Archive for October, 2008

US Pushes Developing Transport Fuel From Waste

Researchers at Purdue University are proposing a new “flexible” approach to producing alternative fuels from municipal solid wastes, agricultural wastes, forest residues and sewage sludge. They say the new approach could supply up to 20% of transportation fuels in the US annually. The method offers a potential solution to problems which might be created by […]

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Motorway Tunnel Cost Goes Up In Smoke

Pollution treatment equipment for vehicle fumes pumped from motorway tunnels through Waterview in Aucakland could be added to the project pushing up the cost of the tunnels by up to another $140m. The addition of the costly treatment systems seems inevitable as concerns continue to grow from neighbours over the prospect of the chimneys discharging […]

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Cheap Diesel If Govt Supports Lignite Mining

Solid Energy is turning up the heat on the Govt to give the green light to exploit the vast Southland-Otago lignite reserves claiming it could produce diesel for just $1 a litre by 2013 if it gets access to the 11bn tonnes of coal. CEO, Don Elder, says a single Fischer-Tropsch coal-to-liquid-fuels gasification plant atop […]

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Infrastructure Gets Its Place In The Political Sun

As the battle for the hearts and minds of voters continues to heat up as the election draws closer, infrastructure spending is looming as a major election issue in as much as it is seen as a means of helping stave off economic recession. This is probably the first time in many elections this subject […]

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Forklift Cargo Scanner Boosts Security Efficiency

US company FreightScan, LLC, a leader in the development and deployment of innovative technology for the freight and logistics industry, has developed the world’s first forklift-mounted dimensioning cargo scanning system, the FL1000. The revolutionary FL1000 mounts directly to the mast assembly of a forklift and scans freight on a standard 48″ x 40″ skid up […]

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Shelve Waterview Motorway - Build Better PT

The Green Party is pushing for any future Govt to shelve the $1.9bn Waterview motorway tunnel and instead divert the money to expanding the Auckland’s rail network. Co-Leader, Jeanette Fitzsimons, is signalling the party will push strongly for full state funding of future public transport projects notably the central Auckland rail loop. Also on the […]

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Oil Shock Will Require Drastic Transport Changes

Drastic steps will be needed to curb NZ oil consumption in the coming years primarily in the transport sector if the country is to ward off long-term economic contraction as global demand exceeds supply and long term oil prices skyrocket. Senior North Shore City transport strategist, Archer Davis, of Engineers for Social Responsibility, says the […]

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No Time For Complacency Over Falling Oil Prices

It is very easy to get lulled into a false sense of security with oil prices apparently in free fall at present. The price of oil has tumbled almost 50% since July due to a combination of speculators initially deserting commodities in favour of sharemarkets and a fall in demand as key oil consuming economies […]

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Survey Highlights Potential For SC Improvements

Improved collaboration and integration between third party logistics providers (3PLs) and their customers can lead to supply chain (SC) improvements in several key areas, including green initiatives and cargo security. This is one of the key findings of an in-depth study of more than 1600 logistics providers world-wide - “The State of Logistics Outsourcing,” - […]

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Group Calls For More Infrastructure Investment

More pressure is coming on any incoming Govt to boost investment in transport infrastructure with the release of World Economic Forum’s latest Global Competitiveness Report. While it ranks NZ 24th overall for its relative global competitiveness, NZ only ranks 50th for the adequacy of its infrastructure with transport and energy seen as the key areas […]

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