Alternative Profits Blog
Green Shipping - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
Green shipping refers to ship transportation that is characterized by an emphasis on environment friendly operational practices and significant use of renewable resources.Market Need
A marine transport mechanism that is more eco-friendly and sustainable
Trends
• Climate Counts, which publishes a yearly ranking that measures how effectively shipping companies address global warming through their business practices said that annual climate scorecard for shipping companies shows widespread improvement DHL was the leader again in 2008 with a score of 67 points, followed by FedEx with 53 points, the U.S. Postal Service with 50 points and UPS at 40 points.
• In Europe, demand from shipping accounts for about 40 percent of the 90 million metric ton a year fuel oil market, and this segment is increasingly becoming more environment conscious. (2009).
posted by Ecacofonix at
6:02 AM
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Hybrid Motorcycles - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
A hybrid motorcycle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle, one of which is electric power. The generic term hybrid vehicles most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.Market Need
A personal transport vehicle that is less polluting, while at the same time travels long distances without the need for refilling or recharging.
Trends
• According to the company sources, Honda will begin releasing the hybrid motorcycles in the 2010, to be followed by electric motorcycles in 2011.
• A Nomura Research Institute (NRI) study estimates that the market for hybrid vehicles in Japan would rise to 2.2 million vehicles by 2012 and hybrid-related component market amounting to 760 billion yen.
• Remaining largely unaffected from the economic recession, sales of hybrid vehicles is forecast to grow at a CAGR of nearly 20% during 2009-2012, says RNCOS.
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6:02 AM
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Retrofitting - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
Retrofitting refers to the addition of new technology or features to older systems. The term is usually applied to various in the context of building construction such that existing buildings become more energy efficiency.Market Need
Making existing buildings, residential and industrial infrastructures more energy efficient and sustainable
Trends
• According Pike Research, with funding for renovations to federal building by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the total potential market for major green renovations in the commercial building sector is approximately $400 billion (2009)
• According to market research forecasts, comprehensive efficiency retrofits will more than triple in annual revenue to $6.6 billion by 2013 in the US.
• A study conducted by the Global Facility Management Association reports that ninety-two percent of survey respondents to the Green Practices Study say that they are working to make their facilities more sustainable. In addition, 67 percent say their customers are “forcing them” to make sustainable changes, while forty-six percent say the government is forcing the change (2009)
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6:01 AM
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Small Scale Gasifiers - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
A small digester is a small sealed container or tank, where the biological digestion can occur of animal manure or human excrements to form biogas.Market Need
Need for a distributed, small scale method of turning waste to fuels that can benefit local communities and villages.
Trends
• China is the leading country in investments in small biogas digesters. The Chinese government has invested over $7 billions to develop the small digester markets and technologies.
• In 2007, China had 24 million small digesters with annual production of 8.5 billion m3 biogas. For the foreseeable future, China will be the biggest market worldwide for biogas plants and small digesters.
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6:01 AM
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Biocatalysts - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
Biocatalysts refer to bio-based substances, such as enzymes, which controls the rate of chemical reactions.Market Need
Need for catalysts to be obtained from sustainable and renewable resources.
Trends
• Biocatalysis are expected to play an increasingly important role in the chemical world - the enzyme market alone is billion dollar global business.
• There are estimates that the share of biotechnology in global fine chemistry will increase from about 15% to roughly 60% in 2010.
• Applications of biocatalytic enzyme technology can potentially span beyond its existing domains and their applications especially in the cosmetic and food industries are expected to accelerate in future.
• The leading companies in developing and applying biocatalysis for the large-scale manufacture of fine chemicals are Evonik, DSM of the Netherlands, Nicholas Piramal India Ltd., Lonza, and Daicel Chemical Industries and Kaneka, both of Japan.
• Novozymes is a leading enzymes producer in the world, and its contribution to the biofuels industry has been growing in the last few years.
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6:00 AM
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Mycoremediation - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
The term Mycoremediation was coined by Paul Stamets, and refers specifically to the use of fungal mycelia in bioremediation. Mycoremediation is the process of employing fungi to clean an polluted environment, say for instance: soil, to a less contaminated state. This process is a form of bioremediation.Market Need
Need for cost effective and natural resources for pollution control.
Trends
• Bioremediation is a fast expanding sector that has generated interest in many countries, owing to its benefits to the environment and its increasing cost-effectiveness.
• Potential applications of bioremediation are vast and include agricultural waste reduction, decreasing pollution in watersheds, contaminated sediment cleanup, decontamination of military sites, and bioprocessing techniques in the mining and pulp and paper industries.
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6:00 AM
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Hydro-kinetic Energy - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
Hydrokinetic technologies produce renewable electricity by harnessing the kinetic energy of a body of water. Hydrokinetic technologies are usually of the run-of-the-river kind, unlike traditional hydro-electric technology that requires the water to be stored.Market Need
Need for a method of deriving energy from water that does not require construction of large dams.
