University of Texas at Austin PhD Student Wins EPA Grant for Water Quality Study

From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

University of Texas at Austin PhD Student Wins EPA Grant for Water Quality Study

Contact: Joe Hubbard or Jennah Durant at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov  

DALLAS – (Sept. 12, 2016) Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a University of Texas at Austin student has been awarded a Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Graduate Fellowship. Arley F. Muth is one of 52 graduate students across the nation to receive the grants to further their education while conducting research in environmental fields of study.

“As one of the nation’s premier research universities, UT-Austin can be proud of the work of its students and for fostering the next generation of leaders in environmental science,” said EPA Regional Administration Ron Curry. “Congratulations to the future Dr. Muth and to all of this year’s STAR fellows.”

Muth is pursuing a PhD and researching water quality in estuaries and along coasts. The STAR grant of $132,000 was awarded for Muth’s project on ocean acidification, “Algal and Invertebrate Assemblages in Varying Oceanographic Conditions: Effects of Ocean Acidification on Recruitment, Early Succession, and Grazing along the Pacific Coast of the U.S. and Chile.”

This class of STAR Graduate Fellows was selected from a large number of applications in a highly competitive review process and is as impressive as it is diverse. The graduate students are studying and conducting research at 37 U.S. universities in disciplines such as atmospheric chemistry, green energy, hydrogeology and predictive toxicology. Master’s students are awarded a maximum funding of $88,000 over two years and doctoral students are awarded up to $132,000 for three years to support their graduate research and studies.

Since the program began more than 20 years ago, graduate students from the STAR Fellowship Program have engaged in innovative research opportunities leading some to become prominent leaders in environmental science. The program has awarded nearly 2000 students a total of more than $65 million in funding since 1995. This year’s STAR Fellows are poised to become the next generation of environmental professionals who can make significant impacts in environmental science and beyond.

As part of a federal-wide reorganization of programs supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the funding for EPA’s STAR and Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) fellowship programs has been consolidated this year with the National Science Foundation (NSF) fellowship programs. This reorganization strategically increases federal resources for STEM undergraduate and graduate education into one agency allowing more students fellowship opportunities. EPA is also a partner with the NSF through the Graduate Research Internship Program (GRIP), which has a number of federal agencies as partners. This program expands opportunities for NSF Graduate Research Fellows to enhance their professional development through an internship at EPA where they can participate in research experience and receive mentoring from scientists, all while focusing on the protection of human health and the environment.

Learn more about the STAR fellows: https://www.epa.gov/research-fellowships/star-graduate-and-gro-undergraduate-fellowship-recipient-list#star

Learn more about EPA’s fellowship opportunities: https://www.epa.gov/research-fellowships
 

Connect with EPA Region 6:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6  

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6 

Activities in EPA Region 6: http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central

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Two Connecticut-based Companies Recognized by EPA as Top Green Power Partners

Press release:

News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
August 14, 2012

Contact: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

Two Connecticut-based Companies Recognized by EPA as Top Green Power Partners

(Boston, Mass. – Aug. 14, 2012) – Two corporations based in Connecticut – XEROX Corp. based in Norwalk, and Pitney Bowes Inc., based in Stamford – have been recognized by EPA as being among the nation’s top purchasers of Green Power in the technology and telecom sector. Green power is electricity generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact hydro and produces no net increase of greenhouse gas emissions.

“These two companies, along with EPA’s other Green Power Purchasers, are leaning forward and driving the development of new renewable energy sources by demonstrating that green power makes good environmental and business sense,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.

XEROX Corp. is an international leader in document production, IT outsourcing and production printing.  The company currently uses over 35 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power 100 percent produced by wind, for a total of 7.76 percent of their total US electric load.  XEROX’s green power purchase is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of more than 5,000 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of nearly 3,000 average American homes annually.

“Through our partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, we support the development of clean electricity sources because it’s a sound business decision and essential to reduce future climate risks,” said Diane O’Connor, Xerox global vice president of Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability.  “By purchasing green power, we are taking advantage of opportunities to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work towards our goal of Carbon Neutrality.”

Pitney Bowes Inc. is a leading provider of customer communication technologies. A $5.3 billion company with over 28,000 employees, they serve both large corporations and small-to-medium-sized businesses in more than 100 countries. Pitney Bowes currently uses over 15 million kWh of green power, which is 100 percent produced by wind, for a total of 12.1 percent of their total US electric load.  Pitney Bowes’ green power purchase is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of more than 2,000 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of nearly 1,000 average American homes annually.

