landfills are packed very tight and therefore do not allow oxygen to be used in the biodegradation process. This results in anaerobic microbes having an environment which allows them to thrive and break down the organic matter within the landfill cell. This also happens in Anaerobic Digesters where the by-product of the anaerobic biodegradation process produces the biogas Methane (CH4).

It is true that Methane gas is a potent greenhouse gas. It is also flammable and dangerous and as such it needs to be collected and converted into gases that are less impacting on the environment and/or to create clean energy. In the past many landfills would flare, or burn the methane to convert it to CO2 but over the years more and more landfills and businesses are recognizing that methane from landfills and anaerobic digestion can be used to create clean energy.

We are a long way from being a zero waste society and until we are we will have to deal with our waste. That waste if placed into anaerobic environments can generate methane which has a value that can offset our need for other fossil fuels.

Due to the stringent level of regulations the United States has the highest percentage of landfills with LFG (Landfill Gas) collection systems relative to any other country practicing landfilling. Nearly 60% of the worldwide capture of methane occurs in the U.S. even though the U.S. only generates 24% of the worldwide methane. From the perspective of the largest sources of methane emissions, landfills are the third largest. I provide these numbers to show that globally collecting and converting methane from landfills can provide the incentive to lower GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions. It should be noted that progress in lowering GHG emissions is best achieved by a concerted, integrated approach that employs all available technologies and methods, including reuse, recycling, composting, waste-to-energy, and landfilling with capture of LFG.

So here’s the question: What if all plastics were both recyclable and biodegradable, and would biodegrade in landfill environments?

If we do the math on the 31 billion plastic water bottles sent to a landfill instead of were recycled in 2006. It would result in enough energy to power a 100w light bulb for over 900,000 hours.

To calculate how much energy can be created from a plastic bottle enhanced with the ENSO additive take the weight of the bottle multiply it by % carbon, multiply by 1.33 (molecular weight of CH4 16 / molecular weight of carbon 12 – this converts the carbon to methane), then multiply by 22.4 (L/g – ideal gas law).

(bottle wt * bottle carbon %) * (methane mass 16 / carbon mass 12) * 22.4 L/g = vol. methane per bottle

(19.2 gram * 62.5%) * (1.33) * 22.4 = vol. of methane per bottle

(12) * (1.33) * 22.4 = 357.50 L * (1 m3/100 L) = .3575 m3

Once we know the volume of methane per bottle we need to convert that into how much energy can be created per volume of methane. The Thermal energy content of methane is approximately 26.73 – 32.7 kj/m3 therefore about (26.73 + 32.7) / 2 = 29.715 kJ/m3

.3575 m3 * 29.715 kJ/m3 = 10.623 kJ

1kJ/second = 1kW and considering a 100W light bulb:

10.623 kJ = 10.623 kW seconds * (1000 W/1 kW) * (1 hr/3600 s) = 2.95 W hr

To light a 100W light bulb for 1 hour would require 33.88 bottles:

100 W * (1/2.95 W hr) = 33.88

31 billion bottles = 31,000,000,000 bottles * (1 hr/33.88 bottles) = 914,759 hrs

Bacteria Strain that Biodegrades Polyethylene

Most people understand standard plastics to be resistant to the biodegradation process, but did you know that research from back in 2005 isolated a microbial strain called Brevibacillus borstelensis that is capable of utilizing polyethylene as the sole carbon and energy source?

So what does all that mean and how did they do this?

Soil taken from a polyolefin waste disposal site was used to isolate the bacteria strain that had adapted to its environment and energy source to be able to secrete the enzymes needed to utilize the carbon within the polyethylene chemical chain. From the research there were a few BIG discoveries with one being that Brevibacillus borstelensis was able to use the carbon found in polyethylene as the sole source of energy. This is important because we typically find that microbes will develop where there are easily accessible sources of energy. This is the reason traditional plastics take so long to biodegrade, the carbon is too difficult to utilize by microbes resulting in plastics lasting for hundreds of years in the environment. We now know of a microbe that is indifferent in using the carbon from polyethylene plastic or from other sources.

This research has opened the door to better understanding the adaptive nature of those microscopic creatures we share the planet with. Although we can’t see them, they outnumber the human inhabitants by a factor of many trillions of them to each one of us. They have also had millions of years more time on the earth than us humans have, and are instrumental in the cleaning process of creating a healthy viable planet. There is a lot we can and will continue to learn about the tiniest creatures we call microbes.