Trends
• Estimates suggest that the amount of energy that could feasibly be captured from U.S. waves, tides and river currents is enough to power over 67 million homes.
• While (river) stream-based hydrokinetic energy research is not as evolved as its wave energy counterpart, initial estimates expect these water resources could fulfill electricity needs for an additional 23 million typical homes in US
• Based on current project proposals, experts predict that USA could be producing 13,000 MW of power from hydrokinetic energy by 2025
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6:00 AM
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Sustainable Furniture - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
Sustainable furniture is made of materials that have certain characteristics. These materials are recycled or re-purposed, or they are made from renewable, non-toxic and eco-friendly sources. While bamboo is one of the often discussed materials in the context of sustainable furniture, it is not the only sustainable furniture-making material out there.Market Need
There is a need for common household items that are made from renewable and eco-friendly materials.
Trends
• With the world becoming more eco-friendly and with the increase in awareness about sustainability and sustainable lifestyles, many people, especially from developed countries, are opting for lifestyles that incorporate higher levels of sustainability. This trend has resulted in significant growths in the need for sustainable furniture and other sustainable household products.
posted by Ecacofonix at
5:59 AM
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Urban Farming - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food in or around (peri-urban), a village, town or city. Urban farming is generally practiced for income-earning or food-producing activities though in some communities the main impetus is recreation and relaxation.Market Need
Utilizing available but unutilized land or real estate for earning more income, or saving on costs
Trends
• USA might today be a country that thrives on packaged food and fast-food. But during World War II, 20 million Americans planted “victory gardens,” producing 40 per cent of the country’s food supply. Proponents of urban farming say this can be achieved again and enable cities to become self sufficient
• In many cites around the world, homegrown food in specific and urban farming in general is becoming more fashionable
• Within urban farming, there has been a significant growth in the interest for vertical farming
• Havana, the capital of Cuba is a role model for urban farming, where 90% of fresh produce is grown in the city
• China and Japan are two prominent countries that are investing significant efforts into urban farming
posted by Ecacofonix at
5:59 AM
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Waste Water Treatment - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
A process that modifies wastewater characteristics such as its biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and pH thereby reducing and neutralizing the contaminants present in it.Market Need
To clean the environment of waste and pollution
Trends
• In terms of US dollars the global demand of water treatment equipments will touch the mark of $35 billion by 2009.
• The highest growth for waste water treatment business is expected in China, where the business is experiencing an average annual growth rate of 17%.
• Other developing nations like India, Brazil, South-East Asia and Middle East are also expected to have similar growth rates.
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5:59 AM
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Small Hydro - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
Micro hydro is a term used for hydroelectric power installations that typically produce up to 100 kW of power.Market Need
Need for equipment that enables households and small businesses to use hydro energy.
Trends
• The worldwide market potential is fairly small in terms of overall megawatts (MWs) but for those locations without power today, a new micro-hydro system can make a tremendous difference in people's lives.
• In countries such as Nepal that have significant hydro energy potential (about 83,000 MW), the governments are providing subsidies for micro hydropower projects.
• Micro hydro power is gaining ground in community development in many other developing countries.
posted by Ecacofonix at
5:58 AM
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Photobioreactors - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
A photobioreactor is most commonly defined as a closed and controlled system where all essential nutrients must be introduced into the system to allow algae and other micro-organisms to grow and be cultivated.Market Need
Need for an effective, controlled infrastructure to grow microbes such as algae that results in high growth productivity
Trends
• Significant design research is ongoing for producing photobioreactors that are many times more cost-effective than current designs. These researches include trying out new construction materials, alternative methods for water circulation inside the bioreactor, and more.
• Another emerging trend is the use of hybrid methodologies in which both open ponds and photobioreactors are used to grow the organisms, thus deriving benefits that each system has to offer (open ponds are much less costly, while photobioreactors offer superior control and high biomass productivity)
posted by Ecacofonix at
5:58 AM
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Biomass Gasification - Opportunities, Trends and Challenges
Biomass gasification refers to the incomplete combustion of biomass, resulting in production of combustible gases consisting of Carbon monoxide (CO), Hydrogen (H2) and traces of Methane (CH4). The resulting mixture is called producer gas (and a variant of producer gas is called syngas). Producer gas can be used to run internal combustion engines (both compression and spark ignition), can be used as substitute for furnace oil in direct heat applications and can be used to produce, in an economically viable way, methanol – an extremely attractive chemical which is useful both as fuel for heat engines as well as chemical feedstock for industries.Market Need
A process that can convert all types of cheap and zero cost biomass waste into fuel
Trends
• The worldwide gasification industry has grown by 10% per year during 2000-2006
• The 2007 World Gasification Database shows that current gasification capacity has grown to 56,238 megawatts thermal (MWth) of syngas output at 144 operating plants with a total of 427 gasifiers (operating plus spares).
• Gasification plants are now operating in 27 countries. The Asia/Australia region, with 34 percent of the total capacity, is now the leading region in the world for syngas production. Rapid growth in China is fueling this surge.
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5:58 AM
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