CleanTech OC Daily - 7/26/12

Paul Allen’s fund backs natural gas to chemicals tech

Siluria Technologies, a three-year-old startup that turns natural gas into chemicals, just announced that they have raised a new round of $30 million from Vulcan Capital, Russian investors Bright Capital, and others. There is big potential in the company’s technology as it could lead to replacing oil in chemicals, plastics and fuels.

Lehigh Turns Old Tires into Plastics, Chemicals, via the Freeze-Dry Method

In order to deal with the used tire waste problem both in the U.S. and abroad, Lehigh Technologies has come up with a new method that can turn tire scraps into a micronized rubber powder (MRP) product. According to the company’s CEO, Lehigh’s Atlanta, Ga. Factory is capable of producing 100 million pounds of MRP per year.

US Creates Zones to Boost Solar Energy Development

The Obama Administration has announced a plan that speed up solar energy development, while still protecting the environment. The plan for large solar power plants would cover 285,000 acres of public land across the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.