Tracerco, part of Johnson Matthey Plc, has recently been awarded a deep-water subsea inspection project to assess the integrity of a new pipelay in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM).

As a method of ensuring maximum value and profitability, whilst safeguarding operational personnel and the environment, the operator will deploy Discovery^TM, Tracerco’s Subsea CT Scanner, to obtain critical baseline integrity data on the new pipeline system.

Via the use of corrosion modelling, multiple inspection locations will be identified by the operator along the pipe. Discovery^TM will then be deployed to scan each pre-defined inspection area to obtain critical baseline data and identify and characterise any potential metal loss anomalies, defects or general wall loss. By obtaining this accurate integrity data on areas of future potential concern, the operator will ensure they have the data needed to be confident going forward, that the condition of their pipeline system meets all safety and regulatory requirements, whilst ensuring that maximum production is achieved.

After the initial inspection campaign, Discovery^TM will be deployed annually to reinspect the new pipeline system to measure corrosion growth rates and identify any potential integrity concerns.

Discovery^TM, was deemed the most suitable technological solution for the inspection campaign, as it can provide real time data on a variety of integrity issues including pipeline corrosion, pitting and wall thinning, without interrupting production. Discovery^TM inspections are also non-intrusive, meaning the risk of damage to the pipeline is minimised as there is no requirement to remove any protective coating – regardless of thickness and material.

To learn more about how you can obtain accurate wall thickness measurements, eliminate costly downtime and keep production targets on track during a subsea pipeline inspection campaign, visit tracerco.com/services/subsea/ or email tracerco@tracerco.com  

Tracerco, part of Johnson Matthey plc, is a global oil and gas service company providing local support through an extensive range of bases and offices worldwide. With approximately 400 people with 30 different nationalities, Tracerco aims to provide its customers with global coverage, with a local service culture.

Tracerco supplies a wide range of innovative technologies to measure and characterise process conditions and diagnose operational problems across the petroleum industry ranging from reservoir through to refining. Tracerco’s specialist technologies are used to increase production, reduce operating costs and optimise shutdown programmes. For further information visit Tracerco

Fly-tipping is despised for its vandalism, uncleanliness, and misconduct. But the damages to the environment and wildlife are equally abhorrent. We’re no stranger to images of animals entangled in our waste, with birds wrapped in plastic bags or hedgehogs stuck in beer rings. But the harm of fly-tipping to wildlife is profuse beyond the collaring of small rodents.

In fact, the damages of fly-tipping are numerous. Illegally discarded waste can present many hazards for animals, including sharp objects physically wounding animals and an increased risk of infection from fly-tipped food that can carry bacteria and viruses. These damages should not be just of concern due to their cruel nature, but also because of their consequential effect on our lives.

Something in the water

Fly-tipping can have damaging effects on wildlife in most aspects of their life. Not only does it condemn natural habitats and introduce animals to a dangerous diet of waste food, but it can also poison vital waterways with plastic and chemical pollution.

The erosion of plastic waste in rivers and oceans creates microplastics. Microplastics are small fragments of plastic that pollute the environment. They can be made intentionally small or have been worn to a smaller size after being littered.

If these microplastics are consumed by animals it can have numerable undesirable effects. In some species, it may block their digestive tract, which can lead to starvation. In others, chemicals from the plastic may transfuse into their bloodstream and cause clotting and neurological damage. These pollutants can also be transferred to humans when animals are eaten. One study suggests that humans can consume between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles a year through their lifestyle and diet. With traces of chemicals such as chlorine and lead found in these particles, over time, the consequences of this pollution may be toxic.

A littering pandemic

Diseases can be carried through food. With nearly two-thirds of fly tipping incidents involving household waste, food is likely to be abundant in littering episodes. The dumping of food has consequences for wildlife – it attracts rodents, affects their diets, and can make them susceptible to disease.

This last point is particularly important, especially in the current climate and with the spread of COVID-19. Fly-tipping has been identified as a contributor to this virus. Wasted coffee cups, animals that act as carriers for the virus, and virus particles may be found on a fly-tipping site. Animals may contract diseases from burrowing in waste and licking or eating discarded waste. These diseases have the potential to be passed onto household pets and humans.

Sarah Gilbert, a vaccine professor from Oxford University, expects zoonotic-based infections to increase with our degrading lifestyles. The coronavirus pandemic has only helped to emphasise this point. She believes, “Because of the way things have been going in the world, it’s more likely we’ll have zoonotic infections causing outbreaks in the future.”.

