Renewable Energy - Yes There Are Advantages

While many of the fossil fuels continue to be in short demand in every corner of the world, people including governments and individuals concerned with the environment are starting to make the rest of us more aware, that these supplies will simply be gone at some point.

Many concerned people and numerous governments are looking for ways to utilize renewable energy and how this source of energy really will work most effectively.

Fossil fuels are also responsible for many of the biggest problems with the environment.

There have been many studies that link the state of the environment with the use of fossil fuels. Global warming is one of the biggest problems we are facing and both human and animals are impacted by changing weather patterns. The earth is getting hotter and this is being experienced in many places. Wild weather like hurricanes and severe droughts are among the serious consequences of global warming.

You can find a great deal of education in the movie 'An Inconvenient Truth' on the damage that global warming is causing. Normally you can find this video at any video /DVD rental location or movie download. This movie is a great surprise and you may find that this can change the way you live, because hopefully you will appreciate that a green power source must be something that we all will eventually need to incorporate into your own homes.

Right now there are many small changes you can make that can really add up.

A big advantage of most renewable energy sources is that they help to reduce the carbon footprint that each of us is leaving. Solar power, geothermal energy and wind power are some examples of how we can use clean energy sources, and this can help us to be on the leading edge of this growing movement.

Jobs in the United States are created when more people use alternative power sources and these are jobs that are unlikely to leave the US. Many of the positions available for these jobs will have a great pay base as well as benefits.

There are tax credits that are being provided and this is a major benefit provided to help people begin using green energy. This and other incentive programs are starting to make it easier for many more people to afford renewable energy programs. Some of the tax cuts give the consumer up to 30 percent of their solar installation and this is valuable for both commercial and residential consumers.

When alternative energy is affordable for all, more consumers will make this change in their home and begin using green energy technology, to help lessen the impact of global warming. Those who use renewable energy are likely to spread the word about living a greener life and this can help entire communities.

An environmentally sound community can help and guide others on how to be the most efficient in daily life. Getting guides and policies in place can help other people find and stick to a green power system that will cut down on pollution and serious environmental damage to our planet.

You can start with National Geographic. They provide a great guide called the "Green Guide". It contains solid information that someone can use to live their best green life. If your city is not already listed in this guide -- get your city listed.

People could write for quite some time about the advantages of renewable energy. However, you may also want to know about some disadvantages of renewable energy. The major disadvantage is of course the cost of any alternative power source. It is still too much of an expense for many consumers. So many are waiting for the costs to lower, because the $20,000 needed for a PV solar system means it's probably not available for many consumers.

This article is contributed by Alice Shaw. He is an ardent promoter of green living and environmental protection. If you are itching to learn more about alternative energy, you are welcome to visit his site: http://ardentgreenliving.com. You will get more green energy info.

To guess post in this blog, please contact me. You are welcome to do so to share ideas, information, experience and others related to chemical engineering industry. I look forward to receive your article... :)

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FREE Recommended magazines to get you updated with current engineering news

Have you downloaded my free "Choosing Alternative Fuel" Ebook? If not, then please download it here. It's Free and on top of getting the free ebook, you'll get eCourse on Alternative Fuel. It's a good and easy way to add more valuable information to yourself.

I want FREE sustainable ENERGY... Can you give me?

No matter where we are or we work, either in an office, refinery plant or any building, we need it. What is it that is so important to us and our work? The second most important utility after water is for me the electricity.

I still remember the chaos in my plant when suddenly my plant which was operating smoothly suddenly black out. Yeah…the power supply from the power station and also the power grid was disrupted. The supervisor, shift leader and operators rushed to switch of the pumps and close valves in our 8 storey refinery. It’s not easy to handle a sudden power failure such as that for a huge plant. Imagine the lost resulted from the power failure. It’s tremendously huge. Then the funny thing is after 5 minutes, the power resumed. It’s not a joke!!! Although the power failure took 5 minutes, but it took more than 8 hours to stabilize the plant and get the product within specification.

