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Environment, Health, Safety & Security

Focus On: Gas Detection  

A gas analyzer suitable for hazardous areas Now approved by ATEX and CSA-C/US certifications, the X-Stream flameproof process gas analyzer is suitable for Class I, Zone 1 and Group IIB + H 2 hazardous areas without the need for pressurization…

Chementator: A Way to Convert Depleted Oil Wells into Natural-Gas Wells

The amount of crude oil remaining in depleted oil fields has been estimated to be about 50 – 80% of the total estimated oil reserves. In the past, CO2 has been injected into such wells for enhanced-oil recovery — a…

Keep Control of Your Dust

Better control of baghouses and cartridge-type dust collectors can pay dividends in energy savings, longer filter life and effort spent in tracking environmental compliance. That’s the message from Richard Kapcha, a control specialist with MikroPul (Charlotte, N.C.), which manufactures a…

Going Wireless  

As the chemical process industries (CPI) make the transition from communication protocols and systems that are cable-ready to those that are wireless, the conversation is changing. On the plant floor and in the executive suite, terms such as mesh network…

The Importance of Intensive Steam Trap Management

Steam traps are an integral part of steam systems in the chemical process industries (CPI). Steam is commonly used to add energy into a process through its latent heat (steam heat), while the resultant sensible heat (hot condensate) drains through…

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…