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Thursday, October 25, 2018
Single Use plastics: a negative result for the European market and local jobs
CIPS announces Maistro as knowledge partner
The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) is delighted that Maistro, the AI-powered B2B marketplace for services has become the latest CIPS knowledge partner. The partnership will bring a number of benefits to CIPS members including:
Helen Alder, Head of Knowledge and Product Development at CIPS said, "Procurement and supply chain managers have more difficulties and pressures than ever before to operate and source from a global marketplace and, it has become really challenging. As the business environment becomes more complex, and with Brexit on the horizon, our members need and want more information and data on how to navigate these new unchartered waters. "This partnership with Maistro can help procurement and help add value to the business so the Maistro offering will ultimately benefit businesses in many ways. The insight paper also helps with planning and sourcing strategies and shows how they can become easier, quicker and more rewarding." Laurence Cook, Maistro CEO says, "The procurement landscape is changing rapidly with new technology and new ways of working critical to the future procurement professional. "There is huge potential for procurement to make an immediate impact on EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) targets covering growth, gross profits and operational efficiencies for companies that address innovation within the sector. "For the active procurement professional, this partnership between CIPS and Maistro means an easier route to overcome stakeholder challenges and accelerate supplier delivery. We are also delighted to begin this partnership." Maistro recently unveiled its Procurement Predicament paper. This independent research included a survey of over 500 Chief Finance Officers and financial decision-makers in the UK, France, Switzerland, Germany and the Nordics, to gain insight into their short, and long-term strategies and their attitudes to procurement. The paper also includes procurement-specific data on what buyers value the most in corporate buying. The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) is the world's largest procurement and supply professional organisation. It is the worldwide centre of excellence on procurement and supply management issues. CIPS has a global community of over 200,000 in 180 different countries, including senior business people, high-ranking civil servants and leading academics. The activities of procurement and supply chain professionals have a major impact on the profitability and efficiency of all types of organisation and CIPS offers corporate solutions packages to improve business profitability. @CIPSNews Maistro Maistro is an online B2B Marketplace and AI-powered delivery platform designed to accelerate the corporate buying process and optimise spend. Headquartered in the UK, Maistro is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM market (MAIS). |
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Monitoring is essential for VOC emissions reduction
In the following article, John Clements, Managing Director of UK-based monitoring equipment manufacturer Signal Group, explains why VOC emissions reduction is important, how monitoring performs an essential role, and what the latest developments are in monitoring technology.
Monitoring is essential for VOC emissions reduction
FIDanalysers
Background
In general, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are harmful to both health and the environment, so management of the risks associated with VOCs necessitates accurate and reliable monitoring. However, it is first necessary to distinguish between the two main areas of concern - indoor and outdoor VOCs, not least because the definition of VOCs is different for these two applications.
Indoors, VOCs are organic chemical compounds which evaporate under normal indoor atmospheric conditions of temperature and pressure. Some organic chemicals are harmful to the skin and can be absorbed, but volatility makes it possible for VOCs to be breathed in and cause a wide variety of negative health effects ranging from minor irritation to death.
In the outdoor environment, the main concern with VOCs is their role in the formation of ozone, a constituent of photochemical smog. At ground level, ozone is generated when VOCs react with sources of oxygen molecules such as nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere in the presence of sunlight. Ozone can be harmful to health, particularly in children, the elderly, and people of all ages who have cardiovascular problems such as asthma or COPD. Ground level ozone can also have harmful effects on sensitive vegetation and ecosystems.
In the outdoor environment, VOCs are commonly defined as any organic compounds which are emitted from non-natural processes and have photochemical ozone creation potential. This is generally interpreted as any organic compound released to the atmosphere from an operator's plant or process, excluding releases of naturally produced VOCs from within the plant boundary and methane.
In most countries, the emissions of regulated processes with the potential to release VOCs are issued with permits that include an emission limit for total organic carbon (TOC). The Standard Reference Method for the measurement of TOC is with a Flame Ionisation Detector (FID). In some cases, where there is a potential for the emission of particularly toxic VOCs, the site permit may include a requirement for the monitoring of individual organic compounds, which means that a monitoring technology capable of speciation would be necessary. Alternatively, it may be necessary for the monitoring activity to distinguish between methane and non-methane VOCs.