So, who is responsible for such lost? Who will bear the cost?

If I’m running a business, company or factory, I’ll have to swallow the lost which is not even my fault. But that is the reality. What can we do?

If we install a generator or uninterrupted power supply (UPS) system, it can’t cope with the huge power demand of the plant. There is need to outsource for an energy that can back up the present power supply.

For a smaller scale, let say a house, a short power failure would not be such a hassle. The worse you can experience is a total darkness if it happen at night and the hot atmosphere you will face because you cannot switch on your fan or aircond. Or you will be attack by mosquito because you cannot switch on the mosquito repellent.

For several years I have thought of learning about alternative energy to replace the costly electricity and also the fuel to run my cars. Recently I have purchased several information product about solar installation – DIY at home. I have also thought of using the waste cooking oil from my kitchen to prepare biodiesel. However, I’ve not done both yet. I am compressed with tones of work around me from all angle… haha….

The funny thing is, 3 or 4 days after I purchase the ebook on making my own solar at home, I stumbled upon the idea of retrieving free energy from the air. The energy is actually obtained from the invisible wavelength that is abundantly available around us.

I make a swift research to investigate the potential of this free energy. I found out that the free energy systems can provide electricity from energy sources around us. Once we install the free energy devices, interestingly, we won’t have to pay monthly electricity bills ever again! This has triggered me to explore this energy a little bit further.

Free energy products work on different principles, developed by free energy specialists all over the world. Out of a wide variety of techniques, some free energy methods have been found to be more effective and dependable. One of these techniques involve the generation of electricity from TV and radio waves around us. Another involves the production of electricity from electrostatic charges in the atmosphere. Yet another method focuses on the conversion of radiant energy ever present in the atmosphere to electrical energy.

Whatever the technique used, free energy systems are reliable and easy to set up. The installation process is so simple that you can easily do it yourself, without the help of any professional electrician. To set up a free energy system for your home, you would need a few auxiliary devices such as a charge controller, a battery, and an inverter. You could also use a system meter between the battery and the inverter, to determine how much electric charge is left in the battery.

The free energy device is connected to a charge controller for regulation of electric charge from the device. The charge controller is then connected to a battery for storage of energy produced by the free energy system. Batteries tend to work better in warm temperatures, so it might be a good idea to encase the battery in a battery box. The battery box also helps you keep things clean and organised.

The battery, with or without the battery box, is then connected to an inverter. Once done, the output of the inverter can be connected to the mains of your house. That is all the set up required for a free energy device. Once done, you can say good bye, and happily too, to your electricity bills!

If you are interested to learn more about this free energy and the person who develop it 100 years ago, you can download a 25 page FREE ENERGY report. You need to fill up your name and email address and the report will be delivered to you straight away. This report will provide an overview of the energy or preliminary information on understanding the concept.

First Name:
Email address:

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Ethanol Production Industry

Do you know who is the largest ethanol producer in the world? America? Some country in Europe? South Africa? It actually depends on the geographical area that you are speaking about. Let's check out who they are...

Largest ethanol producer in the world

Brazil is currently the world's leader in ethanol production. Because of government subsidies, large sugarcane crops, and high sales taxes on gasoline, Brazil has built a profitable national ethanol industry. Sugarcane is grown in the country as the climate presents perfect conditions for its cultivation and production. It converts very easily to ethanol, and provides Brazil with huge supplies of ethanol.

Largest producer of ethanol in the U.S.

The largest producer of ethanol in the U.S. is a company that many of us have probably never heard of. The company is Archer Daniels Midland. ADM is a company that is an agricultural giant in the United States, and has decades of experience. They have a vast network of railcars, trucks, storage facilities, and barges that are capable of delivering high-grade ethanol.

Hmmm... there are actually more to discuss and more to share about the Ethanol Producers. It's tough to share all those technical, economical and other related information about ethanol producers in a short blog post like this. To have a clearer and precise information sharing on ethanol business, I would like to recommend Ethanol Producer magazine.

