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With the launch of its Graphene Flagship project last week, the European Union is embarking on one of its most ambitious science projects ever – and is trying to get out in front of a growing rush to harness graphene’s vast potential.

A single layer of carbon atoms, graphene has been called a new “wonder material” and may well be “the most amazing and versatile substance available to mankind.” Nanowerk News describes it as follows:

“Being the world’s strongest material, harder than diamond, yet lightweight and flexible, graphene enables electrons to flow much faster than silicon. It is also a transparent conductor, combining electrical and optical functionalities in an exceptional way. This unique combination of superior properties makes it a credible starting point for new disruptive technologies in a wide range of fields.”

Thus, the European Commission has designated the material an FET – a “Future & Emerging Technologies” Flagship and is dedicating a 10-year, 1,000 million Euro research and innovation initiative to graphene – to be kicked off on October 10 at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden with a gathering of researchers from 17 countries. The project’s mission:

“To take the supermaterial graphene and related ultra-thin layered materials from academic laboratories to society, revolutionize multiple industries and create economic growth and new jobs in Europe.”

While it will likely be a while until we see any viable game-changing applications of graphene, the fact that Europe, which has already taken important steps in the area of formulating a critical minerals strategy, is also taking a proactive strategic approach on graphene, should be a wakeup call to U.S. policy makers who are still dawdling with regards to our own minerals strategy.

For a look at recent developments on graphite, from which graphene is derived, read Dan McGroarty’s latest piece for Investor Intel entitled “Homeland Security, Wikileaks, Jack Bauer — and Mason Graphite.”

Disposal of Hazardous Materials Causing Concern in California

California produces tons of hazardous material and has hundreds of hazardous waste and Superfund sites

California is known for its good weather and laid back way of life, but there is another side to the Golden State that few people know about: a growing hazardous waste problem.  Silicon Valley near San Jose is where the computer industry grew up.  The technology produced there has created an electronic boom, but also a flood of electronic waste.  Where do all those old smart phones go when they get tossed aside for a new model?  How about the batteries and their byproducts in all our electronic gadgets?

And that’s just the tech industry. California has a slew of chemical and aerospace companies along with military installations that produce hazardous material, too.

What kind of hazardous material is impacting communities in California?

• Arsenic
• Asbestos
• Cyanide
• DDT and other Pesticides
• Oil and Gas (includes petroleum, oil, diesel, gasoline, and motor oil)
• Radioactive elements (includes uranium)

What effects can these pollutants have on our health?

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Blood disease
• Lowers IQ in children
• Lung diseases – COPD, Mesothelioma
• Headaches
• Birth defects
• Asthma
• Autism
• Kidney damage
• Anemia
• Brain damage
• Tremors
• Mental retardation
• Endocrine disruption
• Death

Environmental Justice

To pursue true environmental justice, the state of California must not only promise to keep its communities clean of hazardous wastes, but must also take full responsibility for the waste produced within its borders. To protect its residents, the California legislature, governors and agency officials have supported some of the toughest hazardous waste regulations in the country. The current practice of moving hazardous waste to states with less stringent rules and making it someone else’s problem violates this concept of environmental justice.

All people, no matter what state they live in, should be protected from the hazardous waste produced in California. It should be dealt with swiftly and effectively – in California.

Furthermore, California should make removing hazardous waste from polluted sites in communities, many of which are less advantaged, around the state a top priority. Leaving contamination in the ground because there is nowhere to take this hazardous waste should not be an option. California officials need to address this problem now.

California has adopted stringent rules for the disposal of hazardous waste material and there are three landfills in California that can correctly and safely dispose of this hazardous waste. However, as the Modesto Bee reported last year, the largest of these landfills is running out of space and, as a result, has had to slow down the amount of waste they take in.  Hazardous waste produced in California is now being trucked to Nevada, Arizona and Utah, which have less stringent rules than California.

The notion of fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens doesn’t only apply to protecting underserved communities. It should also apply to moving waste out of state, washing our hands of it and making it someone else’s problem.

KEY FACTS

1. There are 515 sites polluted with hazardous material in the state of California according to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control
2. There are 98 Superfund sites in the state of California (United States Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/query/queryhtm/nplfin.htm)
3. California has the second-highest number of Superfund sites of any state (after New Jersey) (United States Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/query/queryhtm/nplfin.htm)
4. There are only 3 landfills in the state of California that can handle hazardous materials (Emory University Environmental, Health and Safety Office: http://www.ehso.com/cssepa/tsdflandfills.php)
5. Waste is being trucked out of state due to a lack of capacity in California to deal with the quantity of hazardous waste. (Modesto Bee: http://www.modbee.com/2012/08/05/2314022/hazardous-waste-dump-is-environmental.html )
6. The waste is going to states with less stringent rules for disposal of hazardous waste. (Association of Light and Mercury Recyclers: http://www.almr.org/support_files/stringency3.html)

INFOGRAPHIC:

The Indian daily Economic Times recently ran an article that discussed Alaska’s mineral riches. In that piece, the writer declared that the state may well become the “Silicon Valley” for rare earths. While there’s not much new in the article from a U.S. standpoint – the rich Bokan Mountain rare earths deposits are well-known, and state geologists [...]