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New tropical wood substitute could save rainforests worldwide Jeremy Hance mongabay.com December 18, 2009 Kebony, a Norwegian company, has developed a process to make softwoods similar to tropical hardwoods without the use of chemicals. The product, also called Kebony, stops softwood from rotting by treating it with a chemical-free process that involves sugarcane waste, pressurizing, and heating. The process makes softwood that is actually harder than tropical hardwoods and resistant to fungi and insects. Since the wood only needs to be treated once, it is cheaper than soft woods over the long run that need to be treated throughout their lifetime, each treatment releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. Displayed in an art installation showing off eco-solutions to climate change, Kebony was also the recipient of Norway's national environmental prize, the 'Glass Bear'. "This technology provides a global eco-solution to the major environmental challenge of rain forest deforestation,” said Christian Jebsen, CEO of Kebony, in a press release. The Kebony process was developed by Marc Schneider at the University of New Brunswick. An industrial scale plant for Kebony opened in Norway in January of this year. Related articles United States to speed up green technology patents (12/11/2009) Green technology patents will see a year shaved off the average forty month wait time to approve new patents in the US. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is implementing a one-year pilot program to push green technology patent applications through the process more quickly, so that the technologies can reach the market faster. Best Buy to sell electric bicycles (07/06/2009) Best Buy will soon start selling "green" vehicles, reporting the Wall Street Journal. High-flying kites could power New York (06/15/2009) A fleet of kites could harvest enough energy from high-altitude winds to power New York, report researchers from the Carnegie Institution and California State University.
Tags: technology technology and conservation deforestation environment jeremy hance green sustainability logging illegal logging happy-upbeat environmental Rainforest deforestation carbon emissions climate change cleantech pollution rainforest destruction rainforest logging saving rainforests sustainable forest management threats to rainforests threats to the rainforest tropical forests Environmental news index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home Advertisements:
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