“Pitney Bowes is a founding member of the EPA Green Power Partnership Program, and we are pleased to be recognized by the EPA Partnership and look forward to sharing this honor with other like minded corporations. We began purchasing renewable energy credits in 2003 as part of our energy conservation and sustainability portfolio and over the years we have invested in over 71M kWh of renewable energy.  In addition, our Corporate Energy Task Force has led us in the implementation of energy conservation measures across our lines of business that have provided us with additional savings of over $2.3M in energy costs and a reduction of over 16M kWh of energy consumption.  The combined efforts have resulted in the avoidance of over 33,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions,” said John Thaler, Director of EHS Process Excellence at Pitney Bowes Inc.

EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,300 partner organizations, which are voluntarily using more than 21 billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually, which helps to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity use. This is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity use of over 1.8 million average American homes for a year.

More information on EPA’s Green Power Partnership (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/)

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GE Delivers Advanced Water Treatment Technology to Support Bahrain’s Oil and Gas Industry

Press release:

12 June 2012

GE Delivers Advanced Water Treatment Technology to Support Bahrain’s Oil and Gas Industry

 

Bahrain Petroleum Company Selects GE’s ZeeWeed* Membrane Bioreactor System to Treat Complex Wastewater from Oil Refinery Operations

MANAMA, BAHRAIN—June 12, 2012—The Bahrain Petroleum Company B.S.C. (BAPCO) has chosen GE (NYSE: GE) to design and supply a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system for its oil refinery wastewater treatment plant in Sitra, near Manama. The project and the GE-supplied advanced water treatment technology will support BAPCO’s environmental leadership efforts to achieve the stringent wastewater quality levels specified by Bahrain’s General Directorate of Environment and Wildlife Protection regulation for wastewater discharge into the Gulf.

“BAPCO is committed to managing its precious water resources wisely,” said Mr. A. Jabbar A. Karim, acting general manager, major engineering projects division, BAPCO. “With this project, GE is supporting us to realize our goals of minimizing the environmental impact from our refining operations, while safeguarding the refinery’s capital equipment at the same time.”

Wastewater from refineries is complex and requires extensive treatment. The BAPCO refinery, one of the largest in the Middle East and the oldest in the Gulf Cooperation Council union, refines more than 250,000 barrels of crude daily. GE’s ZeeWeed* technology will handle a maximum wastewater flow of about 24 million liters/day, roughly the amount of water required to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool[1], from the refinery and Sitra tank farm.

“The BAPCO wastewater treatment plant is another example in GE’s long history of supporting customers in Bahrain with innovative energy technology—in this case, advanced water solutions—to meet their toughest operational challenges,“ said Joseph Anis, president and CEO, GE Energy for the Middle East. “We are committed to continue delivering advanced solutions that increase the supply of clean water necessary and meeting the environmental commitments for the expansion of Bahrain’s economy.”

At the heart of the system is GE’s ZeeWeed MBR technology. GE ZeeWeed technology sets the standard for hollow-fiber ultrafiltration technology combined with biological treatment, which is the preferred way to handle complex wastewater because it produces consistently high-quality effluent suitable for discharge or reuse application. GE will supply a ZeeWeed MBR system consisting of four MBR trains, each with 10 membrane cassettes containing ZeeWeed 500 rugged, reinforced membrane modules. It is being supplied under contract with EPC contractor GS Engineering & Construction and is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2012.

GE also will design the MBR system and provide support during its first five years of operation. GE’s water and process technologies business also has supplied water-treatment chemicals for the BAPCO refinery.

The Middle East is an important region for GE’s water business, and the company has regional centers of excellence in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, for both research and manufacturing. GE and Miahona signed a memorandum of understanding, which provides a framework for promoting the use of advanced membrane technology such as membrane bioreactors in water reuse and the pursuit of wastewater treatment, wastewater reuse and zero liquid discharge projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

GE Energy works connecting people and ideas everywhere to create advanced technologies for powering a cleaner, more productive world. With more than 100,000 employees in over 100 countries, our diverse portfolio of product and service solutions and deep industry expertise help our customers solve their challenges locally. We serve the energy sector with technologies in such areas as natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy; wind, solar, biogas and water processing; energy management; and grid modernization. We also offer integrated solutions to serve energy- and water-intensive industries such as mining, metals, marine, petrochemical, food & beverage and unconventional fuels.

