Determination of leading indicator for proactive safe performance in chemical process industries (CPI)

The rapid growth of Chemical Process Industries (CPI) cause plant operation and process dependent more on technology advanced and innovation. More complex processes and operation condition such as high pressure and temperature may create new hazard that may lead to process safety accident. One of the established regulations that address process safety accidents is Process Safety Management (PSM) by Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), United State. Most elements in PSM can be thought of as leading indicators in PSM since the item in PSM somehow helps organizations to proactively evaluate the performance of the safety program by providing early warning signals to any process defects. However, PSM performance based on leading indicator conducted in Malaysia process industries are still lacking. Therefore, this research highlights the leading indicators that evaluate the effectiveness of the PSM programs. The current study used an exploratory research design. The literature review on journal and article with keywords “process safety management” and “major accident,” was conducted and a questionnaire was developed by adapting Institute for Work & Health Organizational Performance Metric (IWH-OPM) questionnaire. The effectiveness and validity of the generated statements regarding the identified leading indicator in the CPI was confirmed through a sharing session with a safety expert

Kajian keberkesanan sisa ekstrak patchouli (Pogostemon Cablin) terhadap kesan menghalau tikus sawah (Rattus Argentiventer)

Study on the usage of natural material such as essential oil from plants as new alternative to chemical insecticides and pesticides has been actively conducted by researchers. Patchouli essential oil is a new source of material that seems to be of potential to repel insects and pesticides. However, the issue of using extracted patchouli oil as insects and pesticides repellent seems to be costly and of low value return since patchouli oil is of high demand especially in fragrant, cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical industries. The present study was, hence, conducted to investigate the possibility of using patchouli extraction waste as agent for rat repellent. Initial study on the maximum content of patchouli oil in samples of Pogostemon cablin (a type of patchouli plant) via 4 hourly sequence of hydrodistillation yielded 2.5 % (weight/weight) oil after 24 hours extraction.Analysis via gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GCMS) revealed that patchouli alcohol is the main component of patchouli oil, with content ranges from 36.0% to 47.0 %. Hence, study on natural evaporation of patchouli oil via solid phase microextraction (SPME) was focused on the evaporation of patchouli alcohol to the surrounding. A quadratic regression model with correlation, R2 = 0.9818, represents the best fit for the natural evaporation of patchouli alcohol with respect to the exposure time. From preliminary study on the effect of patchouli oil on rats using a transparent horizontal cylindrical pvc tube gave rise to the development of the methodology in carrying out the study of the extraction waste as rat repellent. The effectiveness of patchouli oil in repelling the paddy field rats was monitored based on the location of rat in the experimental box and the behavioral activities it showed in response to the presence of patchouli alcohol in the atmosphere with respect to exposure time. Using 60 mg sample, which represents oil content in the extraction waste from the 5th 4 hourly extraction, and using the proposed quadratic model, it was found that after 30 minutes of exposure time, with estimation of PA content, 0.129 mg in the surrounding, the rats were effectively repelled from the oil-sample bait. It was also observed that after 50 minutes of exposure time, estimated releasing 0.238 mg patchouli alcohol (PA) to the surrounding showed behavioral effect to the exposed rats. The effectiveness of the patchouli oil on rats was related to the olfactory system it possesses. Hence, the study concluded that the waste from the pathouli extraction still contained sufficient patchouliessential oil is repellent to paddy field rats

Preliminary study on parameters of lysozyme purification using ion exchange chromatography

Lysozyme is high demand bioproduct in market nowadays produced by protein purification process. Chromatography is a multicomponent separation technique which primarily used in the biotechnology sector especially in protein purification. The physical method of chromatography separation in which the components to be separated are distributed in stationary phase and mobile phase. One of the chromatography techniques that widely used is ion exchange chromatography (IEC) which based on the electrostatic interaction. The basic theory of the IEC separation process is depending on the isoelectric of the protein (pI). The pI of the protein is influence to determine the media of IEC whether anion or cation exchanger been used. In the experimental work, the automated liquid chromatography system from Amersham-Pharmacia Biosciences is designed for method development and research application whereas calibrated and controlled by a computer using UNICORN software. Preliminary study on the parameters is based on pH and salt concentration which to achieve the high purity of lysozyme. Some purification experiments were done to find the optimal operation condition to purify lysozyme from protein mixture by changing buffer pH and salt concentration in elution buffer to elute the interest protein. Based on the result and discussion; by manipulating pH value, the highest height detected at pH 8.5 which is 2.680. Using calibration curve, concentration of lysozyme is 0.0315 mg/ml. When NaCl concentration was manipulated, the concentration was optimizing at 0.3 M with is the result is 0.0284 mg/ml. As the conclusion, the optimum condition in purification step at pH buffer 8.5 and elution buffer at 0.3 M which is almost to the expected result refer to previous study

