The Catalyst

Where: Tour: Forced Oxidation to Gypsum (FOG) Plant

(located at the Bruce Mansfield Plant in Shippingport, PA)

RSVP No Later Than

Thursday, March 9^th, 2000, to:

 

Mr. Ed Moretti, Vice Chair

emoretti@mbakercorp.com

Baker Environmental

TEL 412-269-6055

FAX 412-269-6097

 

Name

Menu Selection

Email

Telephone

 

Forced Oxidation to Gypsum (FOG) ~ Plant Tour

A partnership between Dravo Lime (now part of Carmeuse) and FirstEnergy (parent company of Pennsylvania Power) has resulted in several patented technologies, of which the FOG process is one. This FOG plant, located at the Bruce Mansfield plant in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, is the first FOG full-scale facility. It produces up to 70 tons wallboard-quality gypsum per hour, sending it all to National Gypsum Co.'s plant across the street.

About the Presenter

Directions to the Plant

From Pittsburgh: North on 60 to 68 West (Exit 13B, Midland). Take bridge over Ohio River (Route 168). Turn left into plant.

I would like to congratulate the Professional Promise Award Winners for 2000. Please refer to the column "Student Night" for more details about this prestigious award presented to College Seniors from our Four Accredited Schools of Chemical Engineering. Thank you to ALL the students who attended the meeting. You made it a record-breaking year!

We wish success to the six poster presenters. You did an excellent job of representing your schools!

Our gratitude also goes out to our featured speaker Dr. Pat Atkins of ALCOA. Pat’s presentation on The Role of Engineering in Sustainable Development was intriguing.

Please take a minute and review our "Volunteers Needed" column. We are always in need of energetic people who are interested in growing in our Pittsburgh Chapter. This is an excellent way to receive the maximum benefits from your membership. Your help is very much appreciated!

I look forward to meeting you all at future AIChE meetings!

Peggy Panagopoulos

AIChE Newsletter Editor
ChemTech Consultants, Inc.
1370 Washington Pike, 4^th Floor
Bridgeville, PA 15017
TEL: 412-220-4612
FAX: 412-221-5685
EMAIL: pegpana@chemtech88.com

Wednesday, March 15^th, 2000

Please contact:

Peggy Panagopoulos

ChemTech Consultants, Inc.
1370 Washington Pike, 4^th Floor
Bridgeville, PA 15017
TEL: 412-220-4612
FAX: 412-221-5685
EMAIL: pegpana@chemtech88.com

---

Membership

Database Development ~ Integrate Meeting Reservations/Attendance with Total Membership to develop contact lists of active members

Engineers Week Coordinator

Chemistry Week Coordinator

Science Fair Coordinator ~ Ed Moretti

 

Newsletter

Column Writer ~ What’s New in the Section

Column Writer ~ Technical Articles

Column Writer ~ Government Regulations and Legislation

Column Writer ~ Internet Resources/Sites of the month

 

Secretary

Assistant ~ Take minutes and fill in on Absence of Secretary

Treasurer Assistant ~ Collect Payments and fill in on Absence of Treasure

 

Programs

Promotion ~ ESWP Technicalendar and ACS Newsletter Interface

Speaker Recognition Mementos

Award Banquet Chair and Support

Student Night ~ Paper Competition

Student Night ~ Table Sponsors

Student Night ~ Support

 

Development

Promotion ~ ESWP Technicalendar and ACS Newsletter Interface

Executive Program Concept Proposal

Sponsor Relations for Awards, Banquet, and special projects

University/Student Chapter Relations

West Virginia Chapter Development

 

Awards & Scholarship

Awards Committee Members ~ Solicitation of Nominations

Awards Committee Members ~ Evaluation/Selection of Awardees

Awards Committee Members ~ Solicitation of Nominations

 

Programs

Promotion ~ ESWP Technicalendar and ACS Newsletter Interface Award Banquet Chair and Support

 

Dr. Ted Andersen

ChemTech Consultants

TEL: 412-220-4555

FAX: 412-221-5685

EMAIL: TSAndersen@AOL.com

Student Night Summary

One hundred twenty students, professors, and local AIChE members were present for the annual Student Night event held at The University Club on February 16^th, 2000. Before dinner, attendees were able to review the following research posters:

Following dinner, Pat Atkins from Alcoa, Inc. presented a very interesting talk on the Role of Engineering in Sustainable Development.