What are the advantages of monitoring VOCs?
In addition to regulatory compliance, there are a host of other reasons for monitoring VOC emissions. For example, monitoring is often employed to measure and check abatement plant efficiency. Monitoring can also help to optimise process flows and can help to identify solvent reduction opportunities, which lower costs, improve environmental performance and reduce risks to workers. As such, monitoring forms an essential component of a solvent management programme.
Some FIDs are able to measure methane and non-methane VOCs, which is a significant advantage because methane is a major greenhouse gas (GHG) and in recent years, despite international efforts to lower GHG emissions, methane emissions have been rising.
What is a FID? And how does it work?
As the name implies, a flame ionisation detector measures the concentration of ions produced when hydrocarbons in a sample are burned in a flame. Hydrogen or a hydrogen/helium mixture is used as the fuel for the flame which burns in hydrocarbon free combustion air. An electric field is generated by a polarisation voltage between two electrodes, and the ions generated by the combustion result in a charge which is directly proportional to the quantity of Carbon atoms derived from organic compounds in the sample.
Globally, there is a significant number of manufacturers developing portable VOC detectors for fugitive VOC emissions, most of which employ a photoionisation detector (PID). However, this technology is not suitable for TOC emissions monitoring because of the enormous variation in response factor between different VOCs. It is also interesting to note that very few companies are developing advanced FIDs, so Signal Group is leading the field in this area.
What are the latest developments in FIDs?
In contrast with many other manufacturers, Signal is constantly developing its analyzers to find new levels of performance and features that make the instruments more reliable and easier to use. For example, the latest FIDs from Signal, the Series IV, build on their predecessors' rugged reliability and repeatability with greater levels of sensitivity. Importantly, these new models now provide remote connectivity. With 3G, 4G, GPRS, Bluetooth, Wifi and satellite compatibility, each instrument is built with its own IP address and runs on Windows software. As a result, users are provided with simple and secure access to their analyzers at any time, from anywhere, making the analyzers ideal for remote sites and for the operators of multiple sites. This remote connectivity saves time and money for operators, but it also opens up new possibilities for enhanced reliability. Users (and if requested, Signal service engineers) can monitor the status of analyzers remotely, so that timely service interventions can be implemented according to need rather than a timed schedule. As a result, it will be possible to lower the cost of ownership and reduce potential downtime.
Some of Signal's latest FIDs employ dual detectors for real-time monitoring of methane and non-methane as well as TOC.
The repeatability of Signal's FIDs (both between measurements and between analyzers) is protected by the use of a ceramic detector and a unique precision-machined monobloc, which ensures that the geometry of the test cell remains exactly the same. In addition, sample and gas flow rates are adjusted automatically to optimise analyzer performance.
Signal's Series 4 platform has built-in relays which can be easily set by the user to operate calibration valves at the end of a heated line. This means that users can easily choose to calibrate either locally or remotely. These relays can also be used to operate external controls, which is important because it means that users can set the instrument to open and close sample line valves, so that one instrument can be used to monitor lines from both pre- and post-abatement, irrespective of range.
Applications for VOC emissions monitoring
Broadly speaking, VOC emissions monitoring can be split into five categories:
- Permit compliance
In addition to regulations limiting the use of solvents in products such as paints, coatings, adhesives, aerosols, cleaning chemicals and inks, there are also regulations that set emissions limits from industrial processes. These include those that involve solvents such as coating, printing, cleaning and degreasing as well as a wide variety of combustion processes.
The type of monitoring will depend on a number of factors. For example, different countries apply different regulations, and there may be variation between States or regions. In addition, local regulators may impose specific conditions on individual processes. However, a process operator may choose a more rigorous monitoring system to lower risks and improve environmental performance, or if the process is part of a larger group with environmental standards that apply at all group sites irrespective of location.
In some cases, continuous monitoring will be required, but in others, especially smaller processes, occasional monitoring is permitted, so a portable, heated FID such as Signal's PURE 3010 Minifid will be employed. This facilitates the discontinuous monitoring of multiple sites and of multiple stacks at one facility.
