Green-News: Tuesday 12.8.08
- Experts worry that converting food crops into fuel crops will inflate world food prices. So now biologists recommend converting saltwater plants into worry-free biomass. This would also open up large expanses of land not previously suitable for agriculture; Wired Science reports.
- Here’s more on biofuels. Chemical engineers have discovered a high-quality biofuel can be made from coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are 15% oil and are normally thrown out. But researchers believe coffee grounds could produce 340 million gallons of fuel worldwide; EcoGeek explains.
- Meth-labs are illegal, dangerous and bad for the environment. Methamphetamines are made from a slue of drugs and harmful chemicals. The list includes cold tablets, ether, paint thinner, freon, acetone, anhydrous ammonia, iodine crystals, battery acid and other toxins; from TreeHugger.
- Polluting is an expensive business. In 2008, enforcement by the United States Environmental Protection Agency resulted in a record $11.8 billion in pollution controls. But it’ll pay off. Officials estimate these activities will reduce annual pollution by 3.9 billion pounds; via ENN.
- The term “clean coal” is all the rage. But an environmental group, backed by Al Gore, is launching a campaign against clean coal, claiming there is no such thing as clean coal and no coal-burning plant in the U.S. captures its global warming pollution; The Washington Post investigates.
- There could be an old-time solution to cutting carbon emission. An ancient technique of plowing charred plants into the ground could trap greenhouse gases for thousands of years. Stashing carbon in the soil keeps it out of the atmosphere and let’s plants suck it up; Reuters reports.
