Green Plastics, Water & Carbon

This week again, I’m able to share two more exclusive tidbits from the stellar team at Lux Research on two additional breakthrough areas of technology: water’s role in the carbon debate and growth to watch in so-called green plastics.

1. ENERGY’S THIRST FOR WATER CHALLENGES CARBON DEBATE

Water usage will influence the business of future energy production as much as carbon output, according to Lux Research.

The immediate need to reduce carbon emissions has dominated public debate around clean energy production. But the singular focus on carbon has distracted from energy’s growing impact on the planet’s dwindling water sources, according to the latest report from Lux Research.

The report, titled “Global Energy: Unshackling Carbon from Water,” observes that while new energy sources and extraction methods may reduce carbon intensity – kilograms of CO2 emitted per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of useful energy – they often impose increased water usage.
“On a planet where only 0.008% of the water is renewable, such trade-offs will become an increasingly important consideration for executives and policymakers,” said Michael LoCascio, a Senior Analyst at Lux Research, and the report’s lead author. “Fortunately, many of the technologies and approaches needed to reduce water intensity are here today, or on the horizon.”

Lux Research’s report provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of how all the major conventional and alternative fuel and electricity sources balance their CO2 and water intensity, as well as other important factors like cost and scalability. It also rigorously analyzes how alternative energy sources, improved extraction and efficiency, water recycling technologies, and improved energy distribution could help increase the environmental and economic viability for given energy technologies.

2. GREENER PLASTICS TO GROW AT DOUBLE-DIGITS

Biopolymers are breaking the mold of environmentally unfriendly plastic materials and fueling future growth, says Lux Research.

Petroleum-based plastics have helped create thousands of products from personal care to automotive to packaging. In the process, however, they’ve depended on petroleum, shown risks of toxicity, and become a burden on the environment.

Now, according to a new report from Lux Research, a new generation of biologically derived materials and processes promises to break that mold by delivering many of the traditional benefits of plastic materials while closing the ecological loop. “Where conventional plastics come from nonrenewable feedstocks and end as pollution, we’re now seeing polymers that derive from a sustainable source and end as a biodegradable material,” said Mark Bünger, Research Director at Lux Research and the report’s lead author. “Biopolymers are turning the lifecycle for conventional plastic products into a true lifecycle: from dirt to dirt.”

“Growing Tomorrow's Green Materials” is part of the Lux Biosciences Intelligence service. Clients subscribing to this service receive ongoing research on market and technology trends, continuous technology scouting reports and proprietary data points in the weekly Lux Research Biosciences Journal, and on-demand inquiry with Lux Research analysts.