To read the full paper: Biodegradation of polyethylene by the thermophilic bacterium Brevibacillus borstelensis

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2005.02553.x/full

Screw Business As Usual

Richard Branson’s new book, “Screw Business As Usual” presents a very compelling story that it’s time to turn capitalism upside down and shift our primary business values away from profit only and to start caring for the people, communities and resources of the planet. I’ve always admired Richard Branson’s approach to business and life. I’ve enjoyed reading all of his books and this one was no different. It was refreshing to read a book about topics that everyone here at ENSO is so passionate about.

I see a shift happening in the business environment. At ENSO, we see and hear about it on a daily basis. Entrepreneurs and businesses are moving away from the traditional thoughts about how to do business. They are moving towards creating businesses, cultures and people that have a greater purpose than “what’s in it for them” and looking at the way they do business as “what’s the right thing, or how can others benefit?” I also believe that the most successful business in the 21^st century will be focused not just on profits, but on being good stewards and in making a positive difference in their communities and world.

Richard coins a concept found in the book, called Capitalism 24902. It’s an idea of expanding, and drastically changing, the concept of Capitalism from not just being about using up all of our resources in the race to maximize profits; but to move businesses and people in the direction of making the world a better place than the way we found it. This concept includes all of a business’ resources; both human and natural that fall within the 24,902 miles of our earths circumference.

Our company name – ENSO – was specifically chosen to embody our approach of looking at business and of our products reflecting the natural cycle of utilizing a resource for a beneficial and useful purpose and then to return it to a natural and useful state to be used again and again. We are dedicated to a goal of finding solutions with the least environmental impact. We don’t claim to have the “perfect” solution today, but we are proud that we have brought to market solutions taking us closer to a perfect solution.

Each one of us at ENSO has a commitment to a greater purpose. We recognize that everything is interconnected and it’s no good to say that the global problem are the responsibility of someone else to solve, all of us must take responsibility for making the world a better place. Our business philosophy is about adding value in all that we do and a belief that the money will come as a result. ENSO is not just here to maximize profits, we are here to help the planet and change the world and we believe it’s time we all say “Screw Business as Usual” and value the people and resources that make up our business, communities and world; after all, it’s the right thing to do…

I know many ENSO customers have started businesses focused on helping communities and changing the world. Share your story or idea for screwing business as usual for a chance to win a trip with Richard Branson to South Africa in 2012 and network with frontline leaders who are making a difference in the world. Click on this link to share your idea; http://virginunite.screwbusinessasusual.com/uploadvideo.php?s=0

The Maturing of Biodegradable Plastics

Striving for growth and improvement is a fundamental part of the human experience. We, as a whole, are never satisfied with status quo. This is true both personally and as a society. If one were to travel back in time to the beginning of any industry; we would discover a couple of things; industries began with the initial ideals of improving lives, they utilize best of current knowledge and understanding to bring those ideals to the masses and they improve over time. We can clearly see that as time marches on from the beginning days of each industry, the knowledge and understanding changes; resulting in improvements, wide acceptance and change.

History is riddled with examples of industries beginning as young ideas then growing and maturing over time to become well-established. In doing so, they’ve added essential improvements to the quality of life for mankind and often overcome significant opposition in the process.

It’s easy to take look at where we are today in industries such as aviation, space exploration, manufacturing, construction, education, legislation, science, and many others and forget the massive changes that have taken place since the beginning of each of these industries began.

Human flight was only dreamed of until the first powered flight by the Wright brothers in 1903 (which lasted only 12 seconds!). Through improved technology we now fly not only across the world daily but into space as well!

Copernicus suggested that the earth revolves around the sun in the early 1500’s. Books written supporting this theory were banned and supporters were persecuted and executed for heresy. In fact Galileo was ordered by law to not hold, teach or defend this concept. Today, we accept this theory as common knowledge.

People laughed at Henry Ford’s “horseless buggy”. Today it is not only an essential mode of transportation, but we are finding better ways to prevent pollution and conserve energy resources consumed by these “horseless buggies”.