Professional Promise awards were presented to the following students:

I want to thank all of those who attended and helped to make this year's Student Night a success.

Pictures from Student Night Meeting

(From Ted Andersen's Digital Camera)

Biotechnology Company Figures Out How to Mass Produce Cancer Cure Found in Nature

Biotechnologists at Kosan Biosciences in Hayward, California have discovered a method for mass-producing a compound that was previously only available in nature.

The compounds, which are known as epothilones, are produced from a bacterium found in soil. Mass production in the lab had eluded researchers up to now. Kosan has stated that they can now produce large amount of the substances by genetically engineering another bacteria.

Daniel Santi, one of the founders and chairman of Kosan, said in a statement "It should not take long now to develop our strain into one that produces the amounts of epothilone needed for clinical trials."

Epothilones have been considered the next advance in cancer treatment. Currently, the state-of-the-art drug is Taxol, produced by Bristol-Myers–Squibb. Taxol, while being particularly powerful against ovarian cancer, has many problems associated with it. It does not dissolve in water, meaning that doctors must administer the treatment with other compounds that have side effects.

Many forms of cancer are also resistant to Taxol.

Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Uses Microorganisms to Remove Contaminants from the Environment

Researchers at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory have successfully used naturally occurring microorganisms to remove contaminants from the environment.

Two different processes involving microorganisms were used.

In the first case, a lactate solution was pumped into the Snake River Plain aquifer. The solution was used to clean up the industrial solvent trichloroethene, which was pumped in sludge form into the aquifer until the 1970s. Through metabolic processes, the bugs in the aquifer's fractured rock layers broke down the solvent into nontoxic compounds. Contamination was reduced from 3,800 micrograms per liter to 19 micrograms per liter in a test that ran from Spring 1999 through November.

The second test was the use of microorganisms to destroy chunks of trinitrotoluene and contaminated soils at the Laboratory. In this trial, scientists maintained a compost pile at the site that held as much as 30 gallons of contaminated soil with chunks of the contaminant, an explosive. Soil cleanup efficiency was 99.9%, as the final concentration of trinitrotoluene was .89 parts per million.

Design Power, Inc. Releases New Version of Front-End Plant Concept

Design Power, Inc., a leading supplier of engineer-to-order design systems, today announced a new release of its software suite for front-end plant concept modeling.

The name for Design Power's suite is PlantWise. The software is a knowledge-based suite of software tools that captures the expertise of engineers to speed the creation of complex process plants. It produces three-dimensional (3D) models of plant configuration. These models can be used to review design concepts, produce material take offs, and serve as a foundation for accurate cost estimates prior to the creation of detailed drawings.

More information is available at the Design Power web site at www.dp.com.

A New Recipe for Winter Driving

You may ask yourself, "What's wrong with using road salt?" Just go to an automotive body shop and ask how much they charge to repair rust damage to your vehicle. According to federal estimates, road salt causes $3.5-$7.0 billion in corrosion damage each year. Also consider that the chloride level in lakes near major highways is seven times the normal level. This excess chloride can allow heavy metals to enter the water from the soil and poison living things.

So why do we use road salt? Simple. It's cheap (about $30 per ton) and it works! One alternative is a substance called calcium magnesium acetate (CMA). But at $700 per ton, it seems that its less corrosive nature comes with a large price tag. Airports already use CMA to prevent damage to the aircraft. However, if CMA could be produced at a much lower cost, its usefulness may be affordable.

That's the motivation for a group of researchers at Michigan Tech's Institute for Materials Processing. The research group recognizes that agricultural waste can be broken down by microbes producing an abundance of acetic acid (the acid found naturally in vinegar). The other components (calcium and magnesium) can be supplied by waste dust from limestone quarries. The researchers also suggest adding crushed glass to improve traction. Preliminary results suggest that the mixture will work well and last longer. Of course, the news is not all good.

While not as damaging as road salt, CMA is not exactly good for the environment as it reduces water's ability to hold dissolved oxygen. That could result is suffocated marine life if the oxygen level drops low enough. CMA will not gain acceptance until its production costs are comparable to salt, but we’ve got to start somewhere, and isn't your car's paint job worth the effort?

Source: http://www.cheresources.com/winrecipezz.shtml

President Clinton Proposes Increase in Funding for Science Funding, Nanotechnology Research

On Friday, January 21^st, President Clinton proposed a $2.8 billion increase in research into elusive medical cures and high-technology breakthroughs.

