Hazardous Chemicals Hidden in Plain Sight from the Process Safety Beacon underscores the dangers of chemicals that are stored and then sometimes forgotten (such as ammonium nitrate). The Process Safety Beacon is always worth reading if you work in the…
Could Cell-Based Meat Replace Factory Farming? There are a lot of foreseeable advantages. (1) No wasted resources (food) due to animal metabolism. (2) No animal cruelty issues, meat grown in bioreactors can’t feel pain or distress. (3) Fewer greenhouse gas…
Use the Swiss Cheese Model to Fight Covid-19 from Manufacturing Engineering magazine (January 2021) shows how multiple countermeasures or nonpharmaceutical interventions can reduce the disease risk enormously.
“Hand Sanitizers Pose Risks” in Chemical Engineering Progress (September 2020) reminds us that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are flammable and can be ignited by electrostatic discharge. While hand sanitizers are important in the prevention of Covid-19, we must remember that, if…
“Running Reactions by Spinning Them” in Chemical & Engineering News (member access required for full article) describes how a centrifuge with immiscible solvents of different densities can run different steps of a chemical reaction without the need for separate pieces…
Affordable and Sustainable Cooling Using Metal-Organic Frameworks from Chemical Engineering Progress describes how air conditioning costs can be reduced by removing moisture (and its latent heat of vaporization) from air before cooling occurs. The article is short and worth reading…
“Don’t Override Safety Devices” in Chemical Engineering Progress (November 2020) reports that workers intentionally disable one-third of safety interlocks and similar devices. This is particularly dangerous because these devices make accidents impossible–e.g. a skid loader will not operate unless there…
AIChE Journal Highlight: How Can Chemical Engineers Help to Lower the Cost of Cultivated Meat? (1) Most of the food used to raise an animal is wasted on metabolism. (2) Much of the animal consists of “byproducts,” a polite word…
From Chemical & Engineering News: “Forget expiration dates. Spoilage sensors could tell us when food actually goes bad” reveals that 28% of the world’s agricultural capacity is used to produce food that is wasted. This results in (1) higher food…
Japanese increase output from 500 to 50000 disposable gowns using Toyota Production System methods. Note especially how seemingly minor changes such as a permanent place for the scissors (arranging, part of 5S) makes the job easier, and use of a…