The RoHS 2014 Consultation No. 2, including a substance assessment of diisobutylphthalat (DIBP) and review of quantitative information for substances on a shortlist, is now closed, and contributions are posted on the consultation website. The 2013 consultation No. 2, concerning Exemption Request 2013-6, is due to close on April 11.
A new FAQ document prepared with help from legal counsel demonstrates that R2:2013 is fully consistent with the Basel Convention and international law on the hazardous waste trade, R2 Solutions says. Executive director John Lingelbach said he hopes the document "puts to rest" questions about the standard - which the Electronics TakeBack Coalition has said is not stringent enough.
The Green Building Initiative is seeking applicants to serve as members of its consensus body, which is being formed to formally update its new construction assessment protocol – ANSI/GBI 01-2010: Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings. The standard must be updated every five years, according to ANSI procedures. GBI is seeking experts in any aspect of green building, for the main consensus body and on technical subcommittees addressing project management, site development, energy, water, emissions and effluents, indoor environment, building materials and waste management.
Doe Run's Sweetwater Mine and Mill in Bunker, Mo., has attained the ISO 14001 environmental management standard, the first such certification for the company's mines and mills, the Daily Journal reports. Sweetwater produces lead, zinc and copper concentrates. As part of the certification process, the mine and mill established targets including a 5 percent reduction in hazardous waste and 5 percent increase in material recycling by the end of 2014. Doe Run’s Fletcher Mine and Mill will begin the ISO 14001 certification process this fall.
The ISO committee for the development of marine fuel specification guidelines is evaluating the inclusion of fatty acid methyl ester (biodiesel) blends as a new series of distillate fuel grades, and is aiming to publish the next edition of ISO 8217 by 2016, Platts reports. The committee will also review the "current de minimis level" of biodiesel in all grades for both distillates and residuals.
FSC-certified forests provide more benefits to communities than do non-certified forests, according to a study of Congo Basin logging concessions in Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of Congo, by the Center for International Forestry Research. WWF supported the study.
SCS Global Services has certified the recycled content in Krion Nature Lux Series, a solid surface material manufactured by SystemPool, for use in kitchens, bathrooms, restaurants and other applications. The SCS certification focused on the acrylic portion, which constitutes less than half of the product by weight. Each Krion product was certified as minimum 6% or minimum 12% pre-consumer acrylic, in terms of total product weight.
SCS Global Services has certified the high level recycled content claim of Lutradur products manufactured by the Freudenberg Spunweb Company. Three specific styles of polyester spunlaid products made from recycled PET were certified. The products' industrial applications include construction substrates, landscaping materials, residential and commercial wallpaper, carpet backings, automotive floor mats and carpeting, and specialized filtration devices.
ASTM has published ASTM D7909 - 14, Standard Guide for Placement of Blind Actual Leaks during Electrical Leak Location Surveys of Geomembranes. The standard pertains to low-permeability barriers used to control liquid leakage from landfills, ponds, and other containments.
ASTM has published ASTM E487 - 14, Standard Test Method for Constant-Temperature Stability of Chemical Materials. The method describes the assessment of constant-temperature stability of chemical materials that undergo exothermic reactions, and the techniques and apparatus described may be used on solids, liquids, or slurries of chemical substances.
The IEC has pre-released IEC 62325, Framework for Energy Market Communications – Part 451-3: Transmission capacity allocation business process (explicit or implicit auction) and contextual models for European market. The standard is available for sale during the voting period, which runs until June 6.