Carbon dioxide management for product supply chain and total site utilisation and storage

The development of insight-based graphical and algebraic techniques in process integration (PI) for carbon dioxide (CO2) emission targeting, design, and planning based on pinch analysis (PA) has evolved in line with the developments of other PI tools for the conservation of resources including heat, mass, gas, power, and electricity. Complementary PA-based tools can provide graphical and visualisation insights that are vital for better conceptual understanding of problems, particularly at the onset of CO2 emission systems planning and design, have been developed over the last ten years. Therefore, a comprehensive and systematic CO2 emissionreduction planning and management using PA-based methods are proposed in this research to provide a systematic and vital insights towards CO2 emission reduction. This research proposes a methodology for CO2 emission reduction throughout product supply chain and end-of-pipe management of CO2 via total site integration. A palm cooking oil product is used to demonstrate the proposed methodology development. In the first step, CO2 emission hotspot which contributes the highest emission phase in the supply chain is identified. Next, the most suitable and economically viable CO2 reduction strategies are identified and screened by using CO2 management hierarchy as a guide, and SHARPS as a cost screening technique. At this stage, a total of 1,077 tonnes per year (t/y) CO2 emissions for a basis of 100 t/y of palm cooking oil production are successfully reduced to 402 t/y which is approximately 63% reduction based on the implementation of CO2 emission reduction strategies that achieved target payback period (TPP ≤ 2 years) and investment cost (INV ≤ USD 150,000). In the third step, the remaining CO2 emission could be further reduced with end-of-pipe emission management considering multiple sites which can act as CO2 sources or demands. A methodology for total site CO2 integration is introduced to integrate and fully utilise the CO2 emissions among industries and/or plants via single and multiple centralised header before being sent to storage to permanently store and zero CO2 emissions can be achieved via single header. Finally, CO2 purification and pressure drop are considered during CO2 transportation in the total site CO2 integration system’s design. An algebraic approach called CO2 utilisation and storage-problem table algorithm is proposed to obtain total site target for integration of CO2 utilisation and storage. In conclusion, a new integrated methodology of CO2 emission reduction for product supply chain and CO2 end-of-pipe management has been successfully developed. This new methodology is expected to enable planners, policy makers or designers to plan and manage their CO2 emissions reduction effectively as well as systematically planning for resource conservation

Carbon dioxide management for product supply chain and total site utilisation and storage

The development of insight-based graphical and algebraic techniques in process integration (PI) for carbon dioxide (CO2) emission targeting, design, and planning based on pinch analysis (PA) has evolved in line with the developments of other PI tools for the conservation of resources including heat, mass, gas, power, and electricity. Complementary PA-based tools can provide graphical and visualisation insights that are vital for better conceptual understanding of problems, particularly at the onset of CO2 emission systems planning and design, have been developed over the last ten years. Therefore, a comprehensive and systematic CO2 emission reduction planning and management using PA-based methods are proposed in this research to provide a systematic and vital insights towards CO2 emission reduction. This research proposes a methodology for CO2 emission reduction throughout product supply chain and end-of-pipe management of CO2 via total site integration. A palm cooking oil product is used to demonstrate the proposed methodology development. In the first step, CO2 emission hotspot which contributes the highest emission phase in the supply chain is identified. Next, the most suitable and economically viable CO2 reduction strategies are identified and screened by using CO2 management hierarchy as a guide, and SHARPS as a cost screening technique. At this stage, a total of 1,077 tonnes per year (t/y) CO2 emissions for a basis of 100 t/y of palm cooking oil production are successfully reduced to 402 t/y which is approximately 63% reduction based on the implementation of CO2 emission reduction strategies that achieved target payback period (TPP = 2 years) and investment cost (INV = USD 150,000). In the third step, the remaining CO2 emission could be further reduced with end-of-pipe emission management considering multiple sites which can act as CO2 sources or demands. A methodology for total site CO2 integration is introduced to integrate and fully utilise the CO2 emissions among industries and/or plants via single and multiple centralised header before being sent to storage to permanently store and zero CO2 emissions can be achieved via single header. Finally, CO2 purification and pressure drop are considered during CO2 transportation in the total site CO2 integration system’s design. An algebraic approach called CO2 utilisation and storage-problem table algorithm is proposed to obtain total site target for integration of CO2 utilisation and storage. In conclusion, a new integrated methodology of CO2 emission reduction for product supply chain and CO2 end-of-pipe management has been successfully developed. This new methodology is expected to enable planners, policy makers or designers to plan and manage their CO2 emissions reduction effectively as well as systematically planning for resource conservation