Follow GE Energy on Twitter @GE_Energy.

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[1]http://www.sydneywater.com.au/Publications/Factsheets/DroughtAndRainfall.pdf

*Trademark of the General Electric Company; may be registered in one or more countries.

EPA and American University Host 2012 Technology Market Summit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 11, 2012
EPA and American University Host 2012 Technology Market Summit
WASHINGTON, DC – Monday, May 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and American University will jointly sponsor a technology market summit that brings together government, industry, academia, and investment decision makers to accelerate the development and adoption of American-made technologies to achieve economic growth through environmental protection.
At 8:45 am Monday morning, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary John Bryson and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will speak about enabling environmental markets and exports.

Mark Fulton, Managing Director and Global Head of Climate Change Investment Research at Deutsche Bank, will be the luncheon speaker.
WHAT: A Technology Market Summit held on Monday May 14, 2012, from 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the American University Mary Graydon Center

WHO:  Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
           Tom Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
           John Bryson, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce
           Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative
           Neil Kerwin, President, American University
           Mark Fulton, Managing Director and Global Head of Climate Change Investment Research, Deutsche Bank, luncheon speaker             

WHEN: 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday, May 14, 2012

WHERE: The Mary Graydon Center at American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

Members of the news media who would like to attend must RSVP to J. Paul Johnson at: jjohnson@american.edu, 202-885-5943 or 202-497-3174. The opening remarks, the luncheon speaker and the afternoon plenary only, are open to the media.

Information about the Summit: http://epa.gov/envirofinance/2012summit.html

  

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HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS AMERICA, LTD. SIGNS ENHANCED ALL-DRY SCRUBBER TECHNOLOGY LICENSE AGREEMENT

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, March 28, 2012 – Hitachi Power Systems America, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi America, Ltd., today announced that it has signed a license agreement with Solios Environnement Inc. to design and supply Enhanced All-Dry (EAD) Scrubber technology, jointly developed with Solios Environnement Inc, for the global electric utility market. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The EAD Scrubber technology is the original circulating semi-dry scrubber technology developed by Solios in the 1980s that has been widely applied in industrial sectors. It effectively removes SO2 as well as SO3, HCl, mercury and particulate matter from flue gas. Reactions occur in an entrained-flow, open vertical absorber which is preferred over more complex fluidized bed processes. By separating the reagent humidification and sulfur capture steps, this enhanced system is simple and reliable. Hitachi is applying the EAD Scrubber technology with a modular approach that allows unlimited scrubber capacity, virtually unlimited turndown, and enhanced system layout flexibility. EAD Scrubber technology has the additional advantages of low capital cost, low water consumption and dry byproducts, avoiding costly waste water treatment.

For more, click the link below:

http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/120329.html

Hitachi Announces Partnership with SaskPower on Test Facility for CO2 Capture Technology

March 20, 2012

• PDF Download(PDF Type,54kbyte)

Hitachi Announces Partnership with SaskPower
on Test Facility for CO2 Capture Technology

Saskatoon Saskatchewan, March 20, 2012 --- Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT/TSE: 6501, "Hitachi") announced today that the Company has agreed to collaborate with Saskatchewan Power Corporation ("SaskPower") to jointly construct a Carbon Capture Test Facility, ("CCTF"). The test facility will be a part of SaskPower's larger "Clean Coal Project", which is a comprehensive initiative to select and apply emerging carbon capture technologies to coal fired power plants to manage their emission of greenhouse gases.

In this project equipment to capture CO2 will be installed at SaskPower's Shand Power Station (298MW), which is located near the city of Estevan, Saskatchewan. SaskPower and Hitachi will jointly invest 5 billion yen to cover the cost of the project. Operations of the CCTF will begin mid 2014.

While the demand for electric power is increasing in Canada, power companies are being required to implement countermeasures against global warming, including measures to suppress CO2 emissions, and to reinforce these initiatives, Canada is currently promoting the development of CCS (Carbon Capture & Storage) technology and the implementation of demonstration projects as a national strategy. SaskPower, in line with this initiative, is currently constructing a world leading, large CO2 capture and storage demonstration project at the Boundary Dam Power Station. Hitachi was selected to supply the steam turbine and generator for this carbon capture and storage demonstration project and will build the crucial system that is needed to efficiently supply the steam required for the CO2 capture and storage equipment.

