Speaking before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, DuPont BioFuels Global Director Jan Koninckx said the company fully supports maintaining the existing Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and advanced biofuels tax policies, and considers them vital tools needed to bring second-generation biofuels to market.
Globally, the biofuels market reached $45 billion in 2009, and is estimated to grow to more than $100 billion by 2020. According to DuPont, today's biofuels produced from conventional crops deliver an estimated 20% – 60% greenhouse gas emission reduction versus conventional fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Expectations are that cellulosic biofuels (i.e., those developed from agricultural wastes and non-food crops) will deliver at least an 80% reduction.
Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont is grooming two advanced biofuels that will reduce global reliance on petroleum and meet the increasing demand for renewable energy. The company has developed technologies that allow the conversion of non-food feedstocks to ethanol as well as biobutanol, a next-generation biofuel with excellent fuel performance characteristics. It is pursuing these efforts through two joint ventures: DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol and Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC. Commercial volumes of both advanced biofuels are expected by 2014.
DuPont aims to protect workers as well as the environment — it launched an online tool for identifying proper apparel. DuPont Protection Technologies' SafeSPEC 2.0 is an interactive online tool that is said to help safety professionals select chemical protective apparel from DuPont.
According to DuPont, users can search by fabric, design, certification, and EPA/OSHA designation and hazard. The tool also provides industry-specific search for construction; manufacturing; transportation and utilities; mining, oil and gas extraction; agriculture and public administration.
The product selector tool allows users to input specific hazard scenarios, yielding results that best match the environment in which the products will be used.
In other news, DuPont says it welcomes the reintroduction of Senator Lautenberg’s bill to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) as a positive step forward.
"DuPont strongly believes that the 35-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act needs thoughtful reform and modernization," says Linda Fisher, vice president and Chief Sustainability Officer. "That reform must enhance public confidence in the chemicals regulatory system, provide the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stronger authorities and enable the United States to continue its leadership in innovation."