Tuesday, June 12, 2012

DOE Projects in PA

Today the Energy Department announced more than $54 million new investments in manufacturing, with an additional $17 million in cost share from the private sector.  Of the 13 projects two are in Pennsylvania.  

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
Partners:  The Pennsylvania State University
Location:  Allentown, PA
Bioelectrochemical Integration of Waste Heat Recovery, Waste-to-Energy Conversion, and Waste-to-Chemical Conversion with Ind:  $1,200,000
This project combines a microbial reverse electrodialysis technology with waste heat recovery to convert effluents into electricity and chemical products including hydrogen gas. This technology uses salinity gradients to overcome the thermodynamic barriers and over potential associated with hydrogen production. This technology will be applicable to a wide variety of U.S. industrial sectors, including the chemical, food, pharmaceutical, and refinery industries and, by providing on-site electricity generation, could save industry 40 trillion Btus annually and further offset 6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. 

Lyondell Chemical Company
Partners:  BASF Qtech Inc. and Quantiam Technologies Inc.
Location:  Newtown Square, PA
Catalyst-Assisted Production of Olefins from Natural Gas Liquids: Prototype Development and Full-Scale Testing
Cost Share:  $2,199,895
DOE Investment:  $4,500,000
This project will use a new coating material to reduce surface deposits (unwanted byproducts) and improve the energy efficiency of ethylene production. As ethylene production is the largest user of energy in the chemical industry, a 6 to 10% per plant reduction in energy consumption would result in an annual energy savings of 20-35 trillion Btus. The proposed technology can be installed during the normal maintenance cycle, and, with the growing availability of shale gas, it has the potential to help the U.S. maintain its position as a world leader in olefins production.

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