Mobile Navigation

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…

Chementator: This Membrane Mimics Mother Nature to Separate CO2

A plastic membrane that allows CO2 and other small molecules to move through its pores while largely preventing the movement of larger molecules like CH4, has been developed by a team of researchers from CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering and…

Chementator: Carbon Capture

NRG Energy, Inc. (Princeton, N.J.) and Powerspan Corp. (Portsmouth, N.H.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6902-541) plan to demonstrate, at commercial scale, Powerspan’s ECO2 technology for capturing CO2 from conventional coal-fired power plants. To date, CO2 -capture demonstrations on coal plants have been conducted at…

Chementator: Fuel from Rubber Seeds

In Malaysia, the raw material for biodiesel production has been palm oil. However, making biodiesel can conflict with the oil’s use as food, and growing palm oil (even for food) has caused the destruction of tropical forests in Borneo, Sumatra…

Chementator: Coal-Mine Vent Air

Megtec Systems (Glen Waverly, Victoria, Australia; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6902-542) has announced the first power plant fueled by methane emissions from coal-mine ventilation air. Traditionally, CH4 released during coal excavation requires dilution in ventilation air because it is explosive at concentrations between 5…

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…