The magazine is known throughout the ethanol industry for its authoritative plant construction lists, compelling profiles and engaging features on production, research, science, technology, equipment, environmental and safety compliance, marketing, policy and industry events. Most importantly it is free... Yep..no cost at all. However, I'm sorry to say only those in US, Canada and Mexico is eligible to request for it.

To get the Ethanol Producer magazine, click here.

Bioenergy - Renewable Energy

Energy obtained from Biological Organisms Bioenergy springs from biological sources like wood, waste, and alcohol fuels. In a narrow way it's a synonym to biofuel; the fuel obtained from biological sources. In its wider sense it includes biomass which is the biological material used as a biofuel. This is a typical myth among masses, as bioenergy is the energy removed from the biomass, as the biomass is the fuel and the bioenergy is the energy contained in the fuel. Burning wood for heat is an excellent example of Bioenergy.

In more involved terms, bioenergy can be created by utilizing genetically changed bacteria to create cellulose ethanol. Though oil and coal are made of organic matter, they aren't thought to be bioenergy as they weren't living lately. Bioenergy utilized in real-world circumstances Liquid Bioenergy; Bioethanol and Biodiesel, may be used to replace existing petrol and diesel, with small changes to the engine.

Some major car producers already support this technology and it's getting more widespread. Sugar cane, beet and maize are generally utilized to supply fuel. Biodiesel comes from eatable plant oils. Waste cooking oil can create biodiesel. Biogas is produced from methane and CO2, and is produced from biomass, for example fertilizer, sludge, sewage, feedstock, and other biodegradable waste.Bioenergy is been thought of as a potential appropriate alternative for fossil fuels in some applications, although the technology available is not actually acceptable yet.

Bioenergy is good for using in locations where there aren't much access to fuel import.

Plants can be grown in particular be utilised an as fuel, and can be grown exactly where they're required, which seriously decreases the monetary and environmental costs and the safety risks linked with transporting and storing fuel. Advantages and downsides of bioenergy though by burning or conversion of biomass the pollution of atmosphere aren't totally reduce.

Nonetheless it have some major benefits.In many regions, biomass is more unvarying than solar or wind power. This is as, the wind and solar energy are done by made technology, while the energy in plants is caught and stored. An additional advantage is that bioenergy is produced by organic waste material which helps to save the environmental and commercial costs of their disposal.

Maybe the most significant benefit of bioenergy is it is a doubtless replenish-able natural resource that would help supply energy wants indefinitely. But there are some disadvantages to using bioenergy. Biomass has tiny energy content for bulk use than carbon-based fuels. Therefore the expenses of labor, transport, and storage are relatively higher. Maybe the major difficulty with bioenergy is with recycling. Folk won't demand bioenergy till there's a big cost saving in doing hence but there may not be much savings till there's a much bigger requirement for bioenergy, or the non-renewable sources become seriously costlier.

For more information please visite: http://www.dpfnd.org/

Image credited to livingenergy.co.nz/technical/2/what-is-bioenergy.aspx

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FREE Recommended magazines to get you updated with current engineering news

Have you downloaded my free "Choosing Alternative Fuel" Ebook? If not, then please download it here. It's Free and on top of getting the free ebook, you'll get eCourse on Alternative Fuel. It's a good and easy way to add more valuable information to yourself.

What is Biomass and Is it a Practical Source of Energy?

Biomass is any organic material that is made by plants and animals. This includes all parts of plants, animal flesh and excretions such as manure. Biomass in rich in energy that can be used for fuel which is called biofuel.

Fossil fuels are also a biomass since it's believed that they come from ancient plants and animals. But usually when people speak of biomass they are talking about material produced from sources that are alive now or were recently.

Biofuel is often talked about as though it was a new technology that we can use in the future to help solve our energy supply problems. But humans have been using biofuel since the beginning of humanity. The food we eat is a form of biofuel that we wouldn't exist without. Humans have also used plant materials such as wood wax and whale oil as a fuel to burn for heat and light for thousands of years.

