Keeping an eye on what happens with domestic oil and gas regulation is a bit like herding cats. We’ve seen encouraging progress on air quality issues related to oil and gas, but an equally critical front that’s seen major action is protection of our land and water resources.

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.

As old gas & oil fields play out, newer methods must be used to extract resources from areas where they are locked in layers of shale. One current technique is known as “fraccing,” in which high pressure water is pumped into the well shaft to “fracture” the rock layers, allowing more natural gas to escape and be collected. However, this technique poses a number of environmental problems, including contamination of water with hydrocarbons, solid particulates, and scale producing ions — making it unsuitable for reuse.

Shepard Energy Centre (owned by Enmax and Capital Power Corporation) is located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It began operating in March 2015 and is capable of generating over 800 megawatts of electricity to Alberta residents using natural gas. The facility utilizes (2) combustion turbines featuring a combinedcycle technology to generate electricity, and in addition, processes waste heat through a steam turbine to produce even more electricity. This electricity generation process makes Shepard approximately 30% more efficient than traditional coal-fired plants, and reduces overall fuel costs. Not only is Shepard’s plant more efficient, but better for the environment by emitting less than half of the CO2 emmissions per megawatt hour compared to a coal generated facility. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions are also reduced.

This white paper explores how advanced biological technologies — including MBBR, IFAS, SBR, and MBR systems — are transforming wastewater management in this sector.

With a global population of over seven billion people, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies in the world that produce the food and beverages that are needed to meet this global demand. These companies require massive amounts of water to produce their products, and those products result in equal amounts of wastewater. It’s simple enough to just discharge the wastewater into a nearby stream or surface water source and be finished with it. However, with constantly changing environmental regulations and pressure to be more environmentally conscious, food and beverage companies face increasing requirements of beverage and food wastewater treatment.

Installing the most appropriate blower equipment in the process can enhance yeast and enzyme production, minimize energy costs, guarantee food safety, and avoid costly failures.

By harvesting heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) condensate, industrial operations can take advantage of a cool, convenient source of clean water.

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.

This is the third article in a series of articles and case studies examining the adoption of innovative solutions in water treatment and the market drivers of change influencing how companies in various industries manage their wastewater.

It’s no secret that Texas is currently in the midst of a multi-year drought – yet the vast majority of our electricity comes from sources that contribute to this prolonged drought, namely coal, nuclear, and natural gas. All of these energy sources require copious amounts of water to produce electricity.

By harvesting heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) condensate, industrial operations can take advantage of a cool, convenient source of clean water.

In Cape Town, South Africa, the countdown is on for Day Zero when water taps in the city of 4 million people are expected to run dry.

This paper shows how the four pillars of operator effectiveness lead operators to greater awareness, faster response and better decisions.

For some instruments, downtime is necessary while service operations are undertaken. Swan Analytical Instruments has developed technology for power and industrial water/steam monitoring systems to enable uninterrupted operation.

Nitrogen oxides are major pollutants in the atmosphere, being a precursor to acid rain, photochemical smog, and ozone accumulation. The oxides are mainly nitric oxide (NOx) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) both of which are corrosive and hazardous to health.

With a global population of over seven billion people, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies in the world that produce the food and beverages that are needed to meet this global demand. These companies require massive amounts of water to produce their products, and those products result in equal amounts of wastewater. It’s simple enough to just discharge the wastewater into a nearby stream or surface water source and be finished with it. However, with constantly changing environmental regulations and pressure to be more environmentally conscious, food and beverage companies face increasing requirements of beverage and food wastewater treatment.

A Q&A with Johan Kuylenstierna, executive director of the Stockholm Environment Institute

It’s no secret that Texas is currently in the midst of a multi-year drought – yet the vast majority of our electricity comes from sources that contribute to this prolonged drought, namely coal, nuclear, and natural gas. All of these energy sources require copious amounts of water to produce electricity.

Industries around the world are seeking new ways to make every drop of water count. Agriculture, which uses a high 70% of the world’s fresh water, is no different. By Donna Vincent Roa, PhD, ABC, CSR-P

Keeping an eye on what happens with domestic oil and gas regulation is a bit like herding cats. We’ve seen encouraging progress on air quality issues related to oil and gas, but an equally critical front that’s seen major action is protection of our land and water resources.

Partnering with StormwateRx, Forrest Technical Coatings sought a cost-effective treatment strategy that aligned with their corporate #environmental stewardship initiatives.

Steel Fire Equipment in Ontario, Canada needed help with their polymer production. The plant produces polymer for fire extinguishers. The pneumatic production system processes chemicals that often clump and sometimes even form into stone. They needed a crusher that could break up these chunks or the material would not flow through the system and the entire process would come to a halt. Steel Fire also needed the machine to be able to handle their production rate of 3000 – 4000 pounds of material a day and be powerful enough to break up very hard chunks.

Chemical feed pumps are an essential component in ensuring the safety of water in public pools and other aquatics facilities, by dosing the optimum amount of chemical to achieve and maintain the correct water chemistry and comply with municipal health departments.

Installing the most appropriate blower equipment in the process can enhance yeast and enzyme production, minimize energy costs, guarantee food safety, and avoid costly failures.