Reducing energy consumption and your plant's environmental impact is a hot topic. Creative thinking in your energy efficiency projects will give you the competitive edge during these tough times.

Drive up energy efficiency

The constant-speed approach to AC motors made a lot of sense when energy was cheap and drives technology was in its infancy. With their latest advances, adjustable speed drives can provide one of the best energy efficiency options for a plant.

Consider Three Ways to Energy Efficiency

Now’s the time to make radical changes in funding energy projects

It’s time for a design check

Pay closer attention to energy efficiency and impose standards.

Special Report: Energy Efficiency

Reducing energy consumption and your plant’s environmental impact is a hot topic. In this Special Report we take a look at the organizational obstacles to avoid, how to enroll your employees in the quest, and the steps you need to take in order to manage your energy costs. We also delve in to practical energy efficient applications such as recovering exhaust heat in air conditioned facilities and the use of carbon synchronous belts.

Energy Savings Pick up Steam

More attention to steam systems and trap monitoring provides big benefits. At most chemical plants, plant management and operators face increasing pressures to improve the energy efficiency of their processes, so they should see how they can save on steam.

You can't manage what you can't measure. And what you don't measure will never improve. Enter plant optimization. Gathering data to improve operations offers a competitive advantage.

Avoid Costly Design Mistakes

Common errors keep plants from getting the most reliable and suitable vessels

Avoid costly materials mistakes

Common oversights keep plants from getting the most reliable and suitable vessels.

Avoid costly fabrication mistakes

Common oversights keep plants from getting the most reliable and suitable vessels

Pursue the perfect plant

Look into creating the “perfect plant” by integrating product and operational management into your environment. This provides the ability to respond faster and minimize impact to the business and bottom line, driving increased yields, asset utilization and order fulfillment.

Pilot plants: destined for development

Pilot plants are on the verge of an unprecedented evolution. Read about the 10 factors that'll impact the design, construction and operation of these next-generation units.

The chemical industry is starting to unwrap the potential benefits of “going green."

Renewable Feedstocks are in the Bag

Chemical firms show growing interest in bio-based production.

Environmental Protection

Environmental Protection by Dave Russell, president, Global Environmental Operations Inc.

Chemical industry sees green

Developments target economics, not just environmental benefits. While pollution prevention was the original goal of green chemistry, today’s efforts promise to have a substantial economic impact.

Special Report: Chemical Industry Sees Green | Bio-Based Fuels and Feedstocks

For years the industry has been “talking green.” But what real strides have been made? Will a Presidential Executive Order compel the industry to speed up efforts to actually go green?

Defining "Green Chemicals"

As the Industrial Water Treatment Program Manager at the federal installation, I am interested in resorting to "green chemicals" in the chemically treating all the boilers, cooling towers and closed loop systems at this installation. Is there a clear definition of what constitutes "green chemicals?" Does that vary from state-to-state, region-to-region, and who has the final word on what is or isn't "green chemicals?"

Feedstock change is hot and poppin’

Corn, other renewable resources garner increasing interest and investment. Read here about the progress that is being made in discovering a new generation of feedstock.

Wastewater treatment is a critical process for chemical plants. Keeping on top of how to recycle and reuse will ensure you get the most of your water-treatment operations.

Act Before There’s Not a Drop to Drink

Ground water protection is the responsibility of everyone including the chemical industry. An energetic group of state and federal ground water agencies, industry, environmentalists and other stakeholders, however, has made it a key area of their focus. The Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) is a nonprofit Section 501(c)(6) organization dedicated to promoting and ensuring the use of best management practices and “fair but effective” laws regarding comprehensive groundwater protection.

Expect More Water Regulation Everywhere

EPA gets tough on arsenic levels in drinking water

What’s on tap for water?

This increasingly precious resource is attracting more attention

Better water technology is on tap

The drought in many parts of the U.S. so far this summer points out the preciousness of water supplies. There’s greater demand for waste-minimization and recycle-and-reuse technologies as well as more awareness of utility usage and the impact of life-cycle costs on water-treatment operations. Here’s a look at new technologies that will help.

Optimize Water Use

Four major drivers are spurring increasing interest in optimizing water use.

Boosting worker performance benefits the bottom line. Understanding what operators need is critical to your site's success.

Operators Get More Help

Efforts aim to provide insights and tools to boost performance.

Fitting the Workplace to the Worker

Process Industry Control Rooms Would Be Designed a Whole Lot Differently if Air-Traffic Controllers Were Working in Them

Operator Performance Takes Center Stage

Industry/university alliance aims to address human factors in process control.

Help Your Operators

Automating procedures within control systems can serve to make your operators more effective and more consistent. With studies showing more than 40% of all plant incidents stemming from some form of human error, it makes sense to give automation a larger role in day-to-day operations.

An Alert Operator Is a Safe Operator

Maintaining a good work environment can contribute to a safer plant