Category Archives: Uncategorized

Global warming thoughts(revised)

Posted on July 13, 2013 by

My previous post did not have the links I wanted to add. Please look at the revised version(with links) by typing Chemengineeringposts.com into your browser. Peter Spitz  

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High gasoline prices: Three reasons

Posted on April 5, 2013 by

You would think that the unprecedented surge of new oil production in the United States would have the effect of lowering the price of gasoline at the pump. This would seem logical since the imported oil backed out is largely bought … Continue reading →

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Mining asteroids: Eventual frontier for rare metals

Posted on March 27, 2013 by

Readers of this blog know that there have been a number of posts about critical industrial metals in the production of which the U.S. needs to become more self-sufficient (Lithium, Rare Earths) and about the periodic table (The Disappearing Spoon, artists’ pictorial representations, the museum at … Continue reading →

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High carbon levels: Have we been here before?

Posted on February 16, 2013 by

After Sandy struck the East Coast, we saw what the world will be facing if and when sea levels rise very substantially, as some scientists have predicted. Is warming really the result of massive amounts of carbon trapping solar heat … Continue reading →

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Cheap Shale Gas: Multiplier effects

Posted on August 12, 2012 by

Recently, two domestic chemical companies deeply involved in the chlor-alkali chain agreed to merge their participation in this area to create a formidable competitor in the production of PVC, other chlorine derivatives and caustic soda. In a transaction valued at … Continue reading →

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Compostable plastic bags: Economics work for municipalities

Posted on July 10, 2012 by

A lot of progress has occured in the production of plastics from renewable materials, the goal generally being to reduce the consumption of hydrocarbons and to make a “greener” product. A secondary goal is to produce plastics that can decompose … Continue reading →

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What about algae?

Posted on February 20, 2012 by

 Ok, here are the pluses and minuses: They can be grown in non-arable land; oil yield is higher than from traditional seeds; they don’t need fresh water, can use saline; they are not a food source (like corn, for example); … Continue reading →

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