Environmentally friendly technology graining ground<\/p>\n
By Harlow G. Russell<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): When most people think or read about
\nenvironmentally friendly technology, they usually have a
\n"picture" in their head of large, expensive, "high tech" waste
\nwater treatment plants. Sometimes costing billions of rupiah, the
\nkind of technology is used to fix the problem once it has been
\ncreated, treating water after it has been polluted.<\/p>\n
This "picture" creates the common misperception that only big
\nconglomerates or factories can really do something about
\npollution, and that "high tech" solutions are not something the
\nordinary consumer can afford or use in a practical way.<\/p>\n
Another misconception about environmentally friendly
\ntechnology is that any product which is better for the
\nenvironment and safer for people will be more expensive to buy or
\nuse than the dangerous product it replaces. Not true. For
\nexample, many new "green" cleaners cost the same as ordinary
\ncleaners and in many cases are more economical to use.<\/p>\n
This misperception is slowly changing. There are now
\napplications of environmentally friendly technology in Indonesia
\nwhich prevent pollution at the source and which are affordable to
\nuse by every Indonesian every day.<\/p>\n
Recycled paper and plastic bottles are beginning to appear for
\nthe Indonesian consumer market. Indonesians can now find
\nenvironmentally friendly alternatives to environmentally
\nhazardous products used for the home or office. Low mercury
\nbatteries for cameras and cloth bags instead of plastic are among
\nthe examples.<\/p>\n
Cleaning products<\/p>\n
Consider cleaning products. Every day every house, every
\nbusiness, and every factory in Indonesia use chemical liquid or
\npowder products to clean dirt and grease. Cleaning is a universal
\ndaily event! That bottle of cleaner, though, under the kitchen
\nsink at home or used in the office, can contain toxic elements
\nwhich are dangerous to people and pollute the environment as
\nwell.<\/p>\n
Information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
\n(EPA) indicates that most cleaning agents today are toxic,
\nflammable, and non-biodegradable. Due to extensive environmental
\nawareness and regulation, an estimated 80 percent of these
\nchemicals will be severely restricted or banned in the U.S. and
\nEurope during the next two to five years.<\/p>\n
This problem is magnified when you consider the fact that
\nalmost all factories in Indonesia use oil products (kerosene,
\ndiesel fuel, and gasoline) for everyday "routine" cleaning and
\ndegreasing. Why? Because for many years, common knowledge has
\ndictated that oil products are the cheapest and simplest products
\nto clean with. Common habit ignores the occupational health
\nhazards and environmental damage of using oil products. It's easy
\nto see this "bad old habit" right near your home!<\/p>\n
Visit any bengkel (vehicle repair shop) and you'll see the use
\nof kerosene and diesel fuel like it was "water" to clean parts
\nand degrease engines. Not only is this a health hazard to the
\nworker from noxious, poisonous fumes, flammability, and skin\/lung
\nproblems but also directly increases the pollution of Indonesia's
\nrivers. This liquid goes into the drains and, unfortunately,
\ndirectly into the rivers in most cases.<\/p>\n
How many bengkels are there in Jakarta?<\/p>\n
Considering a bengkel is one of the easiest businesses to open
\nin Indonesia, there must be between 10,000 and 20,000 in the
\ncapital. How many bengkels are there in Indonesia? 500,000? One
\nmillion? Each using a liter or two or three of diesel fuel a day.
\nJust try to calculate how many millions of liters of fuel
\nproducts that are used every day in Indonesia to "clean."
