BioCycle August 2010, Vol. 51, No. 8, p. 55

Compostable Mesh Lawn Bags
A new lightweight, compostable mesh lawn bag called “dsolv” offers an alternative to paper and compostable plastic. The tear-resistant bags are made with PLA bioresin, are BPI/ASTM D6400 certified and break down under ideal composting conditions in about six months. One advantage of dsolv lawn bags over plastic or paper, says the company, is that refuse haulers can easily view their contents. Also, each individual bag is clearly tagged as compostable. The bags are sold in a starter kit, which includes a spring-loaded sleeve that holds them open. When full, the sleeve is pulled out, leaving the contents – leaves, grass clippings or yard debris – in the bag, which is tied off in a knot. The kit includes a handle that slips around the knot to make carrying easy. See exactly how dsolv bags work at www.dsolvbag.com.

New Biogas Engine Oils
American Refining Group, Inc. (ARG), manufacturer of Brad Penn Lubricants, has added Biogas Engine Oils to its line of products. Brad Penn Biogas Engine Oils are intended for stationary gas engines. Enhanced alkalinity reserves allow for their use in applications where fuel gas is generated from anaerobic digestion of manure, compost and/or landfill residue. The Biogas Engine Oil SAE 40 is a high-ash-content (sulfated ash = 1.82% mass), high TBN (15) oil designed for use in stationary gas engines where influent biogas contains high levels of contaminants and corrosive agents such as hydrogen sulfide, organic halides and other harmful agents. The Medium Ash Biogas Engine Oil SAE 40 is used when the influent biogas has moderate levels of contaminants and corrosive agents.
“Essentially, an engine oil was needed with specific chemistry/characteristics – like ‘reserve alkalinity’ – to neutralize the acid produced and to protect engines from damage,” says Ken Tyger, Technical Service Representative for ARG. Learn more about Brad Penn Biogas Engine Oils at http://www.amref.com.

Recycling And Diversion Services
International Environmental Alliance (IEA), a full service waste management, recycling and diversion services provider for any size or type of business, was launched in June. The company’s executives have been involved in the waste paper recycling industry and MSW management for many years. “The main portion of our business is managing the waste and the recycling streams of commercial buildings,” says Kevin Kodzis, chief recycling officer. “We also are getting involved with the management and operations aspects of LEED certification.” IEA also plans to offer organic waste diversion services. For more information, visit www.iea-llc.com.

Biogas Company Expands Its System Offerings
The Viessmann Group continues to invest and expand its presence in the renewable energy field with the acquisition of Schmack Biogas, a leading supplier of biogas plants with 240 installations in Europe. Schmack Biogas is represented in the U.S. by BIOFerm Energy System, which also markets the BIOFerm dry fermentation system. In addition to AD systems, Viessmann Group offers other renewable energy technologies, including geothermal, solar hot water, photovoltaic and biomass combustion. Visit www.BiofermEnergy.com for additional details.

Invention Generates Hydrogen From Algae
OriginOil announced an invention that allows for the generation of hydrogen from living algae, thus providing an additional energy source from bioreactors. Unlike previously tried technologies, the new Hydrogen Harvester uses little or no external energy inputs, requires no sulfur deprivation or other stressing of the algae and does not require genetic modification of plants. The process employs viable, high-growth-rate, high-oil-content algae strains. The result is a photosynthetic technology platform that yields energy in the form of oil, biomass and hydrogen. Recovering hydrogen provides the necessary ingredients for electricity generation using fuel cells. The energy can be used to offset the electricity requirements of algae cultivation, harvesting and downstream processing. Visit http://www.originoil.com for more information.

Gaiarecycle Launches Interactive Website
Visitors to GaiaRecycle’s new website are taken on a visual tour of the company’s modular systems, plant-level implementations and anaerobic digestion solutions that employ patented technology to turn food scraps and other organic waste into soil amendments and energy resources, while reducing volume and weight by up to 90 percent. The product sections highlight systems ranging from 220 lbs/day to 2 tons/day for small-volume and mid-sized users, and up to 100-plus tons/day for large organic waste recycling plants. The company also introduced an anaerobic digestion solution for producing clean, renewable energy from organic waste to process organic solids. View GaiaRecycle’s new website at http://www.gaiarecycle.com.