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Environment, Health, Safety & Security

Managing Material Safety Data Sheets in the Workplace

To ensure the health and safety of workers, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) adopted the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) in 1983. Initially designed to protect workers in the manufacturing sector, the HCS was expanded in 1987 to…

This catalyst may open the door to ‘green’ copolymer of CO2

Technology to copolymerize carbon dioxide and propylene oxide (PO) was first discovered in 1960s, but has not been commercialized due to the formation of cyclic propylene carbonate (CPC) by a “back-biting” reaction, which leads to the formation of unstable, low-molecular-weight…

This membrane could reduce the carbon footprint for combustion power plants

Within five years, four large power plants in Europe will be outfitted — for testing at the pilot scale — with energy-efficient CO2-filtering membranes that are being developed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU; Trondheim; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6901-531). Professor…

Plasma gasification process will recycle chlorine wastes and produce syngas

A plasma-based waste-treatment process will be installed in Dow Corning Corp.’s silicon-products-manufacturing plant in Midland, Mich., where it will recycle chemical wastes, help lower the site’s consumption of natural gas by 400-billion Btu/yr and help reduce the plant’s total emissions…

Li-ion batteries

Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6901-543) is acquiring a 20% stake in Li-Tec Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG (Kamenz, Germany). With its participation in Li-Tec, Evonik is now starting mass production of battery components. Evonik has developed materials for use…

U.S. DHS Publishes Chemicals of Interest List for Anti-Terrorism Standards    

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released Appendix A of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), a critical element of its chemical security efforts. The appendix contains a list of chemicals that, if possessed by a facility…

Steam Turbines Offer a Green Solution

While the Pennant ECS can be put to multiple applications, multi-bagger benefits accrue with its ability to convert both saturated and superheated steam into clean electrical energy. Typically, the ECS is used in parallel with a Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV)…

A step closer for a ‘greener’ route to adipic acid  

  Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd. (Osaka, Japan; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6900-540) is further developing an oxidation catalyst based on N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI), which was first discovered by Professor Yasutaka Ishii of Kansai University several years ago (CE, September 2000, p. 23). The catalyst, together…

Mechanical Failure-Rate Data for Low-Demand Applications

Click here for full pdf version of this article - includes all graphs, charts, tables, and author information The use of safety standards, particularly IEC 61508 [1] and IEC 61511 [2], has increased rapidly in the past several years. Along…

Will You be Ready When Disaster Strikes?  

Click here for full pdf version of this article - includes all graphs, charts, tables, and author information   As evidenced in the headlines, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and infrastructure failures can occur without warning, creating catastrophic results for an…