Knowledge & Insights
Field notes from
five decades of practice.
Practical, technical writing on process safety, energy efficiency, environmental clearance and project delivery — drawn from real CCDC engagements. Filter by topic.
Carbon Fibre - High Strength Applications
An overview of how carbon fibres are manufactured and bound into high-strength forms, and their applications across pultrusion, wind energy, marine, construction and sporting goods.
Preventing an Ecological Disaster: The Saving of Lake Qarun
How a technical and economic study set out to reverse the rising salinity of Egypt's Lake Qarun through salt extraction and value-added products — with lessons for India's canal-irrigated regions.
Coal Gasification in India — the Unfinished Story
D.M. Mohunta on why India — despite a National Coal Gasification Mission and Rs 8,500-crore in incentives — still trails China’s 700-plus gasifiers, and what it will take to close the gap.
Rare Earths: Applications and Market Scenario
A comprehensive survey of rare earth elements — from scandium to terbium — covering applications in EVs, catalysts and defence, the Chinese supply chain, India's monazite potential, and emerging sources worldwide.
Continuous Production of Meta-Bromobenzaldehyde (MBB)
A conceptual continuous process for meta-bromobenzaldehyde — replacing batch reactors with CSTRs in series for 3x productivity, 88-90% yield (vs 82-84% batch), and 65% lower working capital.
Scandium — a Rare Earth Revolution in the Waiting
Scandium is the rare earth outlier — distributed worldwide at trace levels, yet poised to transform aluminium alloys and solid oxide fuel cells. A survey of sources, applications, pricing and the global supply landscape.
Steel Plant Gases for Chemicals Manufacture and Carbon Footprint Reduction
How coke oven gas and blast furnace gas from Indian steel plants can be converted to methanol and ammonia — with potential CO2 savings of up to 15 mtpa and a pathway to decarbonise one of India's heaviest-emitting industries.
Process Intensification in the Chemical Process Industry
How radical reduction in plant size delivers capital, energy, environmental and safety benefits - 22 industrial case studies from nitration to micro-reactors, with 19 potential applications for the Indian chemical industry.
Recovery of Volatile Organic Compounds from Gaseous Streams
A comparative technical and economic study of three VOC recovery technologies — refrigeration, absorption and adsorption — with industrial case studies showing savings running into hundreds of crores for Indian solvent-using industries.
Vapour Recovery Systems — Comparison
A side-by-side comparison of refrigeration, absorption and adsorption VOC recovery technologies — covering application range, safety, maintenance, cost and operational characteristics.
Recovery of Acetone — Comparison of Operating Costs
Operating cost comparison for acetone vapour recovery by refrigeration (Rs 5.70/kg), absorption (Rs 2.26/kg) and adsorption (Rs 7.47/kg) — absorption is the clear winner at one-third the cost of adsorption.
Printing Machines — Comparison of Operating Costs for Absorption / Adsorption
Operating cost comparison for solvent vapour recovery from continuous web coating machines — absorption at Rs 7.28/kg vs adsorption at Rs 11.70/kg, with a detailed breakdown of power, steam, nitrogen and carbon costs.