<<< RECOMMENDED RESOURCES ~ POWER ENGINEERING

Newer technologies have allowed us to use biomass for making other biofuels. Biomass can be burned to power electric generators or made into methane, alcohol or bio diesel for powering our cars. These processes are energy intensive meaning a lot of energy is lost in converting biomass into the other forms of fuel or energy. Because of this these biofuels have not been cost effective or practical.

With all the technology going into biofuel research the one form of biofuel that we have been using since ancient times still remains the most efficient and practical. Burning biomass such as wood for direct heating is still the most efficient.

Instead of focusing on trying to use biomass to fuel our cars and generate electricity we may be better off using it to heat our homes and buildings. Firewood may not be practical for most people but pellets made from wood and other biomass may be. Burning pellets is cost effective, clean and may be the most efficient way to utilize the energy in biomass.

For those who want to use biomass as a renewable energy source heating with wood or other biomass pellets are practical and economical and the technology and distribution systems are already available.

<<< RECOMMENDED ~ DIESEL AND GAS TURBINE
Learn more about how biomass works.Learn more about wood pellets.

You can also check out this short video to learn how energy can be derived from biomass. It presents the using of energy from biomass to generate electricity at the Nanticoke Generating Station. Very interesting... :)

Renewable Energy Project Videos

Ever thought of a renewable energy projects? My research is involving a renewable energy reaction, but I'm not revealing it right now until I complete my Ph.D. haha.... But, here are some videos of some student projects that are quite interesting...maybe it can give you some ideas and inspiration...Check it out...

Student Project

Students at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering develop renewable energy projects for a summer course. The course, directed by Dr. Mahendra Sunkara, is the first project for the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship. Students were asked to develop systems using a variety of different backgrounds, from chemical engineering to physics.





Solar Tower - renewable energy green global warming

EnviroMission Limited (www.enviromission.com.au) produced this 5 minute video on the pilot plant in Spain. It is an older video (2000) but gives a decent understanding of the solar tower concept.

EnviroMission, Ltd. (US Market: EVOMY, Australian Exchange: EVM) is a renewable energy developer of sustainable "green" energy solutions for the energy market. EnviroMission aims to be one of Australia's leading producers of clean renewable energy. EnviroMission holds the proprietary rights to Solar Tower technology, a large-scale renewable energy technology based on simple fundamentals of physics -- hot air rises. Solar Tower technology has the potential to offer competitive renewable energy with equal reliability to fossil fuel generators.

A single 200MW Solar Tower power station will provide enough electricity to power around 400,000 households. The energy output will represent an annual saving of more than 1,960,000 tonnes of greenhouse CO2 gases from entering the environment when compared to brown coal emissions in Victoria. The greenhouse savings equate to the removal of approximately 500,000 cars from the road. The Australian Solar Tower project consists of six distinct phases, the first two of which (project optimization and pre-feasibility commercialization) have already been completed. The third phase (final feasibility), paving the way for the implementation of the next three phases (final design, construction, and commercial operation).




Mauritius Heading towards Renewable Energy

What is Biomass Electricity and is it Green?

In the race to find a sustainable source of alternative energy, many heads are turning towards biomass electricity. There are many questions being asked, from exactly how the electricity is made and what it is to whether it is truly a green alternative. While far fewer consumers know about biomass and the potential held within that would be preferred, the word seems to be spreading quickly, adding to the hope that there will be a more significant demand for this unique method of energy production.

Biomass is living and recently dead biological matter, and can include yard clippings, tree branches, and wood chips. Biomass is typically obtained from harvesting and processing agricultural and forestry crops. In a process called co-generation, the biomass is burned, creating steam that turns turbines in order to create electricity. The steam is then used for secondary processes, from factory use to things such as drying out vegetables, making the entire process remarkably energy efficient.

