CleanTech.Org

Would love to hear members thoughts on their top prediction for cleantech in 2011

Who IPOs?
What happens with climate change policy after Cancun?
Where do oil prices go?
What's the next big thing in cleantech?
Etc.


My 5 cleantech wishes for 2011

It is noted that each ton of Biomass (based on vegetation systems + non-toxic animal organic matter) could generate about 100 Kg of Bio-petrochemicals. Please see illustrations below:

The estimated non-forest and non-oceanic Biomass (Renewable) resources in the world are about 500 billion T. These are annually renewable “green weight” that include about 77% moisture. Nearly 75% of these biomass are generated in the Tropics. Thus, the Tropics account for a total of not less than 375 billion Tons (“green weight”) of non-forest (non-oceanic) biomass generation. If we were to convert just 33% of all of these Tropical biomass into Bio-petrochemicals, the total Bio-petrochemicals produced in the Tropics alone would be a whopping 3 billion T. This is about 70% of the entire world productions/ consumptions, at present! Of the total 4.2 billion T petrochemicals used up in the world the United States alone consumes nearly 24% (= 1 billion T). A country like India would be able to produce not less than 250 million tons of bio-petrochemicals (when India now consumes about 45 million T of fossil based petrochemicals, which is about 18% of the Bio-petrochemicals potentials!)

What do we infer from the analyses above? Essentially, we arrive at the fact that Biomass based Bio-petrochemicals are the answer to the world's petrochemicals needs.

TABLE OF BIO-PETROCHEMICAL POTENTIALS OF NATIONS
@ 1/10th OF THE AVAILABLE RENEWABLE VEGETATION RESOURCES

Country	Climate Zone	Population	Area (sq km)	1/10th CVRR (T)	Bio-petrochemicals	Rank
China	Temperate	1, 341, 000, 000	9, 561, 000	2, 390, 250, 000	239, 025, 000 T	3
India	Tropical	1, 191, 050, 000	3, 287, 260	1, 972, 356, 000	197, 235, 600 T	5
US	Temperate	310, 851, 000	9, 372, 000	2, 343, 000, 000	234, 300, 000 T	4
Indonesia	Equatorial	237, 556, 360	1, 904, 000	1, 428, 000, 000	142, 800, 000 T	7
Brazil	Equatorial	190, 732, 700	8, 511, 000	6, 383, 250, 000	638, 325, 000 T	1
Pakistan	Semi-tropical	171, 229, 000	796, 000	238, 800, 000	23, 880, 000 T	14
Nigeria	Tropical	158, 259, 000	924, 000	554, 400, 000	55, 440, 000 T	9
Bangladesh	Tropical	149, 626, 000	148, 000	88, 800, 000	8, 880, 000 T	18
Russia	Semi-Torrid	141, 927, 297	17, 075, 000	2, 561, 250, 000	256, 125, 000 T	2
Japan	Temperate	127, 390, 000	378, 000	94, 500, 000	9450, 000 T	19
Mexico	Tropical	112, 322, 757	1, 972, 000	1, 183, 200, 000	118, 320, 000 T	8
Philippines	Tropical	94, 013, 200	299, 000	179, 400, 000	17, 940, 000 T	17
Vietnam	Tropical	85, 846, 997	329, 000	197, 400, 000	19, 740, 000 T	15
Germany	Temperate	81, 802, 000	357, 000	89, 250, 000	8, 925, 000 T	20
Ethiopia	Tropical (dry)	79, 455, 630	1, 221, 000	366, 300, 000	36, 630, 000 T	11
Egypt	Tropical (dry)	79, 415, 000	998, 000	299, 400, 000	29, 940, 000 T	13
Iran	Semi-tropical (dry)	74, 826, 000	1, 648, 000	412, 000, 000	41, 200, 000 T	10
Turkey	Semi-Tropical	72, 561, 312	779, 000	194, 750, 000	19, 475, 000 T	16
Congo/ Zaire	Equatorial	67, 827, 000	2, 345, 000	1, 758, 750, 000	175, 875, 000 T	6
Thailand	Tropical	67, 070, 000	513, 000	307, 800, 000	30, 780, 000 T	12

