Filtrexx International's Carbon Footprint and Climate Change Mitigation Efforts

Global climate change has been linked to increased emissions of carbon based gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that result from combustion of carbon based fossil fuels, felling of forest ecosystems, and emissions from landfills, feedlots, and rice paddies. Global climate change has the potential to have catastrophic affects on local climate patterns and natural resources and is predicted to significantly increase sea levels, storm intensities, flooding, and drought conditions, as well as to significantly alter wildlife habitat, agricultural planting zones, major ocean currents, biodiversity, and even whole ecosystems.

While the affects of climate change may be difficult to reverse, there are ways to potentially slow and mitigate climate change through reduction in carbon gas emissions and carbon sequestration. Additionally, innovative products and management practices can be employed to reduce the harmful effects to the global environment created by climate change.

Filtrexx International is committed to reducing its overall carbon footprint toward a corporate goal of total carbon neutrality, as well as continually creating innovative new products and management practices to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on the environment across the globe. Filtrexx International is employing these technologies and applying its corporate goal in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union.

Reduction of Carbon Emissions
Landfills are the leading source of methane in the United States. Methane is 20 to 25 times more concentrated than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Methane from landfills is principally generated from the organic fraction of waste materials that are deposited into our nation’s landfills. While capture of methane emissions for energy conversion and combustion are classified as practices that reduce methane emissions and qualify for carbon credit trading scenarios, Filtrexx International partners with private and municipal landfills and composting operations to prevent organic waste from reaching landfills. Once diverted, the organic waste is naturally bio-converted to compost, a process that does not generate methane as a byproduct, thereby preventing (rather than treating) the generation of methane from the leading source in the United States.

Filtrexx International is the leading user of composted organic waste materials in the United States, using over 2,000,000 cubic yards per year (1,000,000 tons per year) of compost worldwide, equating to approximately 4,000,000 cubic yards per year (4,000,000 tons per year) of organic waste diverted from global landfills. How much methane gas is prevented by diverting this organic waste? One ton of organic waste generates approximately 196 cubic yards of landfill gas, which is approximately 63% methane (124 cubic yards or 64 kilograms of methane (some estimates are as high as 170 kilograms) (Sakai 2007). Therefore, 4,000,000 tons per year of organic waste diverted from landfills prevents approximately 256,000 tons per year of methane from entering the atmosphere. Once converted to the global warming potential in carbon dioxide equivalents, this amounts to approximately 5,120,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year.

Carbon Sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the act of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing the carbon in carbon sinks, such as oceans, plants, and other organisms that use photosynthesis to convert carbon from the atmosphere into biomass. Forest ecosystems and permanent grasslands are prime examples of terrestrial carbon sinks that sequester carbon. Filtrexx International, through its erosion control, land reclamation, vegetation establishment, and ecosystem enhancement programs, is responsible for approximately 7,500 acres per year of permanent grass seeding using compost-based technologies. The carbon sequestration rate for permanent grassing for the Western US is 0.4 ton per acre per year of carbon dioxide, and for the Eastern and Midwestern US it is 1.0 ton per acre per year of carbon dioxide (Chicago Climate Exchange 2008). Ten percent (750 acres per year) of Filtrexx International’s application of permanent grass seeding is applied in the Western US; 90% (6,750 acres per year) of permanent grass seeding applications are in the Midwest and Eastern US. Total carbon sequestered per year (tons per year of carbon dioxide) = 300 tons per year in the Western US + 6,750 tons per year in the Midwest and Eastern US, which equates to 7,050 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year.

In addition to the carbon sequestered through permanent grass plantings, Filtrexx International applies approximately 1,000,000 tons per year of compost to terrestrial ecosystems and landscapes around the world through over 20 different environmental management practices and green products. These products are typically left on and in the soil, and are generally converted to stable soil carbon. Compost is typically 12.5% carbon (wet basis). This equates to approximately 125,000 tons of carbon per year.

Advertisement

Environmental Management for Global Climate Change
Filtrexx International’s compost-based products and management practices have been researched, developed, and utilized in applications to 1) reduce the effects of increased stormwater quantity and localized flooding through collection and infiltration technologies; 2) limit the effects of increased pollutant transport, decreased stormwater quality, and degraded surface water quality through stormwater volume reduction, filtration, and vegetation establishment and sustainability technologies; 3) protect and restore wildlife habitat and biodiversity through soil and plant ecosystem reclamation and sustainability applications; 4) reduce urban heat island effects, thereby reducing energy demand; 5) reduce transportation to end users, thereby reducing petroleum use and carbon dioxide emissions; 6) increase use of locally available materials and resources, thereby reducing energy demand from resource extraction and transportation; 7) increase use of bio-based materials, thereby reducing petroleum and other nonrenewable resource use, demand, and combustion; 8) protect against failure of levees and sand dunes, thereby preventing severe flooding and destruction of property; 9) improve crop and plant survivability during drought periods through increased water holding capacity; and 10) reduce water and irrigation demand during periods of mandated water conservation, prolonged drought, and within drought prone regions.

Conclusion
The extent to which global climate change will affect society, economics, resources, culture, and our shared environment is widely debated and ultimately unknown. Filtrexx International recognizes that climate change is a reality and is doing its part to reduce carbon emissions, sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and provide green products and services that will mitigate the negative effects of climate change while also strengthening the sustainability, functionality, and resiliency of our ecosystems, the natural resources they provide, and the natural capital in which we all depend.