Clinton unveiled the major spending proposal, which will be part of his last budget as president, in a speech at the California Institute of Technology.

The increase would bring total government spending in this type of research up to $41 billion, which represents about a 7% increase from the current $38 billion level.

The new money would include a $1 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health to support research in areas such as diabetes, brain disorders, cancer, genetic medicine, disease prevention, and development of an AIDS vaccine. $492 million is earmarked for nanotechnology research. This research involves the creation of miniature devices that could, for instance, perform chemical reactions or regulate drug delivery systems.

Another chemical engineering related initiative the president is increasing funding for is research and development of "bio-based" technologies that convert crops, trees, and other biomass into fuels and products.

Interested in placing an ad in future newsletters?

Help sponsor the AIChE by placing an ad.

Full page $300.00

1/2 page $175.00

1/4 page $95.00

1/8 page $45.00

1/12 page $30.00

Place multiple ads and receive a discount!

Three (3) consecutive ads - 10% off

Eight (8) consecutive ads or more - 30% off

To place an ad, please contact:

Peggy Panagopoulos

ChemTech Consultants, Inc.

1370 Washington Pike, 4^th Floor

Bridgeville, PA 15017

TEL: 412-220-4612

FAX: 412-221-5685

Email: pegpana@chemtech88.com

PITTSBURGH SECTION

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Student Scholarship Application

December 1^st, 1999

Dear Student:

Thank you for your interest in the Scholarship Program of the Pittsburgh Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

The Pittsburgh Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) plans to award one one-year $500 undergraduate student scholarship for the 2000-2001 academic year. The recipient must be enrolled full time in the second or third year of an AIChE-accredited curriculum leading to an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering, must have completed the first year of said program and have successfully completed at least the first or second year of said program and must satisfy one of the following conditions:

(a) is enrolled at one of the four chemical engineering programs in the AIChE Pittsburgh Section area (Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University or Youngstown State University)

or

(b) is enrolled at any AIChE-accredited chemical engineering program in the United States provided that the student is the son or daughter of a member in good standing of both the AIChE and the Pittsburgh Section of AIChE.

The purpose of the Scholarship is to encourage excellence in the profession of Chemical Engineering by recognizing and rewarding those who demonstrate scholastic promise, initiative and dedication to the advancement of science and the Chemical Engineering profession by their achievements and accomplishments as undergraduate Chemical Engineering students.

DEADLINES

Applications will be available from the four University Chemical Engineering Departments noted above, and from the AIChE Pittsburgh Section Scholarship Selection Committee Chairman, Samuel W. Vance, 477 Bartolo Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15243 (TEL 412-221-1067). Applications will be available December 1^st, 1999.

Completed Applications must be returned to the AIChE Pittsburgh Section Scholarship Selection Committee Chairman, Samuel W. Vance, 477 Bartolo Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15243, no later than March 15^th, 2000.

The successful candidate will be notified before April 30^th, 2000, by the Selection Committee Chairman.

All applications received before the deadline will be acknowledged by letter to the Applicant from the Selection Committee Chairman, within five days of receipt of the application.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

a. All of the entries shown on this Application Form must be completed.

 

b. A current transcript of the applicant’s academic college record must be transmitted from the college or university directly to the Selection Committee Chairman.

 

c. Letters of recommendation (two professional (or academic) and two personal) shall be transmitted to the Selection Committee Chairman WITH the application, OR DIRECTLY to the Selection Committee Chairman, Samuel W. Vance, 477 Bartolo Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15243.

 

AWARD CRITERIA

The award shall be based on scholastic achievement, community activities, technical promise and ability, and demonstrated character. Financial need is not a criterion.

Very truly yours,

Samuel W. Vance, Chairman

Pittsburgh Section of AIChE Scholarship Award Committee

(Only if Applicant is a son or daughter of a Member of the Pittsburgh Section and the National AIChE):

APPLICATION FORM

Personal Information

Name of Applicant

Permanent Address

No. & Street/P.O. Box

City State Zip Telephone (include Area Code)

Local Address (if different from Permanent Address):

No. & Street/P.O. Box

City State Zip Telephone (include Area Code)

I certify the answers given herein are true and complete to the best of my knowledge.

Signature Date

Attach a typed 250-word (or more) statement of the reasons you wish to become a Chemical Engineer

University/College in which you are currently enrolled:

Address

City State Zip

Date when degree is anticipated

Attach curriculum for the current and next school term.

