Industry Trends


Ethanol Company Penalized for Failing to Develop Risk Management Plan

NEDAK Ethanol LLC, an alternative fuels manufacturer, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $3,600 to the United States for failing to develop a risk management program and file a risk management plan for its ethanol production facility at Atkinson, Neb.

GHG Verification Instrument Finds Some Fudging in Countries Reported Emissions

The sobering study fount that Western Europe emits about twice as much HFC-23 as officially reported.

Peter Martin Kuhn Added to EPA Fugitive List

The former president and CEO of French Gulch Nevada Mining Corporation and Bullion River Gold Corporation failed to surrender to federal authorities after he was indicted for his role in a conspiracy to illegally dispose of mining wastes containing hazardous concentrations of arsenic and lead.

Dow Chemical Agrees to Pay $2.5M to Resolve Air, Water and Waste Violations at Mich. Complex

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Dow Chemical Company has agreed to pay a $2.5 million civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) at its chemical manufacturing and research complex in Midland, Mich.

Dow Pilots Plastics-to-Energy

A Dow Plastics pilot program recovered 96 percent of potential energy from waste plastics burned to fuel an incinerator.

International Electric Vehicle Conference Seeks Technical Papers

IEEE International Electric Vehicle Conference (IEVC) organizers are seeking technical papers on the technology, standards and engineering of electric vehicles.

Steel Manufacturer to Pay $717,324 for Chemical Reporting Violations

Tenaris Global Services Corp., a manufacturer and supplier of steel pipe products for the oil and energy industry, has agreed to pay $717,324 of civil penalties to the United States to settle violations of environmental regulations at seven facilities related to the public reporting of toxic chemicals at its facilities in Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas.

Birth Defects Study Adds Urgency to Appalachian Mountaintop Removal Health Concerns

Scientists, environmental advocates, and Appalachian residents affected by mountaintop removal called on Congress to heed the warning in new research that suggest a link between mountaintop removal mining and elevated rates of certain birth defects.



Scientist checking corrosion

CBPCs Can Erode Corrosion's Hold on Metal

Chemically bonded phosphate ceramics create a passivation layer that stops corrosion and is protected by a tough ceramic outer layer. These compounds protect metal from corrosion better than other options, such as polymer paints, and are less expensive than using stainless steel.

Tulane Univ. Gets Grant to Study Effects of Gulf Oil Spill on Pregnant Women

The NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine $6.5 million for a five-year study exploring the potential health impacts of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on pregnant women and women of reproductive age living in Louisiana’s coastal parishes.

Electric Vehicle Conversion Convention to be Held in Sept.

Originally proposed as a small gathering of EVTV viewers, the concept grew into more of a convention within two weeks of the announcement due to the number of early registrants.

Aviation Fuels Can Now Include Bioderived Constituents

Renewable fuels can now be blended with conventional commercial and military jet (or gas turbine) fuel through requirements in the newly issued edition of Specifications for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons.

University of Texas Professor Hosts Presentation on Fracking Facts and Myths

A professor at The University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering said the risks incurred during hydraulic fracturing are low when compared to the risks of energy production from any other energy source and that some commonly believed notions about the gas extraction process are incorrect.

Green Chemical Industry to Soar to $98.5 Billion by 2020

Green chemistry is the expansive discipline that is evolving in response to a wide array of challenges and, according to a new report from Pike Research, represents a market opportunity that will grow from $2.8 billion in 2011 to $98.5 billion by 2020.

Industry Leaders Form Association to Promote Biocoal

Clean-technology companies, industrial users and research institutions in Germany and Switzerland have together founded Hydrothermale Carbonisierung e.V. The aim of the association is to promote the use of hydrothermal carbonization.

Climate Information Crucial to Help Reduce Risk, Limit Disaster Damage: Report

The report details ways in which disaster risk managers can improve their decision making by integrating climate information into their operations.

Genomatica Wins EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award

The award honors Genomatica's affect on the production of major industrial chemicals – those made and sold in billions of pounds per year – with better economics and a smaller environmental footprint, using biological organisms and renewable feedstocks.

DOJ, Calif. Agencies File Against Greka Oil & Gas Inc. for Oil Spills

Alleging that the company violated federal and state water laws, The United States, the California Department of Fish and Game and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region, filed a civil complaint in federal court against Greka Oil & Gas Inc. (now known as HVI Cat Canyon Inc.).

Biobased Chemicals: Fact or Fiction?

While biobased industrial performance chemicals have been around for awhile, manufacturers have made great strides in the past decade in improving their effectiveness.

New Biofuel Sustainability Assessment Tool and Greenhouse Gas Calculator Released

Researchers at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have together with their colleagues at the Swiss Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) and the HTW Berlin, Germany, developed an online tool to assess the sustainability of biofuel production.

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