As environmental awareness receives renewed focus in the government, the public and industry, it appears that higher standards will be applied to processors to achieve even higher oxides-of-nitrogen (NOx) removal than in the past.... http://www.che.com/news/SCR-New-and-Improved_5803.html
Like other aspects of chemical processing, cooling operations are being closely examined for ways to reduce costs and resource usage. Whether it’s cooling towers or industrial gases, experts say embracing new technologies makes it possible to... http://www.che.com/news/Process-cooling-Just-Cool-It!_5724.html
Given the recent focus on cost control, it’s likely that chemical processors will suffer sticker shock when they learn that industry spends $276 billion annually on corrosion prevention, monitoring and repair. Even more abrasive is the fact that this figure does not include the cost of downtime or accidents resulting from corrosion damage. However,... http://www.che.com/news/Keeping-Corrosion-at-Bay_5725.html
Like most other businesses, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms have felt the pinch of the economic downturn. While EPCs that specialize in building processing plants are optimistic that recent global interest in renewable and bioprocessing projects to create alternative fuels, power and chemicals may fill some of the void, most say they will continue to pursue work in markets where they are already established for a variety of reasons. Among the concerns are the high-risk profiles and technical challenges associated with biomass and renewable projects and the continued need for other types of processing and power facilities.
A rapid and ongoing expansion of polysilicon production capacity will likely generate an oversupply for the next several years, driving polysilicon manufacturers to further innovate processes and reduce operating costs in preparation for an impending wave of new demand.... http://www.che.com/news/Polysilicon-Production_5559.html
As 2009 came to a close, the U.S. crossed a key milestone in the path toward regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nearly 10,000 facilities (Figures 1 and 2) — a significant portion of them in the chemical process industries (CPI) — became subject to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA; http://www.epa.gov; Washington D.C.) Final Mandatory Greenhouse Gases Reporting Rule. The rule requires that applicable facilities begin collecting data on January 1, 2010 for annual GHG emission reports that are due to EPA by March 31, 2011. Although the rule itself does not limit GHG emissions, the collected data will be used to inform future climate-change policies and programs, EPA says.... http://www.che.com/news/Greenhouse-Gases-U-S-Starts-Counting_5491.html
Not long ago, single-use bioprocessing equipment, such as disposable bags and tubing, appeared on the scene as an alternative to stainless-steel components for high-purity processing applications. Due to a fistful of benefits — including reduced costs, lower cross-contamination risk and increased flexibility — the use of disposables began to grow into a real trend... http://www.che.com/news/Disposable-equipment_5492.html
Many reactions, extractions, separations and other operations in the chemical process industries (CPI) involve the use of organic solvents. In addition to handling and disposal issues, organic solvents can pose a number of environmental concerns, such as atmospheric and land toxicity. In many cases, conventional organic solvents are regulated as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In addition, certain organic solvents are under restriction due to their ozone-layer-depletion potential. Supercritical carbon dioxide is an attractive alternative in place of traditional organic solvents.
As chemical production shifts to growth regions such as China and India, and moves closer to areas like the Middle East, where there are less expensive sources of feedstocks, North American and European chemical processors are under global pressure to... http://www.che.com/news/Simulation-Software-Beyond-Plant-Design_5450.html
Current efforts toward process efficiency and environmental innocuousness have placed more demands on catalysts to produce more with less. Industrial catalyst manufacturers are pursuing several pathways to maximize their products ability to boost output for those who use them. Several recent examples show how employing alternate catalyst material or new manufacturing methodology has helped users realize manufacturing advantages.... http://www.che.com/news/Boosting-Catalyst-Productivity_5376.html
Most members of the highly regulated chemical process industries (CPI) are aware of the growing worldwide attention focused on the issues of climate change, air and water pollution and the supply and protection of natural resources. For this reason, air-pollution-control scrubbers play an integral role in most chemical processing facilities. However, the economic downturn caused... http://www.che.com/news/Scrubbers-Are-You-Ready_5377.html
In professional life, the influences that teach us, inspire us and drive us to succeed tend to come more from individuals than corporations. If you would like to bring recognition to... http://www.che.com/news/Recognizing-your-colleagues_5394.html
Last month at the Chem Show, Chemical Engineering had the pleasure of honoring this year’s finalists and the winner of the 2009 Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award, a biennial prize that the magazine has bestowed continuously since the early 1930s. The award recognizes the most noteworthy chemical engineering technology commercialized anywhere in the world during 2007 or 2008.... http://www.che.com/news/40th-Kirkpatrick-Award-Announced_5303.html
Drying as a process is one of the most energy-intensive unit operations on the planet. Add to that the fact that dryers are used extensively throughout the chemical process industries (CPI) and it becomes obvious that there ought to be more attention paid to reducing the energy consumption and upping the “green” ante of drying processes. Unfortunately, the current economy is putting any such projects and plans on hold for many processors. Drying equipment experts, however, say it doesn’t have to be this way a... http://www.che.com/news/Building-a-Better-Dryer_5320.html
As the chemical process industries (CPI) continue to focus on improving operations and lowering costs, interest in process automation diagnostics, which can play a critical role in helping processors reduce maintenance spending, continues. “Processors are beginning to realize that good diagnostics can help them reduce their overall costs,” says Moin Sheikh, marketing manager with Siemens Energy and Automation (Spring House, Pa.). Coupled with the nearly limitless potential and growing acceptance for accessing data wirelessly, the spark of interest has prompted vendors to include technologies with improved logic, diagnostic data that is easier to exploit, and systems and services that help end users assimilate the plethora of data into their work processes.... http://www.che.com/news/Diagnostics-Simplifying-Optimization_5232.html
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