Request a current transcript of the applicant’s academic college record be transmitted from the College or University directly to the Selection Committee Chairman (Samuel W. Vance, 477 Bartolo Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15243).

References

List two professional (or academic) and two personal references. Letters of recommendation should be attached to this form or they may be sent directly to the Scholarship Selection Committee Chairman (Samuel W. Vance, 477 Bartolo Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15243). Do not use family members as references.

Professional (or Academic) (Give name, address, phone and length of time known)

1.

Name Company/School Time Known

Address Telephone

2.

Name Company/School Time Known

Address Telephone

Personal (give name, address, phone and length of time known)

1.

Name Company/School Time Known

Address Telephone

Name Company/School Time Known

Address Telephone

Other Information you wish to include

(attach additional sheets, if needed)

Nominations for 2000/2001 AIChE Pittsburgh Chapter Officers

Pittsburgh section members may now begin nominating candidates for the 2000/2001 season. Members may nominate themselves.The open positions are:

Vice Chair, responsibilities include coordinating the monthly programs for the 2000/2001 season. The Vice Chair must also commit to holding the position of Chair in the 2001/2002 season.

Counselors, responsibilities include providing advice to the executive board concerning section business. The Counselors each hold office for two years. Generally counselors have been active members in the section and help to offer continuity in the sections activities.

Please contact Mike Friedrich at Kvaerner (412-918-3109 or email mike.friedrich@kvaerner.com) to nominate yourself or another candidate. Nominations will be open until the deadline for the April newsletter (March 16^th, 2000). Ballots will be included in the April Newsletter and results will be announced at the May meeting.

Becoming an officer or participating on a committee is a great way to get more out of your AIChE membership. It provides a venue for exercising business skills such as leadership, organizing, communications, and networking as well as developing friendships with fellow members.

AIChE's Spring National Meeting

AIChE's Spring National Meeting is rapidly approaching. Register by February 4^th and take advantage of our early registration discount.

This year's meeting, "Advancing New Technologies in Industry", is the meeting where chemical engineers can advance their careers and stay on top of the latest chemical engineering innovations. Our 15 topical conferences, 12 short courses, seven ticketed tutorials, and special events will help you gain the competitive edge.

Join us in Atlanta for the 34^th ANNUAL LOSS PREVENTION SYMPOSIUM and share experiences, technological advances, and new ideas with other practitioners from industry, academia, and government. While you are there, take advantage of the short course on "HAZARD ANALYSIS AND MITIGATION OF INDUSTRIAL DUST EXPLOSIONS", as well as the workshop on "CHEMICAL PLANT ACCIDENTS: CAUSES AND PREVENTION". Meet your colleagues and network with others in your field at the Safety and Health Division Dinner on Monday, March 6^th.

For more information or to register, call 1-800-242-4363 or visit the AIChE web site at www.aiche.org/spring. Make your hotel reservations by February 11^th at the Hilton Atlanta and Towers (1-800-HILTONS or 1-404-221-6300) and receive a discounted rate.

Thank you. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta.

NOTE: A final program will be available on-site.

Joseph Cramer, Director, Technical Programming

Jeff Wood, Meetings Director

AIChE 2000 Spring National Meeting

"Advancing New Technologies in Industry"

Hilton Atlanta & Towers

Atlanta, GA

March 5-9, 2000

The 2000 AIChE Minority Scholarship Awards

On behalf of the Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) of American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), I am pleased to announce that nominations for the 2000 AIChE Minority Scholarship Awards for Incoming College Freshmen and College Students, and 2000 AIChE Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award are being accepted. The deadline to submit nomination form is April 15^th, 2000. The nominations forms are available as .pdf files at the following links:

http://www.aiche.org/pdflibrary/mag/minosa.pdf

http://www.aiche.org/pdflibrary/mag/minoritycompetitionform.pdf

http://www.aiche.org/pdflibrary/mag/mincs.pdf

Individual awards for the full academic year will be $1,000.00. Nominees must be members of a minority group that is under-represented in chemical engineering, i.e., African-American, Hispanic, Native American. Nominees for the incoming freshmen (high school seniors) scholarship awards are encouraged to choose a course of study leading to a degree in science/engineering.

The Incoming College Freshmen Scholarship Award, first awarded in 1994, is based on the nominee's academic record, participation in school and work activities, reason for choosing science/engineering, and financial needs. While the College Students Scholarship Award, also first awarded in 1994, is based on the nominee's academic record, participation in AIChE student chapter and professional activities, career objectives, and financial need. And the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement award first awarded in 1996 is based on the nominees’ academic and scholarly achievements, and exemplary outreach activities.

