Tata Chemicals Europe Opens UK's Largest Carbon Capture Plant
Tata Chemicals Europe officially opened the UK's first industrial-scale carbon capture and usage plant, a move that signals a key milestone in the race to meet the UK's net-zero targets.
The 20 million pound investment was completed by Northwich-based Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE) in north-west England, one of Europe's leading producers of sodium carbonate, salt and sodium bicarbonate. The company claims it is now able to manufacture one of the lowest carbon footprint sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate products in the world, chemicals used to make a wide array of everyday items seen in many households.
In a "world-first", carbon dioxide captured from energy generation emissions is being purified to food and pharmaceutical grade and used as a raw material in the manufacture of sodium bicarbonate, which will be known as Ecokarb and has potential life-saving uses.
Jun 26, 2022
Delhi Bans Entry of Medium, Heavy Vehicles from Nov-Feb to Curb Pollution
The Delhi government issued an order banning the entry of medium and heavy goods vehicles in the national capital from November to February in an effort to curb vehicular pollution.
According to an official, entry of such vehicles will be banned from November 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023. Vehicular pollution leads to deterioration of air quality during the winter months.
The national capital witnesses high levels of air pollution in the winter months from October due to a multitude of factors, including stubble burning and vehicular traffic.
Jun 25, 2022
Four New Corals Recorded from Indian Waters
Scientists recorded four species of azooxanthellate corals for the first time from Indian waters. These new corals were found from the waters of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Azooxanthellate corals are a group of corals that do not contain zooxanthellae and derive nourishment not from the sun but from capturing different forms of plankton. These groups of corals are deep-sea representatives, with the majority of species reporting from between 200 m to 1000 m. Their occurrences are also reported from shallow coastal waters.
Tamal Mondal, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) scientist behind these new records, said that all the four groups of corals are from the same family Flabellidae.
Jun 24, 2022
IOC Unveils Indoor Solar Cook Top 'Surya Nutan'
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) unveiled its patented indigenous solar cook top, "Surya Nutan", developed by the oil refiner's Faridabad R&D centre. Surya Nutan will aid in reducing India's CO 2 emissions drastically and keep our citizens insulated from the vagaries of the high international fossil fuel prices.
The product was demonstrated in the presence of the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) HS Puri; Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh; Minister of State (MoS) for Commerce & Industry Som Prakash; MoS for Housing & Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore, and Minister of Finance and Parliamentary Affairs of Uttar Pradesh Suresh Khanna.
The solar cook top is a stationary, rechargeable and kitchen-connected indoor solar cooking system. It offers an online cooking mode while charging
Surya Nutan works in hybrid mode, which means it can run on both solar and auxiliary energy sources simultaneously. The insulation design of the solar cook top minimises radiative and conductive heat losses.
Jun 23, 2022
Government Gears Up for Single-Use Plastic Items Ban by June End
The Central Pollution Control Board undertook comprehensive measures to give effect to India's commitment to ban identified single use plastic items by 30th June 2022, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.
Plastic items that will be banned from the beginning of July 2022 include ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns and stirrers.