Industries begin just as the examples above, with the best knowledge available and often a bit of controversy. However they are regularly improving as a result of lessons learned, developments of new processes and protocols, scientific breakthroughs, and having a better understanding of what questions to ask; as well as knowing what issues to focus on and allocate resources to.

The story of ENSO is no exception to this process. ENSO was created with the mission to change the world in the way we handle plastics – we want to solve the world’s plastic pollution issue. Following more than a year of research to understand the plastic pollution issues; we developed ENSO additives. This additive is designed to enhance the biodegradation of standard plastics and allows the plastic material to recycle along with standard polymers.

ENSO utilizes the best of science’s understanding, processes and protocols to test and validate our technology. As our industry matures we recognize that it is no different than the many industries that have come before us. This industry is young and has much maturing to work through. The culture of ENSO to improve the life of mankind with solving the plastic pollution issue does not make us shy away from the growing pains that happen with young industry and we are in the forefront, pushing the envelope by improving the science, process and protocols associated within this industry. This does not come without hurdles, but as we see from the examples throughout history of matured industries, the key to success is continually improving the science, knowledge and education of our products. ENSO is dedicated to this continued maturation and the value that this provides to the industry and our environment.

Compostable in Theory, But Not in Practice

A Response to Dinesh Thirupuvanam’s Article on Biodegradability Claims

By Robert Eisenbach, VP Marketing, Green Genius

Last week, Triple Pundit published a post entitled “California’s ‘Truthful Environmental Advertising in Plastics’ Bill Awaiting Action.” In it, author Dinesh Thirupuvanam addresses an issue we at Green Genius believe is a serious problem: confusion and misinformation about the terms “biodegradable” and “compostable.”

Rightly, Thirupuvanam points out that consumers often make assumptions about what those terms mean, and when a company capitalizes on that confusion, allowing consumers to think a product does one green thing when in fact it does another, less-green thing, that’s greenwashing.

Which is why we were surprised and disappointed when the author endorsed California Senate Bill 1454, which we opposed, and referred matter-of-factly to Green Genius as a greenwasher.

First, to the question of greenwashing. As a company, we pride ourselves on our transparency so we take accusations of greenwashing extremely seriously. In fact, one need only spend a few minutes on our websiteto know exactly what our products do, how they biodegrade, what testing methods we use, and who our third-party certifier is. We also make it very clear in our FAQs that our products are not compostable and should be disposed of in a landfill (like all other trash bags).

Not compostable? Nope. Unlike so many “compostable” plastic products, ours do not make an end-of-life claim that we cannot support. We know that trash bags almost always end up in landfills so we’ve designed them to biodegrade under those conditions.

Meanwhile, corn plastic manufacturers are all too eager to tout their products’ compostability, despite the fact that these products are truly only hot compostable and most consumers do not have access to facilities where such composting is possible. Even when they do, those facilities almost never process corn plastic products in accordance with ASTM D6400, the standard referenced by companies to claim their products are “compostable.”

But back to CA Senate Bill 1454. As Thirupuvanam pointed out, we opposed this bill—that part is true. What’s not accurate is the other argument he makes—that SB 1454 “will eliminate (for Californians at least) today’s confusing distinction that biodegradable and compostable do not mean the same thing.” It will not.

What SB 1454 will actually do is make it illegal for products to claim any form of natural degradability unless they’re compostable per ASTM D6400, even if they do, in fact, biodegrade. Which is great if you’re a maker of corn-based plastic, but horrible for everyone else. It not only eliminates competition for corn-based plastic, but also eliminates products that would reduce the amount of plastic choking up our landfills.

Here’s what else is wrong with the bill:

Compostability is not a logical standard to use since hot compost facilities that will actually accept “compostable” plastic remain rare in the state of California (see FindAComposter.com).
Even Jepson Prairie, the operator that handles all of San Francisco’s curbside compost, only takes 60 – 90 days to fully process food waste. The compostable plastic standard that the corn plastic companies are using (D6400) allows 180 days. What does Jepson Prairie do to compostable plastic items that don’t biodegrade sufficiently in 90 days or less? They send it to a landfill!

