Security Products Go Green

May 1, 2008 12:00 PM, BY ASHLEY ROE

Vehicles, light bulbs and grocery bags aren't the only items getting a “green” makeover these days. In addition to hybrid cars, compact flourescent light bulbs and cloth grocery bags, green products are popping up nearly everywhere in the security market. Suppliers are jumping on the environmentally conscious bandwagon and developing products to help conserve the earth's dwindling natural resources.

Green Security Camera

Designed for energy-conscious security buyers, the C-CV854D-9 Vandal-Resistant Day/Night Color Mini-Dome from TOA Electronics Inc., San Francisco, consumes one-third of the power of traditional cameras. It is designed for both indoor and outdoor day/night use and features a die-cast aluminum alloy body, polycarbonate dome cover and dustproof and waterproof construction. The camera is equipped with a 3-9 mm lens and provides dual-voltage (24 vAC or 12vDC). Additionally, the camera is flicker-free, offers backlight compensation and includes a three-axis mount to simplify installation. Visit toaelectronics.com.

Lanyards, Badges And Badge Holders

Brady People ID, Burlington, Mass., has manufactured a line of lanyards, badge holders, strap clips and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) cards that use environmentally friendly techniques and materials. Eco-Weave lanyards offer wearers a choice of durable bamboo fiber, a soil-degradable regenerated cellulose fiber produced from raw materials in bamboo pulp, and lanyards made of 100 percent PET recycled plastic. Each can be customized with the company's recycled No-Twist plastic hooks and safety breakaways, and wearers can choose colors made with plant base dyes or other natural materials.

Brady's earth-friendly line of badge holders and strap clips includes holders and clips manufactured with recyclable EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate), and ones that are free of the plastic chemical phthalate, an attractive quality to wearers working in health care. (Di-2-ethylhexyl, or DEHP, the most widely used phthalate plasticizer, has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a “probable human carcinogen” and has been linked to reproductive development problems in baby boys.)

The green version of Brady's traditional plastic PVC card is made of corn. The 30-mil video-grade CornCards are developed through a process called corn polymerization. The process results in the creation of the polymer polylactic acid, or PLA, which has similar characteristics of traditional thermoplastics. The small, clear PLA pellets are about the size of tiny pebbles. The pellets are mixed with other chemical additives to give the material better strength and are flattened into a thin sheet from which cards are formed. The cards look, feel and offer the same quality as PVC cards, but can also be mechanically recycled and composted. As another benefit, oil, from which PVC, is derived, takes millions of years to regenerate, while PLA-spawning corn grows in only about 100 days. “This technology is also helping us keep jobs on American soil,” says Janet Fenner, Brady's marketing communications manager. Visit bradypeopleid.com.

Eco-Friendly Bollard

After studying the negative environmental effects inherent in installing perimeter security barriers powered by hydraulic power units - i.e. hydraulic fluids producing messy oil reservoirs as well as leaks and spills that could contaminate soil and water - employees at Atlanta-based SecureUSA Inc. introduced the pollution-free, electrically operated FutureWEDGE Series 2 vehicle barrier. The barrier's electrical powering eliminates hydraulic oils and hazardous wastes.

The barrier uses a spring-assisted actuator approach that results in a more linear method of barrier movement to enable a continuous duty cycle, smoother operation and longer actuator life. It is designed to meet the Department of State's K8 level crash rating and is capable of stopping a 15,000-lb. vehicle traveling at 40 mph. The single-buttress barrier can be shallow- or surface-mounted, has a plate height of 31 in. and can span up to a 16-foot single entrance. In dual-configuration, it is capable of blocking large driveways up to 30 ft. wide. Visit secureusa.net.

Power Supply With A Low Carbon Footprint

SFC Smart Fuel Cell, a Germany-based provider of mobile power supplies based on fuel cell technology, supplies Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC), which conduct energy conversion through a one-step transformation of methanol into electrical energy. During the energy conversion process, the EFOY fuel cell heats up to about 104 degrees F, releasing water as vapor and carbon dioxide. “The amount of water vapor and carbon dioxide released is comparable to that found in the breath of a child,” says Dr. Peter Podesser, SFC Smart Fuel Cell CEO.

In addition to being used for mobile power in defense, personal mobility and recreational vehicles and consumer electronic devices, the fuel cells are useful in remote video surveillance applications for round-the-clock, unmanned, off-grid power in any location. Carrying a high energy density, a 10-liter DMFC cartridge weighing in at 18.5 lbs. contains the same energy as 595 lbs. of batteries. This will operate a camera for up to eight weeks without user intervention. The fuel cell can be remotely operated and monitored from a PC or mobile phone through an RS 232 interface adapter. Podesser says the cells can be combined with solar energy systems for hybrid power, where, for example, solar energy powers a camera system in daylight and the DFMC cartridge takes over at night.

Although it has been proven that methanol as a substance is toxic and flammable, methanol that is properly packaged in cartridges meeting or exceeding applicable safety standards is safe to handle and transport, the company contends. Every SFC fuel cartridge carries a TUV safety seal and is equipped with a safety valve to prevent leakage. The valve will only open if the fuel cartridge is connected to an SFC fuel cell. If the fuel cartridge is removed, the safety valve will seal airtight, ensuring that the user never comes into contact with methanol. Additionally, the fuel containers are made of impact-resistant plastic and are subjected to numerous drop and shock tests prior to distribution. Visit smartfuelcell.de

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