The United States currently utilizes biomass for approximately 0.5 percent of its electricity generation. This small percentage of biomass use saves approximately eleven million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year compared to fossil fuel combustion. Converting biomass to energy also changes methane or CH4 to carbon dioxide or CO2. Because methane emissions are far more harmful to the greenhouse gases surrounding the atmosphere, this process is considered a highly valuable tool in the fight against global warming. Biomass electricity production reduces greenhouse gases at least five times more effectively than other methods of producing electricity, both renewable and nuclear.

One fact that surprises many consumers is that biomass was once the primary source of heat across the globe. When thinking of what comprises biomass, many people do not realize that firewood is considered a source. When considering the amount of homes that still implement fireplaces and the cost effectiveness and efficiency that comes with these heat sources, the need for a source of biomass power on a larger scale becomes more obvious.

One place some cities are finally beginning to see as an excellent source of biomass is municipal waste areas. As landfills are exceeding their capacity, we are left with lots of trash and nowhere to store it. A great percentage of our waste is able to be used to produce energy, and many cities are starting to see that converting this waste to energy has multiple benefits in that it creates renewable and environmentally friendly energy while also reducing landfill bound waste.

While most sources of energy must start at the top before they will be usable to consumers, there are a variety of options for using biomass to power your home. New homes can be built to burn wood or other biomass to produce energy. Homes are still connected to a city grid in case there is a need for more power, and when excess power is created it produces a credit as the electric meter runs backwards. As the cost of energy rises significantly, more and more homeowners are implementing such systems in their homes, with the global hope that businesses and industries will soon be forced to follow suit.

Renewable Energy Today is devoted to providing individuals with up-to-date information and resources on renewable energy and sustainability. Through articles, videos and other content, you can learn how to implement renewable energy in your home as well as what the government is doing to help the environment.

If you are interested to read and understand more on this issue, you can apply the following magazines which are free.


Renewable Energy World provides authoritative articles, case studies and essential news on global developments in the renewables sector. Every issue includes features on wind power, solar thermal, photovoltaics and biomass. Regular coverage is also devoted to geothermal, energy storage, small hydro, and hybrid systems.

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SOMCHE 2009 - INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHEMICAL AND BIOPROCESS ENGINEERING (ICCBPE-2009)

SOMCHE 2009, which will be in August, will be organized by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). It is an annual event not to be missed by national chemical engineers.

Objectives of this event are:
- To share findings on advanced product design, development and recovery for natural resources.
- To produce a conference proceeding that can be a reference to the students and researchers.
- To serve as a forum for industries and researchers to exchange ideas.

Theme:
Advanced product design, development and recovery for natural resources.

Introduction

The technologies of chemical and bioprocess engineering are now a days moving at a tremendous pace by offering new features and performance improvement in chemical industries. Competition between manufacturers and a universal recognition of the need for research and development are the reasons for the fast movement in the current technology. Process is being made in understanding process performance and also in the rapid development of bio-products for the new frontier products. Realizing the importance of the win-win situation, 23^rd Symposium of Malaysian Chemical Engineers (SOMChE) 2009 in conjection with the 3 rd International Conference on Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering (ICCBPE-2009) will be organized by School of engineering and information technology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

23rd Symposium of Malaysian Chemical Engineers (SOMCHE) 2009

in conjunction with

3rd International Conference on chemical and Bioprocess Engineering (ICCBPE)

ORGANIZER:
Chemical Engineering Programme, School Of Engineering & Information Technology, UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH, 88999 KOTA KINABALU SABAH,MALAYSIA

CO-ORGANISER:
Centre of Materials & Minerals, School Of Engineering & Information Technology, UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH, 88999 KOTA KINABALU, SABAH, MALAYSIA

VENUE :
Sutera Harbour Golf Resort,
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
www.suteraharbour.com


DATE : 12^th –14^th August 2009

If you have any interesting research or ideas related to the program theme, I highly encourage you to participate in this conference. I myself, may consider to present a technical paper in the conference but I should prepare an abstract and submit it before 30th January 2009. Acceptance of abstract will be on 15th February 2009 while receipt of full paper will be expected at 31st March 2009. I'll update this post accordingly to provide more information.

