Chemical Processing - May 2008 - (Page 15) IN PROCESS >> ter’s October meeting. Prospective topics for the next projects include alarm actuation rate, early event detection, and design of interfaces for hand-held devices. Eighteen other ideas for potential research are listed on the Center’s website (www.operatorperformance.org). If you have hazardous materials stored on site, how do you rate their security? 35.0 30.0 25.0 Responses (%) 20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0 Very good Good Adequate Poor Very poor Microbes promise cheaper biofuels A newly created microbe may change the economics of biofuels’ production, hope researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. “The cyanobacterium is potentially a very inexpensive source for sugars to use for ethanol and designer fuels,” explains David Nobles Jr. of the University’s School of Biological Sciences. The cyanobacterium produces a form of cellulose that can easily be broken down, unlike cellulose harvested from plants. “The huge expense in making cellulosic ethanol and biofuels is in using enzymes and mechanical methods to break cellulose down,” notes Nobles. Most repondents say security of hazardous materials is adquate or better. To participate in this month’s poll, go to ChemicalProcessing.com. >> Promising microbes Figure 1. Brown (left) and Nobles show some algae that produce easier-to-convert cellulose. Photo: Richard Santos, University of Texas at Austin. The blue-green algae offer other advantages, add Nobles and co-researcher R. Malcolm Brown Jr. They can be grown on non-agricultural lands using salty water unsuitable for people or crops. Harvesting of cellulose, glucose and sucrose can continually occur and doesn’t harm the microbes. Plus, using strains that fix atmospheric nitrogen would avoid the need for petroleum-based fertilizers. So far, the cyanobacteria only have been produced at the lab scale. Brown and Nobles now are researching how best to scale up the production. CP www.chemicalprocessing.com http://www.operatorperformance.org http://ChemicalProcessing.com http://www.westernstates.com http://www.westernstates.com http://www.westernstates.com http://www.chemicalprocessing.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chemical Processing - May 2008 From the Editor ChemicalProcessing.com Field Notes In Process Energy Saver Compliance Advisor WirelessHART signals a change at plants Avoid costly fabrication mistakes Watch out with variable speed pumping Hot cutover boosts control system migration Plant InSites Process Puzzler Equipment & Services Product Spotlight/Classifieds Ad Index End Point Chemical Processing - May 2008 Chemical Processing - May 2008 - (Page Cover1) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - (Page Cover2) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - (Page 3) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - (Page 4) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - (Page 5) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - (Page 6) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - (Page 7) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - (Page 8) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - From the Editor (Page 9) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - From the Editor (Page 10) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - ChemicalProcessing.com (Page 11) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - ChemicalProcessing.com (Page 12) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Field Notes (Page 13) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - In Process (Page 14) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - In Process (Page 15) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Energy Saver (Page 16) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Compliance Advisor (Page 17) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - WirelessHART signals a change at plants (Page 18) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - WirelessHART signals a change at plants (Page 19) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - WirelessHART signals a change at plants (Page 20) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - WirelessHART signals a change at plants (Page 21) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - WirelessHART signals a change at plants (Page 22) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - WirelessHART signals a change at plants (Page 23) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - WirelessHART signals a change at plants (Page 24) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - WirelessHART signals a change at plants (Page 25) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Avoid costly fabrication mistakes (Page 26) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Avoid costly fabrication mistakes (Page 27) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Avoid costly fabrication mistakes (Page 28) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Avoid costly fabrication mistakes (Page 29) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Avoid costly fabrication mistakes (Page 30) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Avoid costly fabrication mistakes (Page 31) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Avoid costly fabrication mistakes (Page 32) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Watch out with variable speed pumping (Page 33) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Watch out with variable speed pumping (Page 34) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Watch out with variable speed pumping (Page 35) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Watch out with variable speed pumping (Page 36) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Watch out with variable speed pumping (Page 37) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Watch out with variable speed pumping (Page 38) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Hot cutover boosts control system migration (Page 39) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Hot cutover boosts control system migration (Page 40) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Hot cutover boosts control system migration (Page 41) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Hot cutover boosts control system migration (Page 42) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Process Puzzler (Page 43) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Plant InSites (Page 44) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Equipment & Services (Page 45) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Product Spotlight/Classifieds (Page 46) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Product Spotlight/Classifieds (Page 47) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Product Spotlight/Classifieds (Page 48) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - Ad Index (Page 49) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - End Point (Page 50) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - End Point (Page Cover3) Chemical Processing - May 2008 - End Point (Page Cover4)
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