In a ceremonious sense, the marking of a new year thankfully lets us put certain things to rest and look ahead to a fresh start. At the same time, a majority of the previous year’s challenges are still at hand…
Among the many types of pollution-abatement systems that are in use today, wet fluegas desulfurization (FGD) systems — also known as wet scrubbers — are notoriously capital- and maintenance-intensive. These systems are widely used by electric power plants and chemical…
Last month, the European Parliament (Brussels, Belgium) approved a new air-quality directive, which sets, for the first time, binding standards for fine particles. The directive on air quality is one measure outlined in the 2005 Thematic Strategy on air pollution…
Gulf Ethanol Corp. (Houston, Tex.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/7368-541) recently acquired an exclusive license to the vortex-implosion-disintegrator technology developed by Meridian BioRefining (Dallas, Tex.). This high-velocity, high-pressure process can turn biomass into an easily processable cellulose powder in 5 – 10 s. The…
Animal and vegetable oils and fats are a key renewable feedstock for making detergents, soaps, lubricants, paints, coatings, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, as well as additives for plastics, rubber and textiles. However, a consequence of the current EU renewable-energy policy is…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Chemical products and processes make modern life possible. The systems that provide housing, transportation, health care, and food for billions of people rely on chemical products, but as demand for these essential materials grows, the environmental impacts of the products…