Recently, I have been doing some small home repairs/improvements. Planning on a bathroom remodel next spring, I purchased a new vanity/sink along with flooring. Thanks to Hammy, the Houdini of hamsters, I started the project early. Of course, as happens so often when working on projects at home, one thing leads to another, and my bathroom remodeling project is now larger than originally planned. After completing the unexpected electrical repair and replacing the drywall, I got my handy wet/dry shop vac out from the garage to do some “quick” clean up. Everything was going great until I realized that the entire basement was now clouded over with drywall dust. I had not checked to see if the filter was in place before I started to vacuum up the drywall dust.

At Catalytic Products International, we are proud of the great work that our team does to implement air pollution control solutions for our clients. To highlight the different areas of expertise that these team members bring to these solutions, we’ve been speaking to these experts and sharing their insights here on our blog.

As businesses approach the end of their fiscal year, the third and fourth quarter budgeting and tax planning process can become an extremely busy time for the financial teams tasked with preparing the relevant information for management review and approval. In addition to reconciling the current year’s earnings and expenses for IRS reporting and tax payments, they also need to collect all the necessary revenue and expense projections for the upcoming year from the organization’s various departments. This data is then compiled into detailed headcount, operating, and capital budgets. Once approved, these budgets will be used as guidelines for strategic initiatives and implementation timelines, and they will also be used to monitor company performance as a gauge in assessing the health of the business.

Maintenance on your air pollution control device is like maintaining your motor vehicle. Typically, you do an oil change every 3 months or 3,000 miles (me, it’s more like….5,000). If you are having trouble seeing out the windshield while it’s raining, you install new wiper blades. Some people can do this themselves, while others let a professional do the dirty work. Each automobile has a recommended maintenance plan.  

Keeping your air pollution control equipment properly maintained is essential for ensuring that you are able to operate efficiently and continue meeting regulatory requirements. Here on the CPI blog, we regularly share tips on maintaining your systems, and today we're looking at Shell and Tube heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are integral to the operation of many critical and can be found in many different types of equipment including but not limited to:

Here on the CPI blog, we regularly look at how environmental regulations affect your air pollution control systems. Today, we're taking a close look at methane, which is one of the greenhouse gases addressed in President Obama's Climate Action Plan.

The Climate Action Plan, announced in 2013, is broken down into three different sectors:

• Reducing carbon pollution in the United States
• Preparing the United States for the impacts of climate change
• Leading international efforts to address climate change

The goal of the Climate Action Plan is to follow through on the commitment made by President Obama that by the year 2020, the United States Government would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17% of those recorded in 2005. To accomplish this task, the Obama Administration has focused on the following 4 areas to cut carbon pollution in America: 

1. Deploying clean energy through reduction of pollution from existing power plants and the creation of renewable energy from wind, solar, and geothermal sources.
2. Establishing new fuel economy standards and development of new transportation technologies.
3. A focus on reducing energy usage in homes, businesses, and factories.
4. Reduction of other greenhouse gas emissions. 

In order to address these tasks, it's important to be able to understand the details behind the causes of these emissions and how they affect the planet's climate. Let's examine methane emissions, which accounted for nearly 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2015, starting start with some of the basics: 

What Is Methane?

At Catalytic Products International, we pride ourselves on helping our clients find cost-effective solutions to their air pollution control needs. With the expertise that we provide, we can make sure their concerns are addressed and that they are happy with the end results. Here on the CPI blog, we’ll be regularly sharing some of our clients’ stories, demonstrating how we’ve helped them find the ideal air pollution control solutions.

Has your company recently experienced a permit or compliance issue with existing air pollution control equipment? Have you experienced recent growth that is projected to move your emissions above your limits? Do you need help evaluating options for your situation?

Why should you be concerned about condensate management in your paint booth, curing oven, exhaust blowers, ductwork, or pollution control device? The primary reasons for this concern is condensates can affect the quality of your product, affect the indoor air quality of your facility, ruin equipment, create safety concerns, and, lastly, affect your bottom line. Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) based condensation can and will catch on fire, both in your production line and at your pollution control device. That’s something will definitely ruin your day. For all these reasons, you need to be concerned -- very concerned.