Not only do we have a responsibility to keep our environments safe and clean for other people, but we also owe it to animals and wildlife to continue their natural lives without the obstructions of damaged habitat, changed diets, and an increased risk of disease. Fly-tipping can easily be avoided by hiring waste removal from a trusted source. The consequences of fly-tipping are particularly alarming when considering the transferability of pollution and diseases from animals to humans.

Sources

The world is in the midst of a waste crisis. Tonnes and tonnes of waste is being produced and dumped at landfill. At the same time there is the worry of fuel shortages. Can the two issues be solved together?

Countries such as the UK, and USA have already been using waste-to-energy solutions to address these problems. In recent years the amount of waste collected by local authorities in England for the purpose of waste-to-energy incineration peaked at 11.03 million tons But, what developments can be made in the industry? There are various new methods of dealing with waste that will offer benefits to society. However, are all waste-to-energy methods viable or are some less environmentally friendly?

In this article we will investigate the status of waste-to-energy solutions and how waste could provide energy in the place of fossil fuels.

More can be done to stop the crisis

In the past decade there have been many improvements made in the fight to combat waste. The 5p plastic bag levy for one, and the introduction of a doorstep recycling collection in the UK just to name a couple. But what happens after we pop our rinsed-out food containers in our blue bins? Well, it might not always be recycled: in the wake of China’s plastic waste import ban in 2017, it was revealed that much of the waste marked for “recycling” had been sent to the country and was contaminated by general waste or food residue. Therefore, it unfortunately ended up as landfill and incorrectly counted towards the UK’s recycling target.

Landfills are a major problem. Not only are they an eyesore, but according to Prescouter, as waste breaks down on a landfill, gases such as methane and dioxins are released, along with a toxic liquid known as leachate. Leachate has the potential to contaminate soil, water, plants, and food.

What methods of waste-to-energy are being used

These are the current methods of waste-to-energy solutions outlined by Prescouter:

• Thermal – this includes direct combustion which is known as incineration. The waste is directly burned, and thermal energy collected.
• Mechanical and Thermal – this method sees waste being dried and pulverised before becoming solid fuel. That solid fuel can then be burned for thermal energy.  
• Thermo-chemical – thiscovers torrefaction, plasma technology, gasification, pyrolysis, and liquefaction.
  • Torrefaction changes biomass into a substance akin to coal for better fuel properties.
  • Plasma technology uses plasma to turn organic material into syngas. This syngas can then be used as fuel.
  • Gasification is like plasma technology. It transforms organic or fossil fuel materials into gases like carbon dioxide for fuel.
  • Pyrolysis uses decomposed materials to thermally to produce liquid fuel.
  • Liquefaction is a process where liquid fuel is made from solid waste.
• Biochemical – this uses fermentation and anaerobic digestion. Fermentation produced ethanol, and anaerobic digestion involved microorganisms breaking down waste and producing biogas.

What are the problems with waste-to-energy methods?

The main issue with thermal methods of waste-to-energy solutions such as incineration is that it produces harmful ashes and emissions when long form carbons such as plastic is burned, therefore harming the environment.

Waste-to-energy solutions have their advantages

 There are several benefits to using energy from waste. Such perks include landfill reduction, avoidance of landfill tax and charges, and of course, renewable energy. Unlike fossil fuels, waste is not going to drop in availability. Bioenergy consult points out that, while more than 50 per cent of waste is burnt for energy, it is a “short carbon cycle” that means the original matter doesn’t contribute to climate change originally. In contrast, long carbon cycles like plastic have already contributed to climate change in their creation and burning them for energy would offset some of that carbon cost.

If produced and monitored correctly, waste-to-energy could offer a renewable source of energy with a low carbon emission rate. Using waste as the catalyst for creating fuel isn’t the issue as much as the process in which the fuel is obtained. As discussed, incinerating fossil fuels or waste for energy is problematic, but other methods such as biochemical processes could see waste provide energy while simultaneous reducing the volume of rubbish.

What will the future look like for waste-to-energy?

To help combat our waste issue, waste-to-energy is a viable solution to stop using fossil fuels and reduce our waste volume at the same time? The challenge now is to make sure that the emissions from these energy processes are monitored and reduced as much as possible. Dubai is already in the final stages of financing the world’s biggest waste-to-energy plant.

Companies like Reconomy who provide services such as hazard waste management are educating themselves by partnering with the Supply Chain Sustainability School to educate themselves on the new processes being developed to create a more sustainable future within the Construction and Infrastructure sectors.

Sources: