Chemical Processing Distilled

This week's episode includes exclusive, unpublished content related to Trump administration's R&D cuts within the EPA and their potential effects on environmental research priorities. Recent chemical industry developments highlight regulatory tensions and operational changes. EPA workers are protesting new leadership under Zeldin, with 139 employees placed on administrative leave amid accusati...

Using new 3D fluorescence imaging, scientists have identified how aging polymer coatings generate corrosive compounds, leading to improved preservation strategies for cultural artifacts. In today’s episode, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum will be reading a column from editor-at-large Seán Ottewell – “ Why Protective Coatings Damage Metal Artifacts — and How to Fix It ,” which was posted to our site o...

Get your sea legs ready. The economy is getting choppy, according to Martha Gilchrist Moore, chief economist and managing director, economics and statistics at the American Chemistry Council (ACC).

Are you leaving $7.7 million on the table? A single chemical plant identified annual energy savings worth that much through an analysis that took just months to complete. The payback period? Less than two years. The solution? None other than your chemical engineering 101 heat integration through pinch analysis and heat exchanger network optimization. Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum reads the latest E...

The Trump administration has proposed to eliminate the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board by October 2026, citing fiscal responsibility and redundancy. Industry experts oppose this move, warning it would remove crucial disaster prevention oversight despite the agency's modest $14 million budget. Meanwhile, recycling advances continue: Eastman expanded molecular recycling operation...

Did you know that today — June 23 — is International Women in Engineering Day (INWED)? Launched by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in the UK in 2014, the event has since grown into an internationally recognized awareness campaign celebrated by various organizations, institutions, and individuals around the world. Each year, INWED adopts a specific theme to focus on women’s contributions to e...

In this episode, Traci and Dave focus on training evaluation as the final component of instructional system design. Dave explains that evaluation has two aspects: specific (assessing whether students learned what was taught in a particular course) and global (determining if training improves actual job performance). The key insight is that evaluation methods should align directly with learning obj...

In Case You Missed It brings the written word to life. In today’s episode, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum will read an article from Lauren Neal, Chemical Processing’s Workforce Matters columnist. This column “ Small Acts, Big Impact: How Micro-Behaviors Shape Teams ” was published to our website June 4, 2025 You know that feeling. You’re in a team meeting, presenting a solid idea, and someone smirks...

In this episode, Executive Editor Jonathan Katz reviews the top news stories for May 2025. Trump's budget cuts and EPA changes reshape the chemical industry amid expansion.

In Chemical Processing's Distilled Podcast, we discuss flaws in operator training, focusing on "time to train." Companies can waste millions of dollars by not optimizing training duration, often using fixed-length programs regardless of trainees' prior experience. Feedback loops to adjust training time based on individual competency and learning objectives are imperative. Indeed, proper assessment...

This episode from Chemical Processing's Distilled podcast shares industry best practices for chemical plant reliability and maintenance. Key recommendations include understanding equipment failure modes through predictive maintenance techniques like vibration analysis and thermography, developing balanced preventive maintenance programs that avoid over-maintaining equipment, and conducting thoroug...

With Easter just behind us and chocolate consumption hitting its second-quarter 2025 peak, it’s a good time to reflect on the theological and processing developments that have got us where we are today. In this In Case You Missed It Episode, Chemical Processing's Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum brings the written word to life, and Seán Ottewell, editor-at-large, provides the story. The original colum...

Executive Editor Jonathan Katz highlights the news of April 2025. Trump's EPA eases regulations while confusion stalls recycling innovation and Dow delays climate investments.

Olivia followed all the right steps. As a chemical engineer at a major manufacturing plant, she had a mentor – a senior colleague who gave her great advice on career growth, technical skills and workplace challenges. She networked, took on projects and worked hard. Yet, after years of effort, she was still in the same role, watching others get ahead. Then she met Rahul, a senior executive who didn...

This Earth Day, the chemical industry finds itself at a crossroads in an era of deregulation. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, you learn early on all the things that put the city on the map. Two local cartoonists, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, gave the world Superman. The city pioneered traffic safety with the world's first electric signal in 1914, forever changing how streets operate. The Rock and...

In this episode, Traci and Dave discuss the importance of practice in operator training programs. Practice is often overlooked despite being crucial. Realistic scenarios that mimic real-world conditions, including time constraints and environmental challenges, are beneficial to anchoring lessons learned. Feedback loops are also necessary to evaluate individual performance and improve training prog...

In a recent episode of Ear on Processing from Chemical Processing’s sister brand Processing, chief editor, Jesse Osborne, sat down with Greene Tweed’s business development manager for life sciences markets. They discussed the importance of sustainability for process manufacturers and outlined how Green Tweed’s FFKM products are assisting in that regard.   Enjoy this bonus episode of Distilled.

Trade organizations express concern over rising costs and supply chain disruptions. This episode takes a look at how the Trump administration's whiplash tariffs will impact the chemical industry.

A power shift is underway at the EPA as former American Chemistry Council representatives are positioned to assume key roles under the Trump administration, potentially reshaping the agency's regulatory approach. Meanwhile, safety concerns remain paramount as the U.S. Chemical Safety Board continues investigating a deadly reactor explosion at a Louisville food additive plant that claimed two worke...

Electromagnetic flow meters are volumetric flow meters that use electromagnetic induction to measure liquid velocity. This measurement method is highly accurate at measuring water-based fluids as they pass through a pipe. They are cost-effective, long-lasting and compatible with existing technology. However, there are things to consider before investing in this technology. Chemical Processing chat...

In this episode, Traci and Dave discuss how learning objectives fit into instructional system design. Learning objectives should be measurable, not subject to interpretation, and directly testable. Unlike vague goals like "understand distillation," effective objectives specify demonstrable skills.

I’ve never seen a piece of equipment that didn’t do what it was supposed to. That doesn’t mean it did what its user thought it could do. In solids processing, we often struggle with a piece of equipment because it was a poor selection or installed improperly. There are eight specific steps to ensure your equipment choices accurately represent your product and operations. Column " 8 Steps for Solid...

An Inuit man who was left to his own defenses in the Arctic after being exiled from his family had to fashion a knife out of his own frozen feces…. In this episode, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum talks about the Ig Nobels and improbable research that makes you laugh and then makes you think.  

Washington leaders visited the accident site on the two-year anniversary of a train derailment that contaminated air, soil and water. A landmark step toward promoting sound science and advancing U.S. competitiveness has also been taken. LyondellBasell’s Houston refinery, in operation for over a century, is closing due to high maintenance costs and shifting market dynamics.  

Job analysis is a crucial component of instructional system design that identifies essential skills and knowledge needed for a job, moving beyond inefficient shadowing methods. However, it's often poorly executed or skipped entirely. Effective analysis should focus on specific behaviors, consider environmental factors, and adapt to technological changes like automation.