Pecologix Political Ecology Blotter

A controversial method of drilling for natural gas, called fracking, has boomed in recent years—as have concerns over its potential to cause environmental contamination and harm human health. But a major review of the practice, released today, uncovered no signs that it is causing trouble below ground. “We found no direct evidence that fracking itself [...]

Lower olefins are key building blocks for the manufacture of plastics, cosmetics, and drugs. Traditionally, olefins with two to four carbons are produced by steam cracking of crude oil–derived naphtha, but there is a pressing need for alternative feedstocks and processes in view of supply limitations and of environmental issues. Although the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has [...]

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are hybrid organic–inorganic nanoporous materials that exhibit regular crystalline lattices with relatively well-defined pore structures. Chemical functionalization of the organic linkers in the structures of MOFs affords facile control over pore size and chemical/physical properties, making MOFs attractive for a variety of industrial applications including membrane-based gas separations. A wealth of reports [...]

The syngas redox (SGR) process to produce hydrogen from coal derived syngas is described. The process involves reduction of a metal oxide to metallic form with syngas and subsequent regeneration with steam to generate hydrogen in a cyclic operation. Metal oxides of Ni, Cu, Cd, Co, Mn, Sn, and Fe were evaluated for this process [...]

The technologies and practices that have enabled the recent boom in shale gas production have also brought attention to the environmental impacts of its use. It has been debated whether the fugitive methane emissions during natural gas production and transmission outweigh the lower carbon dioxide emissions during combustion when compared to coal and petroleum. Using [...]

A two-stage anaerobic digestion process intended for biohydrogen and bio-methane combined production from organic fraction of municipal solid wastes was investigated. In thermophilic conditions blocking of methanogenesis at the first stage of the anaerobic fermentation was achieved at pH 9.0. Cumulative hydrogen production made 82.5 l/kg volatile solids. Pretreatment of organic fraction of municipal solid wastes [...]

Recent reports show growing reserves of unconventional gas are available and that there is an appetite from policy makers, industry, and others to better understand the GHG impact of exploiting reserves such as shale gas. There is little publicly available data comparing unconventional and conventional gas production. Existing studies rely on national inventories, but it [...]