Please feel free to forward this email to those that may benefit from the scholarships. Thank you.

Emmanuel A. Dada, Ph.D.

Chairman, AIChE MAC Student Awards

AIChE Email Initiative

We have begun an initiative to use broadcast email for special section announcements.

If you have received duplicates of initial transmittals or have been burdened by excessively long cc: lists as we progress through the learning curve, please accept our apology.

If you have not received email invitations to the December meeting or for the PE Exam Refresher course, your email address is either invalid or missing in the regional membership database we received from AIChE HQ.

Corrections, additions, and deletions to our database are being handled manually for now. Please send short and simple messages to TSAndersen@AOL.com such as ; Subscribe, Remove, or Change: ____@___.___.

Interested in hosting an AIChE Meeting at your Company?

We are in search of hosts for our future AIChE monthly meetings. The Chapter is looking for companies that can provide AIChE members with an interesting, informative, and beneficial agenda. If your company is interested in hosting a meeting next spring or fall, please contact the Pittsburgh Chapter Program Chair:

Mr. Ed Moretti, Vice Chair

TEL: 412-269-6055

FAX: 412-269-6097

EMAIL: emoretti@mbakercorp.com

Membership Corner

We have been notified that the 61^st Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair needs Category Judges on March 31^st, 2000 at the Carnegie Science Center. The Fair will be the centerpiece of the 1^st Pittsburgh Regional Science Festival. This event invites students from 21 counties in Western Pennsylvania and three counties in West Virginia to submit exhibits for evaluation. Students in grades 6-12 submit projects from a variety of fields, such as engineering, earth/space/environment, chemistry, physics, computer science/math, behavioral and social science.

Volunteer judges will participate in the Science Fair by selecting winning projects in the morning. The awards will be presented in the afternoon to the students. First place, second place, third place and honorable mention awards will be designated in sixteen categories. (You will not have to judge all 16!) The criteria for judging is an individual with a science or engineering background that can relate well to youth. This is a fairly firm commitment - if you cannot attend, you should find a substitute judge. For further information, please contact Nancy Hirko at nmhirko@uss.com or 412-433-5914 if you are interested in judging at this year's Science Fair. Additional information can be found at http://csa.clpgh.org/prsef.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE, Nancy Hirko

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the value that the local section provides and to encourage you to pay your dues on time. All membership updates should be sent to National with a copy to me, Nancy Hirko. If you are not currently a local section member, please consider joining using the coupon below. A portion of your dues is deposited into our scholarship fund. Please help our local section and scholarship fund continue to grow!

Name

Company

Address

City State Zip

TEL: Business TEL Residence

Email

 

Annual Dues are $14.00. Make check payable to "AIChE Pittsburgh Section" and send to our treasurer, John Hauser:

 

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips

Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle perfect shaped pancakes every time

To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes

To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling

Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies treats in the pan ~ the marshmallow won't stick to your fingers

To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing

To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop-skillet will be much easier to clean

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces-no more stains

When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead-no white mess on the outside of the cake

If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato-it absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up"

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator ~ it will keep for weeks

Ted Andersen
ChemTech Consultants
TSAndersen@AOL.com
412-220-4555

Ed Moretti
Baker Environmental
emoretti@mbakercorp.com
412-269-6055

Bill Hargest
PPG Industries, Inc.
hargest@ppg.com
TEL: 724-274-3364
FAX: 724-274-3420

John Hauser
PROSAF, Inc.
prosaf@sgi.net
724-942-3717

Mike Friedrich
Kvaerner Metals
Mike.Friedrich@Kvaerner.com
412-918-3109

 

Del Button
Button Engineering
dbutton@compuserve.com
412-366-8324

Louisa Nara
Bayer Corporation
louisa.nara.b@bayer.com
412-777-7603

Nancy Hirko
U.S. Steel
nmhirko@uss.com
412-433-5914

Peggy Panagopoulos
ChemTech Consultants
pegpana@hotmail.com
412-220-4612

Mike Flaherty
Calgon Corporation
mflaherty@ecc.com
412-494-8374

Gerald LaRosa
Kvaerner Metals
Gerald.LaRose@Kvaerner.com
412-918-3654

Richard R. Dupree
Dupree & Associates
rrd@telerama.com
724-775-5122