Hitachi began researching and developing technology to capture CO2 in the 1990s and since then, the company has conducted demonstration projects using its own research equipment as well as domestic and overseas pilot facilities. SaskPower's experience in integrating CCS into commercial projects combined with Hitachi's expertise in Carbon Capture Technology will contribute to a comprehensive evaluation and demonstration of the equipment's overall reliability, economic feasibility, and the necessary properties to scale-up to a large, commercial-scale facility. Hitachi will produce and supply its CO2 capture solvent (H3-1) and the main equipment for the facility. The Hitachi Group companies Babcock-Hitachi K.K. (President : Tetsuro Wakino) and Hitachi Canadian Industries Ltd. (President and CEO : Tom Kishchuk) at the Province of Saskatchewan will be in charge of production and supply.

Through this demonstration project with SaskPower, Hitachi will focus on achieving commercial operations, reducing costs, realizing innovative technologies, and will contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society.

Hitachi is also deepening its collaboration with the province of Saskatchewan through exchange activities sponsored by the Japan Coal Energy Center and the Coal Division of the Natural Resources and Fuel Department of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and will further endeavor to contribute to this mission.

Overview of the CCTF Demonstration Project

Amount of CO2 that is captured	120 tons/day
Equipment Installation Site	Shand Power Station (Coal-Fired Thermal Power Station)
CO2 Capturing Process	Chemical Scrubbing
Evaluation Items	CO2 capture efficiency, energy usage, reliability, etc.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 360,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2010 (ended March 31, 2011) consolidated revenues totaled 9,315 billion yen ($112.2 billion). Hitachi will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

Dry Sorbent Injection

From the Energy Information Agency:


March 16, 2012

Dry sorbent injection may serve as a key pollution control technology at power plants

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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Dry sorbent injection (DSI) is a pollution control technology that may play a role in the United States' electric power sector's compliance with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the MATS rule in December 2011. The MATS rule requires that all U.S. coal- and oil-fired power plants greater than 25 megawatts meet emission limits consistent with the average performance of the top 12% of existing units —known as the maximum achievable control technology (MACT). The rule applies to three pollutants: mercury (Hg), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and filterable particulate matter (fPM) and has a compliance deadline in 2015 (with opportunities for additional compliance time depending upon case-by-case circumstances). While DSI systems do not control for mercury, they can, when combined with a particulate control filter, meet this standard for two of the three controlled pollutants.
DSI systems remove hydrogen chloride (HCl) and other acid gases through two basic steps.

• Step one. A powdered sorbent is injected into the flue gas—combustion exhaust gas exiting a power plant—where it reacts with the HCl. The sorbents most commonly associated with DSI are trona (sodium sesquicarbonate, a naturally occurring mineral mined in Wyoming), sodium bicarbonate, and hydrated lime.
• Step two. The compound is removed by a downstream particulate matter control device such as an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) or a fabric filter (FF), also referred to as a baghouse. Fabric filters are generally more effective (when combined with DSI) than ESPs, with respect to overall HCl reduction. For modeling purposes, EPA estimates a DSI system with a fabric filter is expected to achieve 90% removal of HCl, while an ESP only achieves 60% removal, although actual performance will vary by individual plant.

DSI and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers (both wet and dry scrubbers) are the technologies that will allow plants to meet the MATS for HCl and other acid gases. As of 2010, 54% of U.S. electric generating capacity already have FGDs installed. A number of the remaining, uncontrolled plants will need to determine the effectiveness of installing an FGD scrubber or a DSI system to comply with MATS. Economic and engineering tradeoffs exist between the two technologies. FGD systems are large capital projects that require a significant upfront investment, but have relatively lower operating costs. DSI systems generally do not require significant capital expenses, but may rely on significant quantities of sorbent to operate effectively, which increases the operating costs. Waste disposal for DSI may also be a significant variable cost, while the waste products from an FGD system can be sold as feedstock for industrial processes. In addition, DSI's potential effectiveness is limited to certain types of plants. Because of the amount of sorbent needed, DSI will likely be implemented most often at plants that are 300 megawatts or less and burn low-sulfur coal.

