Environment & Safety
US business groups urge Obama to halt EPA's reconsideration of ozone regs
The American Petroleum Institute (API), along with more than 170 businesses and business groups that employ American workers, sent a letter to President Obama urging him to stop the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) voluntary reconsideration of new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone.
Foster Wheeler wins six awards in Singapore for safety performance
Foster Wheeler announced that its Singapore subsidiary, Foster Wheeler Asia Pacific, won six workplace safety and health (WSH) awards in Singapore for performance in 2010. The awards are presented annually by the WSH Council, in collaboration with Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower.
US hikes storm forecast as Gulf season nears peak
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) elevated its forecast on Friday for the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, raising the number of expected named storms from its preseason outlook and potentially threatening refining and petrochemical operations along the US Gulf coast and eastern seaboard.
SunPower to develop solar panel plant in Mexico
SunPower Corp. plans to build a solar panel manufacturing facility in Mexicali, Mexico, to meet the demand of a growing North American solar market, the firm said on Friday. SunPower plans to lease an existing building, which has up to 320,000 square feet of capacity, it said.
Dow to produce stadium wrap for London Olympics
Olympic partner Dow Chemical will produce a sustainable, fabric wrap that will encircle London’s Olympic Stadium during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, home to several athletic events, and the opening and closing ceremonies. The wrap will comprise 336 individual panels – each approximately 25 meters high and 2.5 meters wide - and will help the stadium become the visual centerpiece of the London 2012 Games, according to Olympic officials.
Shell to supply technology for Iraq refinery upgrade
Shell Global Solutions has signed an agreement with the South Refineries Co. of Iraq for the provision of technology licenses to a refinery in Basrah, Southern Iraq. Shell will provide a license for a sulphur recovery unit and visbreaker unit as part of the agreement, it said.
Pre-engineered solutions drive down advanced control costs
Process control can improve quality and operating efficiency
Limit the damage from a vapor cloud loss
Risk reduction ideas from personal experience
Koppers to supply liquid carbon pitch for Rio Tinto smelters in Australia
Koppers Holdings and Rio Tinto Aluminium have agreed to a 42-month contract extension that began on January 1, 2011, and continues through June 30, 2014. Under the terms of the agreement, Koppers will supply and transport liquid carbon pitch to Rio Tinto smelters in Australia at an estimated value in excess of $100 million.
Cabot to expand US inkjet capacity by 100%
Cabot will invest $10 million to increase production capacity at its inkjet facility in Haverhill, Mass., by the end of 2012, company officials said on Monday. The expansion, which started earlier this year, will enable Cabot to increase the capacity of its CAB-O-JET color pigment dispersion and polymer product lines by 100%, the company said.

- Borouge to develop AI-powered autonomous UAE operations to accelerate growth and value creation 6/25
- Taiwanese container ship operator to install WinGD's methanol engines across more than 30 vessels 6/25
- Wood to design upgrades at Ecopetrol refinery for cleaner fuels production 6/24
- Saudi Arabia's CMDC (BCI group) awards thyssenkrupp nucera key contract for chlor-alkali plant expansion in Jubail 6/24
- EU imposes measures to curb ethanol imports from Pakistan 6/24
- China doubles 2025 naphtha import quotas 6/24