A systematic technique for cost-effective CO2 emission reduction in process plants

There has been a growing interest in reducing environmental impact caused by greenhouse gasses emissions through various energy minimisation strategies in process plants contributing to sustainable production. CO2 emissions are closely linked to energy generation, conversion, transmissions and utilisation. Numerous studies on the design of energy-efficient processes, optimal mix of renewable energy and hybrid power system are driven to reduce reliance on fossil fuel as well as mitigate CO2 emissions. This paper presents a tool for cost-effective CO2 emission reduction for the industry. A conceptual technique in the form of graphical visualisation tools has been introduced. This technique is performed in four steps. The first step is to determine the energy consumption of a process plant followed by determining the potential strategies to reduce CO2 emissions by using CO2 management hierarchy (CMH) as a guide. The “Investment” vs “CO2 Reduction” (ICO2) plot is constructed to measure the optimal CO2 emission reductions based on the possible strategies implementation. Systematic Hierarchical Approach for Resilient Process Screening (SHARPS) method is then used to screen the options by substituting or implementing partially the various CO2 reduction options in order to meet the cost effective emission reduction within the desired investment or payback period (PP). The graphical tool provides an insight-based approach for systematic CO2 emission reduction in industry considering both thermal and electrical energy sources. An illustrative case study on a palm oil refinery plant was used to demonstrate how the method can be applied to reduce CO2 emissions. Results show that 28.4 % reduction in CO2 emission can be achieved with an investment of RM 149,182, and a payback period of 1 y 5 months considering present energy prices in Malaysia

Pinch Analysis Targeting for CO2 Total Site Planning

Rising CO2 emissions that have been primarily attributed to fossil fuel utilisation have motivated extensive research on optimal CO2 reduction planning and management. Carbon (more precisely CO2) capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) have been the potential solutions to control CO2 emissions. However, mitigating CO2 emissions via CO2 storage in geological reservoirs without utilisation is merely a technology transition, and CO2 utilisation is limited due to the short lifespan of products. The integration of CCS and CCU, described as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), has recently been introduced as a better option to mitigate CO2 emission. This study introduces a new algebraic targeting method for optimal CCUS network based on a Pinch Analysis–Total Site CO2 integration approach. A new concept of Total Site CO2 Integration is introduced within the CCS development. The CO2 captured with a certain quality from the largest CO2 emissions sources or plants is injected into a CO2 pipeline header to match the CO2 demands for utilising by various industries. The CO2 sources and demands are matched, and the maximum CCU potential is targeted before the remaining captured CO2 is injected into a dedicated geological storage. One or more headers are divided into certain composition ranges based on the purity level of the CO2 sources and demands. The CO2 header can satisfy the CO2 demands for various industries located along the headers, which require CO2 as their raw material. The CO2 can be further regenerated, and mixed as needed with pure CO2 generated from one or multiple centralised CO2 plants if required. The main consideration for the problem is the CO2 purity composition of targeted sources and demands. The proper estimation of CO2 integration will reduce the amount of CO2 emission needed to be stored and introduced to systematic CO2 planning and management network

A new algebraic pinch analysis tool for optimising CO2capture, utilisation and storage

Optimal CO2reduction planning can curb the rise in environmental emissions due to the increase in energy demand and utilisation. Carbon (more precisely, CO2) Capture and Storage (CCS) has been one of the proposed solutions to control CO2emissions. However, mitigating CO2emissions via CO2storage in geological reservoirs without utilisation is neither a sustainable solution, nor really a clean technology option. This paper introduces a new algebraic method for targeting the optimum CO2capture, utilisation and storage based on the Pinch Analysis approach. A new Total Site CO2Integration concept is introduced. The concept is to capture CO2with certain quality from various plants on the Total Site and inject it into CO2headers. The CO2headers are divided into certain composition ranges. The CO2headers can satisfy the CO2demands for various industries located along the headers, which require CO2as its raw material. The CO2can be further regenerated, and mixed as needed with pure CO2generated from one or multiple centralised CO2plant if required. The excess CO2is to be sent to geological storage. The proper utilisation of CO2will reduce the amount of CO2needed to be stored. This will extend the geological carbon storage-life capacity. Aside from estimating CO2utilisation, this method also allows an industrial site planner to identify the suitable industries that can act as CO2sources or CO2demands for a given region