For further information, please refer to the official >> website.
_________________________________________

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Doxford Power Ltd - Volume Potable Water and Power Production

I just received an interesting email (thanks Mr. Ray for forwarding it to me) mentioning about a special "Volume Potable Water and Power Production" product. It is believed that this product will be of interest to World Vision as it provides clean potable water as a by-product of electrical power generation, both of which are core fundamentals to health issues for the developing world. I believe, a lot more parties will be interested with such a brilliant revolutionary product like this.

Doxford Power Ltd. (DPL), a company based in UK, produces a 10MWe power station equipment or power stations complete on a supply or BOO (Build, Own and Operate) basis. These power stations are significantly different to current (fossil and alternative) power stations in that their primary fuel is derived from two sources, Biomass (Jatropha Curcas, Rapeseed, Palm oil etc) or waste (household or industrial). With that, the product has no reliance on fossil fuels, the chance for a developing country to meet its current and future energy demands from domestic agribusiness and a waste management solution which can be run in parallel to the agribusiness which can utilize what is normally sent to landfill sites as EfW (energy for waste).

DPL owns and utilizes a second technology called a Powereau Unit which drives considerable efficiencies into standard heat engines (generators and gas turbines) and also the DPL power units. A by-product of this intercooler technology is water, and it produce lots of it. A 10MWe power station will require approximately 25,000 tonnes of biomass oil per month but will produce as a by-product in excess of 100,000 tonnes of water per month and more in humid conditions. This water alone justifies the fuel source.

Fuel Source

The DPL 10MWe power plant can utilize Jatropha Curcas plantations to supply 100% renewable and sustainable fuel supply. The berry crop has the oil removed via crushing and filtration with the waste being made into briquettes for domestic heating and cooking use (thus avoiding cutting further trees) One key issue here is sustainable employment. One DPL power plant will require 2000 hectares of land on average to run every year if Jatropha Curcas is the crop of choice. This provides employment at usually a higher standard than current farmers receive of one job per hectare.

The core infrastructure resources for world health are water and power. This DPL power plant provides both of these and whats more, it can commercially reduce current power production costs.

It seems that this is a superb product and the company has began the business development for it. I understand that the marketing material for this product is being processed now. Hence, what you are seeing (from the power point slide presentation) is the core management marketing pre-graphic designers and is not the final professional presentation yet. The product will only be available from April 2008 onwards.

I tried to get further in depth information from the company's website; Doxfordpower.com, however, it could not be opened. I hope the problem can be rectified and interested parties can refer to it for more information.

Check out the NEW: Energy Production VIDEOS

2 Major Exhibitions and Conferences in 2 Countries

There will be two major events (Exhibition and Conference) coming on this coming week from 27 - 30th November 2007. One will be held in Malaysia while the other one will be organized in Singapore. Check it out:

BioMalaysia 2007 - Venue: Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur.

BioMalaysia 2007, Malaysia’s premier international biotechnology event, brings together biotechnology and life science professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers from all over the world to connect, network, learn and exchange ideas.

BioMalaysia 2007 is targeted at local and international biotechnology and life sciences attendees from all areas of the industry specifically in Agriculture, Healthcare and Industrial sectors.

This year’s theme focuses on innovation, the driving force of biotechnology. Get new perspectives and insights on how the biotechnology and life sciences industry plays a crucial role in innovation economy, and what the unique opportunities and challenges are in bringing innovative discoveries to commercialisation in the global markets. Hear what the roadmap for an Innovation Economy in Malaysia will be.