DSI systems can also significantly reduce sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions through the same process as HCl removal. While the MATS rule does not specifically address SO₂, it has similar qualities to HCl and other acid gases that enable it to respond similarly in a DSI system. SO₂ is also regulated under the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). Therefore, installing a DSI or FGD system to comply with MATS may also help plants meet or even exceed their CSAPR emission limits.

While compliance with the MATS rule was not assumed in the Annual Energy Outlook 2012 (AEO2012) Early Release, it will be assumed in the AEO2012 full Reference case (to be released in Spring 2012), and DSI will be included as a compliance option for coal power plants.

News Release from GE

14 March 2012

GE to Supply Water Recycling Technology for SAGD Project in Alberta Oil Sands

 

GE’s Evaporation System to Help Boost Production, Reduce Liquid Waste Requiring Disposal

TREVOSE, PA.—March 14, 2012—GE’s (NYSE: GE) wastewater evaporation technologies have been selected to improve wastewater recovery at an existing oil sands project near Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada. The facility utilizes once through steam generators (OTSGs) to produce steam, which drives the steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process for the production of bitumen, which is a heavy crude oil produced from oil sands.

GE’s system will recycle a portion of the OTSG blowdown, thereby decreasing the volume of liquid waste from the facility and increasing the volume of boiler feed water available for generation of steam and production of bitumen. The use of GE’s evaporation technologies for the recovery of OTSG blowdown is gaining traction in the Alberta oil sands, where producers are seeking sustainable production processes that satisfy increasingly stringent environmental regulations. This project is the fifth to utilize GE’s evaporation technologies for OTSG blowdown treatment. To date, 14 SAGD projects have selected GE evaporation technologies, including six over the past 19 months, for their produced water and OTSG blowdown treatment applications.

“We are aligning our businesses to best meet the needs of Canada’s oil sands industry by offering more energy and water efficient products and services,“ said Jeff Connelly, vice president, engineered systems—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water.

For example, in December 2011, GE opened a new oil sands support center in Fort McMurray to provide greater local support to customers as they experience significant growth in this important sector. In 2012, GE also is scheduled to open a new Heavy Oil Centre of Excellence in Calgary, further building on a strong commitment and presence in the province of Alberta.

News Release from EPA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2012

TOMORROW: EPA ASPECT Program Aircraft on Display

WASHINGTON – On March 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding an open house to see the Nation’s only 24/7 airborne stand-off chemical and radiological detection, infrared and photographic imagery platform. The Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) program aircraft will be on display along with examples of products from various missions, including photographs and maps.

EPA’s ASPECT program is capable of remotely detecting chemicals and radiation using an array of state-of-the-art chemical and radiological detectors, high resolution digital photography, video and GPS technology combined with sophisticated software applications. The end product is an identified chemical agent, radioisotope or image that is geospatially located and transmitted via SATCOM from the aircraft to decision makers on the ground, just minutes after a flyover.

Program staff will be available to provide informational tours of the aircraft and to answer questions about the program and its capabilities.

WHO: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response

WHAT: ASPECT Program Open House

WHEN: Wednesday, March 14, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST

WHERE:
Hap Arnold Center at the College Park Airport
1909 Corporal Frank Scott Drive
College Park, Md. 20740

Technology Holds the Key to Nairobi's Development

IBM Report: Technology Holds the Key to Nairobi's Development and Increased Competitiveness

As Kenya transitions from a rural to an urban population by 2020, modern approaches and technologies will help transform city systems, Prosperous and Sustainable Future

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NAIROBI, KENYA - 07 Mar 2012: IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced the launch of a report entitled "A Vision of a Smarter City: How Nairobi Can Lead the Way into a Prosperous and Sustainable Future" that highlights transportation, energy and public safety as three critical areas to address in line with the growth of Nairobi's more economically empowered and mobile younger generation.

The first of its kind to be produced in Africa, the report draws on the views of leaders and experts from the public and private sectors, World Bank, UN-HABITAT and civil society organizations. It outlines how Nairobi should turn to the latest technologies and global best practices to transform itself into a smarter and more efficient city as it strives to cope with an expanding population and become a major African business hub.

"With increased urbanization and substantial economic opportunities, major African cities like Nairobi are coming under more pressure than ever to transform," said Tony Mwai, Country General Manager, IBM East Africa. "For Nairobi to reach its full potential as a regional powerhouse, new technologies and approaches are required to modernize the city's systems and to make it a better place to live, work and do business."