In many countries, some type of third party instrument approval is necessary to underpin the reliability of monitoring data. For example, in the EU, TÜV or MCERTS certification is required for monitoring equipment at larger processes. Process operators should therefore check that instruments have appropriate approvals before purchase.
- Abatement
As described above, VOC monitoring checks that abatement is working correctly and provides timely warning when potential problems occur. A variety of abatement techniques are available including solvent recovery methods such as adsorption, cryogenic condensation or absorption with oils. Solvent destruction methods include thermal or catalytic oxidation, bio-filtration, activated carbon or a sacrificial liquid, or concentration systems followed by oxidation. All of these systems require monitoring to ensure the ongoing success of emissions reduction, and in some cases, monitoring provides a feedback mechanism to optimise the performance of the abatement system.
- Process monitoring and control
For many different processes, the monitoring of in-process VOC levels provides insight into the process itself, especially now that most processes involving solvents are designed to minimise their use to ensure that levels in the final product are minimised and to lower solvent costs and to ensure that emissions are minimised.
Monitoring also provides useful data for the operators of combustion processes. TOC measurement is important in emissions monitoring as an increase in TOC can indicate poor combustion efficiency, resulting in the release to air of partially combusted materials containing organic carbon, which may increase the emissions of particulates. In this situation, elevated levels of TOC are accompanied by increased concentrations of carbon monoxide, which is another indicator of poor combustion efficiency.
- Fugitive emissions
In addition to VOC emissions from chimneys, stacks and vents, there are also unintended emissions that result from spills and leaks in equipment, tanks, pipes, seals, valves, etc. Fugitive emissions are therefore more difficult to monitor, but a wide range of methods are available. For example, site surveys can be conducted with a portable PID, or fixed monitors employing optical techniques are able to continuously monitor large areas of a plant.
- Research and development
A significant proportion of Signal's customers employ the company's reference gas analyzers in their research and development activities. In addition to FIDs, this also includes chemiluminescence detectors (CLD), and a variety of non-dispersive infra-red (NDIR) technologies. The choice of technology depends on the parameters to be measured, and Signal's particular strength in this market sector is a result of two main factors. Firstly, R&D work requires a high level of accuracy and repeatability, and secondly, the required instrumentation is often bespoke; built to meet the precise needs of the customer; often including a heated sample line, autocalibration, a sample switch-over unit, pumps, a controller - and anything else necessary to ensure a fully working monitoring system.
As concern grows about climate change and the mortality rates and health effects of air pollution, global regulations on emissions to air have become increasingly rigorous; affecting everything from domestic heaters to automotive vehicles and power stations. As a result, development engineers are working furiously to create products that minimise the emissions of harmful pollutants. The automotive sector is a prime example of this, with diesel vehicles being targeted for their effects on urban air quality. Previously governments have promoted diesel engines because they emit less GHGs per kilometre, but the need to improve urban air quality has led to a dramatic change in the industry. Automotive engineers are therefore responding rapidly to the latest requirements; developing electric and hybrid engines. This work necessitates detailed and comprehensive analysis of development engines.
Summary
In recent decades, awareness of the VOC emissions potential for combustion and solvent using processes has increased considerably and significant initiatives have been undertaken to reduce solvent use and control emissions. Emissions reduction relies on monitoring to develop better engines and combustion plant, to check compliance, and ensure that abatement equipment and processes are operating correctly. Looking forward, if further reductions are to be achieved, it seems likely that emission limits will continue to be lowered and the requirement for continuous monitoring will increase.
Notes to editors:
Signal Group Ltd develops and manufactures gas analyzers for the professional testing of VOCs, vehicle and engine emissions, tobacco smoke, impurities in special gases, power station emissions, catalyst efficiency, and boiler/burner combustion emissions.
Since 1977 the company has been manufacturing state-of-the-art, high-end reference gas analyzers based on flame ionisation detectors (FID), chemiluminescence detectors (CLD), and a variety of non-dispersive infra-red (NDIR) technologies. Other peripheral equipment manufactured by the company supports the ability to develop bespoke turnkey systems for customers.
Signal's highly experienced support team helps customers to specify the most appropriate monitoring equipment whilst also delivering maintenance and service contracts to ensure accurate and reliable monitoring. High calibre and well-trained representatives around the world offer the same levels of sales and service backup to customers in Europe, USA, China, Asia/Pacific rim, South America and the Middle East.
