Monthly Archives: December 2011

Nuclear Energy Revival

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Peter Spitz

The “ghost” of Three Mile Island has apparently been banished, because the U.S. is now starting to build more nuclear power capacity. There is an interesting counterpoint to this. Just at a time when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gives the green light … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Industry, Manufacturing | Tagged | 5 Comments

Competitiveness: The government’s role

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Peter Spitz

The U.S. will not be able to experience a renaissance in its manufacturing economy without some help from the government. This is particularly true for what is now called Advanced Manufacturing, which is based on new technologies and advanced materials.  But it is  also true … Continue reading →

Posted in Manufacturing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Visualizing the industry

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Peter Spitz

I’ve talked to a number of university and high school science and chemistry teachers  to find out to what extent students with an interest in chemical engineering get exposed to actual industrial plants. It has always seemed to me that if … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemical Engineering, Chemical Industry, Energy Industry | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The U.S. is reversing the longterm decline in domestic crude oil production. This is directly attributable to the steady increase in offshore oil production (though the BP oil spill caused a small temporary drop in that statistic) and the rising production of crude from horizontal … Continue reading →

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Peter Spitz | Leave a comment

Versatile Ethanol

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Peter Spitz

Who would have thought twenty years ago that a humdrum chemical like ethanol would become the focus of major new commercial activity in ways not even imagined at that time. It all started when the U.S. government mandated that an … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemical Industry, Energy Industry | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Sustainability: Companies are engaged

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Peter Spitz

U.S. Postal Service It’s interesting to watch the progress chemical and other firms are making in developing “greener” products and processes while Congress is going backwards in doing something about carbon emissions and reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemical Industry | Tagged , | 3 Comments