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Loading ...ANVISA Proposes Ban on Endosulfan, Partial Ban on Acephate
Friday, September 4th, 2009Following up on its review of 12 pesticides banned or severely restricted in other nations, Brazil’s National Sanitary Vigilance Agency (ANVISA) is proposing a ban on the use in that country of the active ingredient endosulfan in pesticides used in growing cotton, cocoa, coffee, sugarcane and soybeans. The proposal, released for public comment today, also […]
BNDES Finances “Green Polyethylene” Production
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009From the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES): The BNDES approves financing of R$ 555 million for Braskem to produce sugarcane ethylene and polyethylene Ethanol Chemistry Project is the first to be supported by the Bank The BNDES approved R$ 555.6 million in financing for Braskem’s innovative project intended to produce sugarcane ethylene and polyethylene. The total […]
HP Opens First Printer Cartridge Recycling Facility in Latin America
Monday, February 9th, 2009HP has just raised the stakes in producer responsibility for printer cartridge manufacturers operating in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). HP and Lexmark already were ahead of other manufacturers in offering cartridge recovery programs in the region. HP has now gone one step further — it just opened Latin America’s first printer recycling center […]
Outlook for “Green Jobs” / Prognóstico para “empleos verdes”
Monday, December 15th, 2008While the idea of creating a “green economy” with “green jobs” has been around quite a while, it really started to gain serious consideration as the climate change debate heated up, and recently moved front-and-center during the US presidential elections and the debates about how best to respond to the global financial crisis (here, here, […]
Minas Releases Its Own Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Sunday, November 30th, 2008Earlier this year the Brazilian state of MInas Gerais (MG) released an inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2005. I found this inventory interesting and this you might too. MG has a more diverse economy than most Brazilian states, being a leader in agriculture, mining and industry, all with different impacts on GHG emissions. […]
Brazil Defends Sugarcane Ethanol / Brasil defende etanol de cana-de-açúcar
Friday, November 21st, 2008From Brazil’s Nation Development Bank (BNDES): BNDES publishes book with unprecedented mapping of the ethanol sector Brazil is one of the most advanced countries in technology and productivity in all stages of the sugarcane ethanol production chain. The Brazilian experience shows that sugarcane bioethanol has become one of the most important responses to the growing […]
Biodegradable Containers Made from Sugarcane Waste
Monday, August 4th, 2008Synopsis in English: Three biotech enterprises and a university from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais (MG) have developed a biodegradable material made from sugarcane waste (bagasse) which they believe will be shortly be available for the manufacture of packaging and containers. The three firms (Viveiro Flora Brasil, Lótus Soluções Ambientais, Floema Nutrição Vegetal) and […]
Largest Biofuel Loan Yet by a Multilateral Bank
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008Temas Note: This announcement is interesting to me for at least four reasons. First, as the title says, this is the largest biofuel loan package yet made by a multilateral development bank (MDB). [I doubt that record will stand, and probably will not even stand for very long.] Second, it underscores IDB’s commitment to, and […]
São Paulo’s New Bioenergy Research Program
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008Synopsis in English: The state Research Foundation of São Paulo (Fapesp) has just launched a special program Research on Bioenergy (Bioen) that aims at marshalling the state’s considerable public and private R&D resources to adavance and apply all knowledge linked to ethanol production. São Paulo leads Brazil in ethanol production, and Brazil rivals the US […]
BNDES Supports Cogeneration Using Sugarcane Waste
Monday, July 7th, 2008The announcement of National Development Bank (BNDES) backing for cogeneration utilizing sugarcane bagasse in São Paulo was followed not long thereafter by a São Paulo state decree eliminating the charge of sales tax (Impostos Sobre Circulação de Mercadorias e Prestação de Serviços – ICMS) on operations of sugarcane/alcohol plants and cogeneration utilizing their bagasse — […]