It’s been two months since EPA released its much anticipated draft report on hydraulic fracturing, and organizations like ours are busy preparing their official comments, which are due at the end of August. But based on what we have learned so far and what has been written in the media, it’s important to spend some time on what the report said — and didn’t say — and what it all means.

The U.S.-Canada border is the world’s longest shared border and includes four of the five Great Lakes, many rivers, additional lakes, major airsheds and migratory routes for wildlife species. In addition, there are many Native American Tribes and First Nations residents whose culture extends across the border.

Drilling fluid is critical for successful oil extraction. Typically made up of water, clay and a complex mix of chemicals, it supports the drilling process in a variety of ways — from lubricating and cooling the drill bit under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, to lifting drill cuttings to the surface, to maintaining oil well stability and safety. But drilling fluid is not a “one size fits all” solution. To work properly, the fluid must be optimized for the unique geographic conditions of individual well sites.

The Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0, and connectivity in drives is the future, and many market segments must modernize to compete. The world is more connected than ever with new technological advances that produce higher process efficiency and time savings. To stay competitive in this environment, companies must include automated solutions such as remote management, monitoring, and control.

Many processes in the oil/gas refining, specialty chemical production, solvents, paint, coatings and photoelectric industries generate hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), which need to be removed from waste, flue and tail gases before emission into the environment to meet clean air regulations around the world. In addition to removing problematic greenhouse gases, emphasis is placed on eliminating toxins that can be harmful to industrial workers and the environment.

Hardness in water can be characterized into its primary constituent mineral components, typically calcium and magnesium. Excess water hardness in a water supply creates many issues for industry, utilities, and life in general.

A static headspace method was developed using Teledyne Tekmar automated headspace vial samplers to meet the method requirements of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau of the US Department of the Treasury (TTB) method SSD: TM:2001 for testing fusel alcohols in alcoholic beverages.

Numerous compounds contribute to changes in beer flavor as it becomes stale. One of these compounds, (E)-2-nonenal, has been investigated as a major source of the papery/cardboard flavor that develops in aged beer.

Food and beverage wastewater treatment demands often fluctuate more drastically than municipal wastewater applications in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) relating to the foods being processed or to cyclical activity. Modular, self-contained systems offer practical, cost-effective solutions to help food processors keep pace with such variability — as a total or supplemental solution. Here’s how.

High-quality water is critical to food and beverage production — both as an ingredient and a process enabler — so the sourcing challenges faced by municipal water systems pose an ongoing threat to the health of the industry. Fortunately, there are a variety of technology options now available to improve water security.

From time-to-time I write on topics that are related to water and wastewater as a "backgrounder" so that those involved in the field can gain a wider perspective and have available to them a cogent explanation minus jargon on various topics. By Dr. J.H. Wakefield

A power plant plant experienced an accident when a pipe broke after it was sand-dusted during maintenance. The pump location, including the turbines and control room, was completely flooded. Read about the customer's search for a cost-effective flow measurement solution to drive a safety shut-down valve in case the pipe should break again.

Deep in the Israeli desert is an academic institute that is building peace in the region by putting nature at its center. The Arava Institute, in partnership with Ben Gurion University, brings students from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and around the world to find common ground around environmental problems and build trust — and peace — from there.

ELCOGAS, established in 1992 with the aim of building and operating a 335 MW Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant as well as the commercialization of its technology.

Read about an extensive study that was carried out to evaluate the ability of the HOD UV system to control biofouling in the Governador José Richa Power Plant. 

It’s been two months since EPA released its much anticipated draft report on hydraulic fracturing, and organizations like ours are busy preparing their official comments, which are due at the end of August. But based on what we have learned so far and what has been written in the media, it’s important to spend some time on what the report said — and didn’t say — and what it all means.

The U.S.-Canada border is the world’s longest shared border and includes four of the five Great Lakes, many rivers, additional lakes, major airsheds and migratory routes for wildlife species. In addition, there are many Native American Tribes and First Nations residents whose culture extends across the border.

Drilling fluid is critical for successful oil extraction. Typically made up of water, clay and a complex mix of chemicals, it supports the drilling process in a variety of ways — from lubricating and cooling the drill bit under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, to lifting drill cuttings to the surface, to maintaining oil well stability and safety. But drilling fluid is not a “one size fits all” solution. To work properly, the fluid must be optimized for the unique geographic conditions of individual well sites.

Commercial livestock operations generate a significant amount of manure byproduct. The manure is sometimes sprayed in a liquefied form over agricultural fields as a fertilizer in between planting seasons.

From time-to-time I write on topics that are related to water and wastewater as a "backgrounder" so that those involved in the field can gain a wider perspective and have available to them a cogent explanation minus jargon on various topics. By Dr. J.H. Wakefield

Hardness in water can be characterized into its primary constituent mineral components, typically calcium and magnesium. Excess water hardness in a water supply creates many issues for industry, utilities, and life in general.

The Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0, and connectivity in drives is the future, and many market segments must modernize to compete. The world is more connected than ever with new technological advances that produce higher process efficiency and time savings. To stay competitive in this environment, companies must include automated solutions such as remote management, monitoring, and control.

Even though 70 percent of our planet is made up of water bodies, yet the world is facing a dire scarcity of water, a basic necessity of life. More than 97 percent of the water resources available are in the form of saline water in the seas and oceans. Water is always at a high risk of getting contaminated/polluted. With rapid urbanization and demographic growth across the globe, the world has seen a staggering rise in the number of industries.

By manipulating the atomic structure of iron, researchers in Australia have developed a new tool for industrial wastewater treatment.

Before environmental concerns became a staple of urban planning, industrial sites dominated waterfront properties in American cities. For decades, factories used urban waterways to dispose of pollutants. As environmental awareness grew, however, those sites were abandoned, but the toxic aftermath lingered. But new funding and technology are both available now to remedy that risk.