Chemical process industries (CPI) facilities often present a number of potential respiratory hazards, including airborne particles, toxic chemicals and low-oxygen environments, that may require the use of respiratory personal-protective equipment (PPE). This reference outlines the major categories for respiratory protection…
Light hydrocarbons in storage tanks can vaporize and vent to the atmosphere, creating harmful emissions. An optimized vapor-recovery unit can effectively and economically reduce such emissions In the chemicals, petroleum refining and natural gas industries, storage vessels are used to…
Process hazards analyses (PHAs) are structured reviews during the engineering design process intended to detect potential hazards that were not addressed by the design team. This one-page reference describes commonly employed PHA methods. PHA methods PHAs are often conducted or…
In order to maximize longevity and minimize process downtime, it is imperative to understand the factors that determine the proper selection of expansion joints. The following guidelines can help with selection decisions for expansion joints Although sometimes overlooked or treated…
ArcelorMittal Belgium (Ghent, Belgium) has awarded thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH (Dortmund, Germany) an order for a desulphurization plant to be installed at its Ghent site. The main aim of this brownfield project is to enhance the existing coke-oven-gas treatment plant with…
On this episode of the Chemical Engineering Podcast, our guest is Aniruddha Sharma, co-founder and chief executive of Carbon Clean, a global leader in post-combustion carbon capture technology and services. Sharma shares his thoughts on the recent COP26 climate meeting,…
A new solid form of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is showing promise as a highly effective antimicrobial agent. PCT Ltd. (Little River, S.C.; www.para-con.com) and Onza Corp. (Denver, Colo.; www.onzacorp.com) achieved what is said to be the industry’s first-ever successful “crystallization”…
The synthetic biology company Kalion Inc. (Milton, Mass.; www.kalioninc.com) recently completed its first commercial-scale production run of high-purity (98–99%) glucaric acid via fermentation of glucose at a custom-manufacturing facility owned by Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com). The high purities…
Following this approach to assessing health, safety and environmental risks can steer engineers to consider more inherently safe process options earlier in process synthesis During process synthesis in the chemical process industries (CPI), engineers make decisions that determine the inherent…
At the time of this writing, COP26 is underway in Glasgow, Scotland. COP26 is the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since the start of the first COP in 1995, climate change…