\nMillions of liters, maybe more. All goes down the drain and into
\nthe rivers.<\/p>\n
The flow of millions of liters of diesel fuel, kerosene, and
\ngasoline amounts to literally a domestic oil spill happening
\nevery day in Indonesia, yet up to this time, the widespread use
\nof oil products as cleaners has not been publicized. This is a
\ntragic waste of Indonesia's precious fuel resources at a time
\nwhen there is a growing concern Indonesia will soon become an oil
\nimporter. It is also an unnecessary source of skin, respiratory,
\nand pollution problems.<\/p>\n
Surfactants<\/p>\n
Environmentally friendly technology has been developed however
\nto replace these pollutants. What's more, the application of this
\ntechnology has resulted in cheap, effective products that are
\nsafer and healthier for everyone.<\/p>\n
Clean technology for this example is based on surfactants. A
\nsurfactant is a family of chemicals that reduce the tension or
\n"holding power" between molecules. In terms of cleaners,
\nsurfactants are very effective at loosening and dissolving the
\nbonds between dirt, grease and oil from the surface that it's
\nattached to. Surfactants can be made from natural vegetable oil
\nfatty acids like those found in palm oil. They do not contain any
\nknown toxic materials and biodegrade very quickly (in a matter of
\ndays).<\/p>\n
"Biodegradable" means something can be broken down into
\nnatural, harmless elements. Actually, everything on the Earth is
\nbiodegradable. Even plastic bags or plutonium will biodegrade
\ngiven enough time (in the case of plutonium, with a half life of
\n24,000 years, you have to wait a very long time until it
\nbiodegrades!).<\/p>\n
There are many ways to measure biodegradability including
\nchemical breakdown and effects on fish and marine life. The key
\nfactor in comparing biodegradable products is to know which one
\nbiodegrades in a very quick amount of time. "Quick" is relative,
\nbut generally speaking, products which biodegrade in a matter of
\ndays are considered to be the best products.<\/p>\n
Surfactant technologies, in general, have been available for
\nseveral years. But not until the recent consumer concern over the
\nenvironment and government mandates in the last five years have
\nnew applications for surfactants, such as industrial and
\nhousehold cleaning, been made.<\/p>\n
In the U.S. and Europe, the production of natural, water-based
\nsurfactants has exploded due to industry being forced to find
\nnon-toxic alternatives for general purpose cleaning. Rapid growth
\nin demand by consumers for environmentally friendly "green"
\ncleaners for the house has also changed the supermarket shelves
\nin the U.S. and Europe. Many supermarkets now display a large
\nvariety of green cleaners. In some countries, such as Germany,
\nthere are now more "green" cleaners sold than "standard" toxic
\nones. This trend is also spreading to Asia.<\/p>\n
Alternative<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, there are already companies pioneering the
\nmanufacture of non-toxic surfactant based cleaners for industry,
\nbusiness, and consumers. These products can replace many cancer-
\ncausing, poisonous, flammable, and hazardous products commonly
\nused here. Surfactants technology contains no chemicals listed on
\nthe EPA Sara 313 list. this means the products contain no
\nphosphates, ketones, chlorinated solvents, or other poisonous
\nelements.<\/p>\n
Biodegradable surfactant technology can be used in almost
\nevery industry: oil, mining, food processing, automotive,
\nmanufacturing, hotel and restaurant. Many companies in Indonesia
\nhave begun using these surfactants as an alternative to oil
\nproducts in response to enforcement of pollution law by Bapedal,
\nthe enforcement arm of the Ministry of the Environment.<\/p>\n
Use of environmentally friendly cleaning products is one step
\ntowards clean production and waste minimization, the two key
\npoints of Minister of the Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja's
\ndirective to industry.<\/p>\n
More importantly, Indonesia consumers will soon have a choice
\nwhen they go shopping for products in the supermarket. "Green"
\nproducts, particularly in the cleaning section, will begin
\nappearing here soon for home use.<\/p>\n
Considering the increased awareness by the Indonesian public
\nabout the environment, the time is right for the introduction of
\nenvironmentally friendly products to Indonesia. People must come
\nto understand the issue is not just for big companies, but for
\neach of us, each of our families, each one of our homes. All of
\nus can help make a difference in Indonesia's future by choosing
\nproducts today that reduce pollution.<\/p>\n
Harlow G. Russell is the technical consultant of PT Adiprotek
\nEnvirodunia<\/p>",
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