Kenya's demographic challenges
Currently home to just over three million inhabitants, Nairobi's population is expected to soar to over five million by 2020 as migration to urban areas continues.

"Kenya is undergoing a simultaneous demographic and geographic transition," explains Wolfgang Fengler, the World Bank's lead economist in Kenya. "Today it is a rural country but by 2033 it will be an urban country with Nairobi receiving the greatest influx of new citizens."

Tackling traffic congestion requires new approaches as well as new infrastructure
According to IBM's Commuter Pain Survey, Nairobi citizens have the fourth most painful commute in the world. City officials estimate that traffic jams cost the economy over Sh50 million ($600,000) per day in lost productivity, fuel consumption and pollution.

City authorities are currently investing to improve Nairobi's roads and basic infrastructure. However, the report highlights that investment in the city's road network should not be the only strategy for addressing traffic congestion.

"Nairobi needs new transport alternatives urgently.  It is increasingly obvious that Nairobi must move beyond the traditional model of just building roads to solve traffic problems. It needs a combination of physical infrastructure, new ways of thinking and new technologies," said Andre Dzikus, Urban Mobility Unit, UN-HABITAT.

The IBM report lists a number of possible technological solutions to consider, including systems to better automate and improve traffic flow, micro chips embedded in driving licenses to record a driver's road history, priced road usage schemes and using mobile phone signal density to pinpoint and predict traffic jams.

Reliable and affordable energy increases efficiency and competitiveness
Energy is a critical and pressing issue for people living and working in Nairobi. According to KENGEN, Nairobi suffers from 11,000 high voltage fluctuations and power outages every month. For Nairobi's smarter city aspirations to be realized, energy has to be affordable as well as reliable.

"Nairobi's unreliable energy is not just an inconvenience, but also a critical business issue," said Linus Gitahi, CEO of Nation Media Group.

The report highlights the development of alternative energy sources, smart metering and incentive schemes to change energy consumption as possible solutions to some of Nairobi's energy problems.

A safer Nairobi needs smarter technologies and increased collaboration
Technology is already starting to help make Nairobi smarter and empower citizens. For example, to enhance security, an expanding CCTV network has been deployed by public and private players. However, the report underlines that analytics technologies are needed to make sense of the data generated by public safety systems.

The report also calls for better collaboration between public and private sectors as well as more integration between government departments. This issue is critical to public safety as Nairobi's citizens rely on a number of private security companies as well as public departments for emergency services. The report suggests that shared emergency resources between public and private sectors and centralized information systems could improve Nairobi's ability to deal with major city incidents such as last year's fuel explosion and fire in the impoverished Sinai district of the city in which more than 100 people were killed.

"By working together with the private sector, the government can create cities that meet the needs of their citizens more efficiently," said Bitange Ndemo, Information Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information.

The report also underlines Kenya's advantage in technology innovation as a way to address some of the challenges of urbanization. Cloud computing, mobile technologies and social media could all play a role.

"The good thing about Kenya is that it is exporting as well as importing innovations," said Wolfgang Fengler from World Bank. "In the case of mobile money, crowdsourcing and many other innovations, Kenya is quite remarkable."

About IBM:
To download the IBM report "A Vision of A Smarter City: How Nairobi Can Lead the Way into a Prosperous and Sustainable Future" visit:
http://www-05.ibm.com/za/office/ke/en/

For more information on IBM's strategy for Africa please visit:
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/34710.wss

For more information on IBM Smarter Cities, please visit:
http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/uk/en/sustainable_cities/ideas/index.html

News Release from IBM - Smart Growth

City of Zhenjiang, China and IBM Collaborate to Build a Smarter City

IBM Smarter Cities Solution Helps Zhenjiang Boost Economic Development and Tourism Plans

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Armonk, NY & Zhenjiang, China - 24 Feb 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the City of Zhenjiang, China today announced that IBM is helping to transform the city’s public transportation system. Zhenjiang will use hardware, software, services and technologies from IBM's Research labs, all brought together through the IBM Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) for Smarter Cities – a solution that will serve as the central point of command for the city.

Zhenjiang is a renowned historical and cultural city in the eastern People's Republic of China (PRC), a region experiencing rapid economic growth.  Zhenjiang has an estimated population of three million people and has become an important regional transportation hub due to its location near the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, the longest canal in the world.  It is also considered a state model for environmental protection.