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Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Study: More deaths caused by the air we breathe than previously believed
More deaths caused by the air we breathe than previously believed For years, large-scale studies have linked air pollution to the incidence of human death. It appears, however, that worldwide assessments may have underestimated just how many deaths may actually be caused by the air that we breathe. Two members of the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine were featured on the 50+ list of authors of a paper published recently in PNAS, representing a large-scale, innovative analysis of numerous studies from around the world to draw conclusions about the impact of air pollution on worldwide mortality. Contributions from the Faculty of Medicine include two members of the School of Epidemiology and Public Health: first author Richard Burnett, who assembled the contributors and amalgamated the studies, and Daniel Krewski, contributing his own 20-year study on the relationship between outdoor air pollution and death in Americans. "The paper's estimates of how many deaths have been caused by outdoor air pollution are about two-fold larger than previous calculations done under the auspices of the World Health Organization," says Dr. Krewski. "This suggests that outdoor air pollution is an even more important risk factor for population health than previously thought." Specifically, the authors concluded that nearly 9 million deaths are attributable to air pollution each year, notably higher than the 4 million deaths estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in their Global Burden of Disease (GBD) program. The paper also suggests that air pollution may contribute to some diseases that until now were not thought to be linked to air pollution. "Society must continue and even intensify our efforts to lower outdoor air pollution, including emissions from vehicles, industrial facilities, coal-fired power plants and other major contributors," warns Krewski. |
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
News that microplastics have now been discovered in humans across the globe ‘deeply disturbing’, says Bluewater
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Vertiv Partners with Upside Energy to Create New Value Streams for UK UPS Customers
Vertiv Partners with Upside Energy to Create New Value Streams for UK UPS Customers
Partnership enables Vertiv customers to use cloud-based platform to provide unutilised energy in UPS batteries to the grid, revolutionizing energy markets
Southampton, UK [October 23, 2018] – Vertiv today announced a partnership with energy software specialist Upside Energy. By utilising Upside Energy's cloud-based Flexibility Platform, Vertiv will enable their current and future UK customers with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), to provide unutilised energy to the UK electricity grid. By extending battery storage beyond its typical use, UPS owners will be able to generate value and make savings on their energy bill.
Upside Energy's cloud-based advanced algorithmic platform has the capability to provide demand response and orchestrate over 100,000 devices or systems running in parallel in real-time. The platform software will continuously and remotely monitor the UPS of Vertiv's UK customers who opt in, utilising battery storage to provide flexibility to the grid while the UPS primary function as emergency backup power remains unaltered. In turn, the UK electricity grid can run more efficiently, particularly at peak times when it is running short of capacity.
Businesses usually invest in UPS solutions as emergency backup for critical systems, but this new distributed energy model makes UPS more attractive for potential customers as these systems can now be used also to generate value. Moreover, with energy consumption by data centres set to increase more than three times over the next 10 years, the partnership with Upside Energy will give Vertiv customers the opportunity to play an important role in preserving the energy availability and resilience of the grid.
The constant monitoring and management provided by the Virtual Energy Store™, powered by Upside Energy, also enables customers to track how their batteries are being used and whether they are functioning properly. The monitoring capability also minimises the risk that the batteries might get depleted while sitting idle and waiting to be called upon in a potential emergency.
Emiliano Cevenini, vice president of commercial and industrial vertical markets for Vertiv in Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented: "At Vertiv, we are committed to delivering best-in-class mission critical technologies while also finding new ways to utilise our solutions for innovative and alternative applications. In today's world, it is vital for organisations to optimise their energy consumption and costs – while we are not energy producers, we can definitely help companies leverage UPS battery storage and cut energy costs."
"Our partnership with Upside Energy, a company with deep knowledge of the UK energy market and a modern cloud-based approach, allows our customers to manage their battery storage more efficiently and get more value from their UPS in an eco-friendly way. We look forward to building on this partnership and connecting more of our fleet of UPS over the next few years."