Featuring

• Latest research findings
  
• State-of-the-art technologies
  
• New product launches and demonstrations
  
• Networking opportunities with local and international attendees
  
• Business and collaborative opportunities
  
• Production and research capabilities
  
• Media publicity opportunities

Focus Area
Agriculture, Healthcare and Industrial Biotechnology

----------------------$----------------------

CIA 2007 - Venue: Suntec Singapore, Level 4.
ControlsAsia2007 - The 15th International Plant Process Engineering Exhibition and Conference
InstrumentAsia2007 - The 13th International Instrumentation, Measurement and Testing Exhibition and Conference
AnaLabAsia2007 - The 11th International Laboratory and Analytical Technology Exhibition and Conference

CIA2007 provides an ideal platform for the sharing of ideas and building of new contacts among the industry leaders and professionals in controls & automation, instrument, testing, analysis and process engineering. Preregister Online at: www.cia-asia.com

Personally, I have attended the CIA2006 held in KLCC last year. I gained a lot of informations, ideas, knowledges and goodies. It will be great to attend the CIA2007 in Singapore. Unfortunately, I could not make it to either the BioMalaysia2007 or the CIA2007 due to job constraint. Hopefully I can visit such exhibition later in the future. I hope anybody attending the exhibition or seminar can share their experiences with us.


Discuss your problems at Chemical Engineering Forum

Oil and Fats International Congress 2007 in Cairo

My job is not flexible enough to allow me to visit the recent Oil and Fats International Congress (OFIC) 2006 in Cairo last March. That's fine. Even if I can go, I don't have the budget!!! If I'm a researcher and I have a research grant and have a paper to present, then I can probably go. I participated in OFIC 2006 in Kuala Lumpur last year. Check out my previous post:

I'm back from the Congress
OFIC 2006 Exhibition
OFIC 2006 Modules

Enough about that, back to OFIC 2007. The aim of the conference was to provide a good overview of the edible oils and fats industry by covering current processes and products together with a look at future trends. Expert speakers were invited from all over the world. Day 1 focused on raw materials and their processing, and Day 2 on applications, both industrial and consumer products. Other subjects covered included quality control, crystallisation , labelling and nutrition.

A colleague of mine from Taiko Clay who went to OFIC 2007 in Cairo was kind enough to email me the link to the list of papers/slides presented during the conference - soci.org.

Among the interesting topic covered during the conference are:

Production and Processing - An Overview of Future Trends
Ken Carlson, Crown, USA

Potentials in Bleaching Earth Reduction - Theoretical Background, Industrial Results
Gunter Börner, OHMI Engineering, Germany

Formulation and use of Frying Oils
Adam Thomas, AarhusKarlshamn, UK

Life Cycle Assessment of Vegetable Oils & Spreads
Erich Dumelin, Unilever, The Netherlands

There are a lot more fantastic and informative titles. Check out soci.org.
The next OFIC 2007 will be held in China. Are you going??

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Genetic Engineering News Gave Me $2

Today I received a letter from Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, which is based in New York. Actually, I'm a subscriber of their GEN magazine which is published every two weeks. They send me a hard copy magazine. Well, genetic engineering is not closely related to chemical engineering, but I subscribe the magazine to get some input from other engineering branches. At least I learn something about DNA, RNA, peptide, protein, drug, bioprocessing, biobusiness etc. It's enriching and sometimes confusing to know those tiny, minute, mysterious DNA-RNA stuff.

Back to the letter story. They send me a letter and I opened the envelop. I saw $2 and I'm surprised! I read the title of the letter and it said, "We need your help to measure the value of our publication. Your opinions will allow us to publish an even better resource for you!".

The P.S. was written in red: Please accept the enclosed $2 as a token of our appreciation for your help.

Enclosed in the letter is a 4 pages of "Confidential Survey of our Subscribers". I have not yet fill the survey but I'm going to do it tomorrow.

They provided me with a Business Reply Mail envelop (to be sent to Lewis and Clark Research, US), but I have to pay for the postage because I'm mailing from outside US. On the top right conner on the envelop it is printed: "No postage necessary if mailed in the United States".

Hmmm....I guess, It's OK. I don't mind paying for the postage. However, I think, they should make international reader like me to be excluded from paying for the postage next time. Or is the $2 cost for the postage?

You can check out and get free subscription of GEN magazine online (if you're interested) at www.genengnews.com.

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