NOTE: Australia has a population of 22, 548, 000 (50^th on the above scale), and has a total land area (in Tropical region, with large desert tracts) of 7, 682, 000 sq km. The volumes of Cellulosic Vegetation Renewable Resources (CVRR) at 1/10^th level would be 1, 920, 500, 000 T. The corresponding Bio-petrochemicals potentials are 192, 050, 000 T. This would put Australia at 6^th Rank, after India (but above Congo). Canada has a total population of 34, 337, 000 (36^th on the above scale) and it has a land area of 9, 970, 000 sq km. It lies in Temperate/ Semi-Torrid region, and has a total Biomass (at 1/10^th level) of 1, 495, 500, 000 T. The corresponding Bio-petrochemicals potentials would be 149, 550, 000 T. This would put Canada above Indonesia.

What are the implications of the results seen in the Table here?

1. On the basis of Renewable Vegetation Resources, Brazil (an equatorial nation) has the largest energy potentials in the world, and Russia (though in the semi-torrid region) is second in view of the largest area covered (over 17 million sq km)

2. Of the twenty nations presented on the basis of largest population, thirteen are Tropical/ Semi-Tropical, and Three are Equatorial (forming eighty percent in these nations tabulated)

3. A presently considered under-developed nation such as Congo/ Zaire has the sixth largest energy potential in the world ahead of all Developed (Western) nations barring the US

4. Bangladesh, an extremely “poor” nation is ahead of all European nations, including Germany, UK and France

5. Ethiopia, which is considered to be disastrously poor and drought prone stands eleventh in the entire world, ahead of all developed European nations

6. The United States is fourth in ranking, followed by India

The question arises: If the above data were to be considered “facts” why is it that no developments are being carried on toward practically implementing those? The answer is complicated on various counts:

1. The entire world is working on the idea that the technologies and developments that catapulted the Western world are the most appropriate for all nations. In the process, we all tend to believe that all tropical nations, which have no resemblance in any aspect of Resources and climatic conditions with respect to the developed Western Temperate zone nations … should also adopt those technologies and methods

2. In spite of all Tropical nations having enough Renewable Resources, the aforementioned “copying” takes each such tropical nation away from following ones own development path, using ones own huge Renewable Resources (RR)

3. A totally unimaginative economics development paradigm is being uniformly followed by all tropical nations … that of wrongly considering that “Export” to the developed Western nations is important for their growth. And almost 100% of those exports are unconnected with their own available local RR. For example, Coffee, Tea, Rubber, Vanilla, Flowers, Sugar … and many more. All these are produced by resorting to intensive (chemicals driven) cultivation, relegating their own natural resources such as Coconuts, Jack Fruits, Local Bananas, Palm varieties, Local vegetables and all other such vegetation systems that grow without any intensive cultivation practices

The following statement of an erstwhile Economist, expressed about Fifty years ago, is a telling remark on these aspects:

“Advanced western technology … is by no means ideally suited to the typical under-developed country … Ideally, the under-developed countries would employ neither the western technology of a century ago (which is defective) nor the most modern western technology (which is adopted to a different economics context), but a THIRD technology which consists of an adaptation of modern methods to the special conditions of the under-developed world … but, such a technology does not exist …” Dr. Richard T. Gill: “ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – Past and Present” © 1963, Prentice Hall Inc. USA.

It is this THIRD Technology that we at AGRO-BIOGENICS (Clean-Tech) Private Limited (Please see: http://zerowastezerocarbon.wordpress.com/) are aiming to develop and commercialize so that the resultant developments could be spread across the entire Tropical nations, almost all of which are the most under developed nations in the world … Paradoxically, they have the greatest volumes of RR!