COVER STORY
Expanding the global model
Although issues relating to overcapacity, reduced demand, and rising feedstock prices have negatively affected capital spending by clients in this industry group, EPC companies have responded by focusing its services to help clients reduce production costs and increase plant efficiencies. In addition, through its alliance-related projects, they have assisted clients in increasing plant reliability and safety by consolidating and managing multi-site programs ...
- Balakrishnan Nair

LEADERSPEAK
“Aker Solutions will reflect our heritage of innovation and breakthrough solutions”
- Pothen Paul, Country Manager, Aker Solutions

REGULATION
Overcoming obstacles and adapting business models in post-REACH era
The REACh Regulation gives greater responsibility to industry to manage the risks from chemicals and to provide safety information on the substances. In the post REACh era, Indian manufacturers and importers will be required to gather information on the properties of their chemical substances, which will allow their safe handling, and to register the information in a central database run by the European Chemicals Agency
- Reynold D’souza, Sakata Inx, India

INSIGHT
Performance chemicals: A plethora of global opportunities
The Indian performance chemical industry is estimated at
Rs 290.7 billion. The market is currently growing at a rate of 12.9% per
annum due to steep rise in domestic demand. The Indian performance
chemicals market constitutes only 1.76% of the global performance
chemicals market. The tremendous growth of the domestic market
makes the country promising to the leading global participants ...

PERSPECTIVE
What ails the Indian chemical industry?
Notwithstanding all the advantages inherent to the Indian performance chemical industry as specified in the earlier article, the situation continues to be grim. This report analyzes the challenges faced by Indian industry taking into account domestic and international developments as well as factors, which have shaped the industry over the past few years. This report brings into focus several hardships faced by the industry and to facilitate better understanding of the industry’s functioning ...

PROCESS
Choosing the right vacuum pump
There is no single type of pump that will provide all the attributes necessary to meet any and all process requirements. Thus the ideal approach would be a careful analysis of your process and its pumping needs before you select the right pump ...
- Toshniwal Systems & Instruments Pvt Ltd

EVENT
CDM: Road for realizing CER potential
Mumbai: India is a global leader in terms of registered Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects with a total of 346 Indian projects as on June16 2008. It has consolidated its position in terms of host country approved CDM projects. To date, around 946 projects have got Designated National Authorities (DNA) approval and the estimated carbon emission reductions (CERs) volume will reach 492 million till 2010 if they are successfully registered by CDM-EB. CERs have already been issued for 225 projects, of which 42.91 million CERs are issued to Indian projects as on June 2008 ...

PROCESS
Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer for fuel hydrogen production
The next several years will see a massive emergence of hydrogen fuel cells as an alterative energy option in both transportation and domestic use. The hydrogen economy has enormous societal and technical appeal as a potential solution to the fundamental energy concerns of abundant supply and minimal environmental impact. It is observed that the current density is higher at higher temperatures and reaches a maximum of 0.72 A/cm2 at a cell voltage of 2.17 volt.
- S K Masud Hossain and Manas Das