To bolster economic development, increase tourism and improve overall public welfare, the city initiated the “Smarter Zhenjiang, Smarter Tourism” project which includes plans to replace and upgrade more than 400 bus stations and over 1,000 public transportation vehicles. In conjunction with the system-wide upgrade, Zhenjiang will rely on IBM’s Intelligent Transportation solution to provide city managers with a consolidated view of the transportation network, and initiate a new bus scheduling system that will use analytics technologies to manage traffic patterns and over 80 routes across the city.

A First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) IBM Research-developed platform will increase traffic throughput and improve the efficiency of its public transportation system while anticipating traffic jams before they happen. The solution will build on services assets that simulate transit fleets and passenger flow across the transportation network, while tapping into IBM technologies that enable real-time bus monitoring and route and dispatch management for the vehicle fleet.

The overall solution will provide a comprehensive, real-time picture of the city’s traffic network to alleviate congestion, improve traffic management, maximize road capacity, rapidly respond to incidents and enhance the travel experience for citizens, business travelers and tourists.

“Building a smart city has become a strategic choice of the city's urban development as it creates profound impact on the city’s information management standard and contributes to the formation of a huge industrial chain,” said Mingnian Yin, Director of Reform Commission, City of Zhenjiang.  “Working with IBM, we will make our public transportation system faster and more efficient, while making our city a better place to live in.”

“Our collaboration with Zhenjiang exemplifies IBM’s commitment to supporting the government's agenda to build smarter cities in China,” said D.C. Chien, General Manager, IBM Greater China Group. “We expect this collaboration to help transform the transportation system, support the government's effort of building a harmonious society, and accelerate the economic growth and transformation of this vibrant country.”

According to Pike Research, by 2020 the Asia-Pacific smart city technology market will be worth $5.5 billion annually - a cumulative investment of over $36 billion between 2010 and 2020.  China represents the largest single market in Asia for smart city technology, roughly 30 percent of the total opportunity.

"It’s estimated that up to $30 trillion will be spent on transportation infrastructure globally in the next 20 years. Building new physical infrastructure only goes so far, especially with the ever-present debate on the best ways to maintain roads, rails and terminals in the face of strained budgets and resources. By integrating technology and intelligence into the physical transportation infrastructure, cities can improve capacity, enhance the traveler experience and make transportation systems more efficient, safe and sustainable for future growth,” said Gerry Mooney, General Manager, Smarter Cities, IBM. "With the IOC, Zhenjiang has access to advanced analytics technology that will make it easier for the city to predict potential disruptions so that they can minimize impact and deliver better services to people living in and visiting their city.”

IBM's Intelligent Operations Center and Intelligent Transportation solutions draw on experience gained from over 2,000 Smarter Cities projects with cities around the world, and assets from IBM's hardware, software, services and research divisions. With flexibility and scalability, the Intelligent Operations Center can be extended to support a wide range of city services such as water management and public safety among others. 

Air Toxic Emissions Standards for PVC Finalized

News release from EPA:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 14, 2012

  

EPA Finalizes Air Toxic Emissions Standards for Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Production Facilities

  

Standards will cut harmful emissions that impact local communities

   

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued strong final standards requiring facilities that produce polyvinyl chloride and copolymers (PVC) to reduce harmful air emissions, which will improve air quality and protect people’s health in communities where facilities are located. Exposure to toxic air pollutants, like those emitted from PVC facilities, can cause respiratory problems and other serious health issues, and can increase the risk of developing cancer. In particular, children are known to be more sensitive to the cancer risks posed by inhaling vinyl chloride, one of the known carcinogens emitted from PVC facilities.

The final standards are based on currently available technologies and will reduce emissions of air toxics, such as dioxin and vinyl chloride. Facilities will have the flexibility to choose the most practical and cost-effective control technology or technique to reduce the emissions. Facilities will be required to monitor emissions at certain points in the PVC production process to ensure that the standards are met.

Currently, there are 17 PVC production facilities throughout the United States, with a majority of these facilities located in Louisiana and Texas. All existing and any new PVC production facilities are covered by the final rule.

PVC production facilities manufacture PVC resins that are used to make a large number of commercial and industrial products at other manufacturing facilities. These products include latex paints, coatings, adhesives, clear plastics, rigid plastics, and flooring.

EPA had a 74-day public comment period and held two public hearings on the proposal before issuing the final rule.

More information on the final rule: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t3fs.html