In his post, Thirupuvanam claims that SB 1454 “has the support of the key players in the industry” and he’s right, if he means the corn industry. Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill (by way of its subsidiary NatureWorks) lobbied heavily for this bill. The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) did too, and why wouldn’t they? BPI was created by the person who developed corn-based plastic for Cargill (he also led the creation of ASTM D6400), and the organization is principally composed of corn-based compostable product manufacturers. (As an aside, if BPI is so concerned about the confusion between biodegradability and compostability, why don’t they change their name?)

Thus, far from actually clarifying the distinction between “biodegradability” and “compostability,” CA SB 1454 would simply let manufacturers of compostable corn plastic run the table, while stifling the development of technologies that can reduce the accumulation of plastic where regrettably most plastic actually goes: a landfill.

And so here’s a final thought on greenwashing. If the average Californian doesn’t have access to hot compost facilities that accept “compostable” plastic, are those products actually compostable? And if those products aren’t compostable in practice, but consumers are buying them because they claim to be, who then is greenwashing?

Register for ENSO’s Free Webinar

ENSO Bottles: Redefining Biodegradable Plastics

The past few years have been a proving ground for advancements in biodegradable and renewable plastics.

Do you find yourself in a sea of conflicting and confusing information regarding the different technologies?

Are you looking for definitive answers about the different choices and solutions for green packaging?

What are consumers looking for, and why they will buy products with green packaging?

ENSO Bottles; an environmental leader in biodegradable technologies presents an interactive webinar discussing the environmental impact, science and commercial viability of the new generation in biodegradable plastics.

This Webinar will most importantly answer the question as to why environmentally sound packaging solutions are critical for the future of your company and its products.

Wed, Oct 6, 2010 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM PDT

Wed, Nov 3, 2010 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM PDT

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM PST

Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration

with information you need to join the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Fashion Nite Out event with Laura Lobdell Jewlery and Water Talk

SURF AVE MEETS SEVENTH AVE

FASHION NIGHT OUT EVENT WITH Laura Lobdell Jewlery

New York—Jewelry designer Laura Lobdell celebrates Fashion Night Out and brings a Coney Island twist to West Village with the al fresco event “Surf Ave Meets Seventh Ave”, Friday, September 10^th from 7:00pm to 11:00 pm at Laura Lobdell Jewelry,

183 1/8 West 10^th Street.

Enjoy Coney Island Jazz Age favorites including poet Anayvelyse typing on her vintage typewriter on the 10th Street “boardwalk”. Guests are encouraged to bring a piece of their favorite jewelry, and the story behind it, to inspire a personalized, spontaneous poem by Anayvelyse – typed on an original work on paper by Laura Lobdell as a gift. On the Boardwalk, watch for mermaids lounging to live music. The party continues at bobo where executive chef, Patrick Connolly, has created a special menu of Coney Island delicacies including bobo’s take on Nathan’s hot dog and Sno-Cone cocktails.

Since Laura Lobdell’s storefront is not on the ocean boardwalk, specialty bottled water provided by Water Talk will remind guests of the ocean, inviting them to “imbibe the good vibrations of Respect and Love,” and perhaps encouraging some mermaids to visit. Water Talk is bottled in 100% biodegradable ENSO bottles with the intention to encourage people to drink water consciously as inspired by the work of Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto. www.watertalk.us.

Why Recycling is NOT Enough to Solve Plastic Bottle Pollution

The environmental impact that we humans have is very complex. Much of what we do in our daily lives have unintended consequences. There are some that believe plastics need to eliminated from being used. There may be some valid points to their argument however, the alternatives are usually not as environmentally friendly as what we have today. In most cases plastics provide a more environmental and healthy packaging solution than their predecessor. Yes, it is true our abuse of plastics has lead to pollution issues in the oceans, landfills and other areas that we may never be able to fully clean up. Although there are a number of environmental groups, organizations, companies and many individuals who are diligently trying to solve the plastic pollution issue.

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ENSO Bottles Customer, Texas Rain Already Pouring in Profit

David Schraub was planning to transition from the semiconductor industry to solar energy when he got what many could call a true brainstorm.

It was 2007 when he noticed a distant storm while driving to Corpus Christi and realized that he could make a business out of capturing rainwater. Last month, his idea evolved into his Smithville-based business, Texas Natural Rainwater Harvesting & Bottling LLC, reaching profitability by selling bottled rainwater. More specifically, 60,000 bottles of the product provided by Mother Nature have been sold at dozens of local businesses and organizations since April.

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