TPT January 2020

G LOBA L MARKE T P L AC E

G LOBA L MARKE T P L AC E

solve that problem by using renewable resources – annual crops.” The construction industry also accounts for 40 per cent of global carbon emissions through the manufacture, transport and construction of building materials, as well as through operational emissions. As an example, Zero Waste Scotland, a non-governmental organisation devoted to the establishment of the circular economy, claims that at least 50 per cent of Scotland’s overall waste is produced by the construction sector. Mr Simpson explained: “We save carbon because we make a really high-quality energy-efficient system, but the biggest impact is that we knock about a quarter of the construction carbon footprint off the average UK house because we store more carbon in the products than the amount that was needed to make them.” IndiNature’s production is estimated to use around an eighth less energy than standard glass and rock wool insulation, and its use of hemp and flax – both plants that are valuable for atmospheric carbon sequestration (pulling carbon dioxide from the air and storing it) – makes the new material almost carbon neutral. Existing insulation is bound with petrochemical compounds. Although presently Scotland-based, with a potential factory site in easy reach of the farmers who will grow the raw materials, Mr Simpson is looking beyond his home shores with a global replication model that will build factories overseas. Single-use plastic to be replaced by the economy of scales? A graduate from University of Sussex (England) has cooked up a compostable alternative to single-use plastic and won this year’s UK James Dyson award. Mainly using the kitchen stove in her student accommodation, Lucy Hughes used fish waste (scales and skin), bound with natural agar, to create MarinaTex. The material is translucent and flexible, and will break down by composting within four to six weeks. It is low-energy to produce and, unlike some other biodegradable plastics, would not need a new and separate waste collection infrastructure for its disposal. The UK Sea Fish Industry Authority calculates that the country produces nearly 500,000 tonnes of waste annually through fish processing, while Ms Hughes says the waste from just one Atlantic cod is enough to produce 1,400 MarinaTex bags. MarinaTex has a higher tensile strength than LDPE (low- density polyethylene), currently the most commonly used

Research and development Philippines looks to utilise its natural power assets Low-temperature geothermal fluids, whether in untapped sites or from reinjection facilities, were among the topics under discussion at the first Philippine Geothermal Conference in Manila in early October. The Philippine geothermal power sector, and both private and government entities, are actively researching the utilisation of low-temperature geothermal fluids as the key to substantial growth in its generation capacity. Riz Abigail Reyes, science research specialist of the geothermal energy management division of the Philippine Department of Energy, reported on the group’s efforts to characterise the low-temperature geothermal prospects in the Philippines through geoscientific surveys. It is hoped that rigorous exploration of the sites will reduce the risk of development and attract private investors. Richard de Guzman from Energy Development Corporation, the largest producer of geothermal energy in the Philippines and the second largest in the world, presented the results of an ongoing project to utilise the reinjection brine from its BacMan (Bacon-Manito) Geothermal Production Field for power production. With a mass flow of 400kg per second and a temperature of 150°C, the reinjection fluid has the potential to add to the field’s power production capacity through binary technology. Silica scaling remains a major challenge, but Mr de Guzman’s group has conducted scaling treatment trials on the geothermal brine that are expected to be implemented in the near future. Scottish firm looks to develop the first plant-based construction insulation A Scottish company is gathering the funding it needs to establish its first manufacturing plant for hemp and flax-based insulation. Scott Simpson, MD of Edinburgh-based IndiNature, spent three years developing the new material and hoped to be in production by the end of 2019. He believes the impact of the insulation, which is bonded using his natural binder, could be “absolutely gigantic. The construction sector takes about half of global natural resources at the moment, and we

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JANUARY 2020