Devrim Celal, CEO of Upside Energy added: "We're delighted to be working with Vertiv – a company of this calibre is a key ally to address the growing demands of the energy market and create a revolution in the storage and distribution of energy. Vertiv is well-known for its power supply and management technology, making them the right partner to further establish our Virtual Energy Store™ in which we manage the redistribution of energy. This partnership will ensure Vertiv's UK customers are getting the greatest return on their investment, while at the same time helping to build the smart energy network of the future."
"The proliferation of distributed energy resources and a growing percentage of intermittent renewables in the grid is driving the requirement for more grid energy storage. Technology solutions that can support grid interactivity and resource integration, such as the Virtual Energy Store, should help meet some of that need, " said Pritil Gunjan, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. "Importantly it also provides an opportunity for data centres and other infrastructure operators to make the important shift from being relatively passive consumers of energy to energy prosumers."
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About Vertiv
Vertiv brings together hardware, software, analytics and ongoing services to ensure its customers' vital applications run continuously, perform optimally and grow with their business needs. Vertiv solves the most important challenges facing today's data centres, communication networks and commercial and industrial facilities with a portfolio of power, cooling and IT infrastructure solutions and services that extends from the cloud to the edge of the network. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, USA, Vertiv employs around 20,000 people and does business in more than 130 countries.
About Upside Energy
Upside Energy's cloud-based platform uses advanced algorithms and AI to coordinate devices based in households, commercial and industrial sites – including battery storage systems, electric vehicles and heating and cooling systems. The software then matches demand for energy with the available supply leading to significant savings in costs and emissions. System operators pay Upside to create these savings, and we share that revenue with the manufacturers and owners of the devices we control. We create value for both the energy system and for energy users.
Flexenclosure's eCentre for TigoUne in Colombia announced as finalist for DCD Latin America Award
Flexenclosure's eCentre for TigoUne in Colombia announced as finalist for DCD Latin America Award
23rd October 2018 – Stockholm, Sweden
Flexenclosure's eCentre data centre, built for TigoUne in Colombia, has been named as a finalist in the 2018 Datacenter Dynamics (DCD) Latin America awards. The DCD awards recognise leadership and innovation in the data centre industry.
Designed and built by Flexenclosure in the Colombian capital Bogotá, the "Titanium" facility is the first Uptime Institute Tier III certified hybrid data centre in the country. TigoUne is using it to integrate services such as cloud servers, applications, storage, backup and recovery, colocation, virtual desks, cybersecurity, IoT, big data and analytics and cloud environments – both private and public or hybrid.
"We are delighted that our eCentre project with TigoUne has been shortlisted for this prestigious award," said David King, CEO, Flexenclosure. "Having previously won the DCD best modular implementation award for our facility for Tigo Business Paraguay, it's clear that we continue to lead the field in deploying the most cutting edge new data centres in Latin America."
Flexenclosure has been recognized at a multitude of ICT and environmental awards over the years, including Red Herring Top 100, Sustania 100, DCD Awards, DCS Awards, International Green Awards, AfricaCom Awards and GSMA Global Mobile Awards.
About Flexenclosure:
Flexenclosure provides sustainable Internet infrastructure – designing and manufacturing prefabricated data centres and intelligent power management systems for the ICT industry. The company provides systems that are fully integrated, modular, factory tested for reliability, adaptable to local conditions and quick to install.
eSite x10 is the world's first power system purpose-built for outdoor telecom sites and to outdoor telecom standards. It is a patented, sealed, tamper-proof unit with passive convection cooling, no filters, no moving parts and it requires no maintenance. eSite x10 is the future of telecom site power.
eCentre is a state-of-the art, custom-designed, prefabricated and pre-integrated data centre building that is fast to deploy, energy efficient and fully future proofed. With its flexible and easily expandable white space, eCentre enables highly capital efficient data centre deployments and has been certified up to Tier IV level.
Flexenclosure was founded in 1989. The company is based in Vara, Sweden, headquartered in Stockholm and has additional offices in Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria and South Africa. Customers include ACS, Airtel, Apollo Towers, CenturyLink, Globe Telecom, IHS Towers, Millicom, MTN, Vodacom and Zain.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Friend of the Sea and Varuna Marine Services together to boost sustainable shipping certification worldwide
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Bluewater shortlisted as finalist in the UK's prestigious 'edie’s Sustainability Leaders Awards 2019'
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