Photo Courtesy of Cambrian Innovation Containerized EcoVolt process generates power from methane; clean water is a by-product. Related Links: Craft Brewer Purchases EcoVolt Bioelectric Technology Bio-Energy Box Coverts Beer Waste to Electricity How Cambrian's EcoVolt Bioelectric Wastewater Treatment System Works Craft breweries in drought-stricken Sonoma County, Calif., are testing a novel process that generates power while recycling wastewater.Developed by an MIT spin-off firm, the EcoVolt system "takes the wastewater stream and, through anaerobic technology, turns it into methane gas that we then turn into electricity using a micro- turbine," says Leon Sharyon, CFO of craft brewery Lagunitas. Matthew Silver, a
Photo by AP/Wideworld Only charred steel and scaffolding remain after a San Francisco construction-site fire. Photo by AP/Wideworld Related Links: California Crews Scramble To Repair Busy Route After Fire Sandy Blamed for Boardwalk Fire at the New Jersey Shore A five-alarm fire at a construction site in San Francisco pulled in over 150 firefighters on March 11. The crews battled flames spewing from a 172-unit apartment complex owned by BRE Properties and successfully prevented the fire from jumping to other construction projects in the growing Mission Bay area of the city.Though, immediately afterward, the site remained too dangerous for investigators
Related Links: Airports Emphasize Flexibility In New Designs DOTs Are Gaining "Complete Streets" Smarts P3 Experts Point to the Canadian Experience Infrastructure Investors Are Willing To Pound The Pavement Viewpoint by John D. Porcari: Project Environmental Reviews, Undo the Do-Over Loop Harvey Hammond, chairman of HNTB Corp., was talking about the firm's future as it marks its 100th anniversary this year—as well as the future of funding improvements to the nation's bridges, railways, ports, tunnels and major highways. "The infrastructure needs and demands will always be there," he says. "The question is: How do we respond to [them]?"For U.S. states
Image Courtesy of SFO SFO's planned airport improvements will be informed by a recently revised set of life-cycle recommendations. Image Courtesy of SFO Related Links: Transportation's Next Chapter: Maintenance, Mobility, Money DOTs Are Gaining "Complete Streets" Smarts Dont Leave It at LEED, Say Aviation Project Leaders Airports Push The Green Envelope Airport Improvements Squeeze Into San Diego Surface transportation designers and builders are adopting a more system-based, holistic approach to infrastructure that emphasizes sustainability and place-making, not merely mobility. And so are airports.For years now, airport leaders have agreed that meeting LEED standards is a start but not enough for
Image Courtesy GDOT Related Links: Transportation's Next Chapter: Maintenance, Mobility, Money Airports Emphasize Flexibility In New Designs GDOT's Complete Streets Manual The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) would like to see transportation-design policy start at the city and state levels, not the federal level. With that in mind, the Washington State Dept. of Transportation is adopting the group's new "Urban Street Design Guide."The guide includes a chapter on interim design strategies before a major buildup; a discussion of design controls; showing the street as a physical place; and real-life examples of the impacts of design decisions on that
Photo Courtesy of Greenbrier Rail Most North American tank cars are DOT-111 models that are no longer deemed safe. As carriers and regulators push for newer, more robust design, the tanker business is booming. Related Links: Pipeline Advocates Question Crude-By-Rail Safety Q & A With Federal Railroad Administration Deputy Administrator Karen Rae While the U.S. waits to see whether President Obama will approve the Keystone XL pipeline, more and more crude oil is moving by rail. After several fiery accidents in the past year, carriers are taking safety measures, hoping to garner public support for increased rail traffic from North
Rendering courtesy of Clemson University Restoration Institute The North Charleston, S.C., drivetrain test center features 7.5-MW and 15-MW test bays that can mimic 20 years of field conditions over a roughly six-month period. Related Links: Dynamic Deeds Build Clemson's Unique Test Facility First Public Multi-Turbine Wind Lab Goes Live A Clemson University wind-energy testing and research center built to accommodate the world's largest drivetrains is poised to deliver an increased amount of data about wind-turbine designs and their impacts on the electrical grid. Designed to drive technological innovations and featuring a unique set of capabilities, the North Charleston, S.C., facility
Related Links: Pipeline Bursts Heat Up Safety Questions Over Keystone XL Pipeline Advocates Question Crude-by-Rail Safety State Dept. OIG report A report dismissing complaints about the U.S. State Dept.'s selection of Environmental Resources Management to prepare the final supplemental environmental impact statement for TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline has spurred calls for a new look at the department's contractor selection process.The State Dept.'s Office of Inspector General said in a report released on Feb. 26 that the selection of ERM "substantially followed" the department's rules, despite complaints from Keystone XL opponents who said ERM previously had performed work for TransCanada
Rendering courtesy of Footprint Power Gas-fired plant's start-up time will average about 10 minutes, versus existing plant's 12 to 16 hours. Related Links: Gas-Fired Projects Are Gaining Momentum Viewpoint: Tax Gas in the Pipelines to Help Solve Transportation Funding Crisis Construction of a new, 692-MW natural-gas-fired powerplant in Salem, Mass., is moving forward following a novel arrangement between a New England environmental foundation and a New Jersey-based company that incorporates stringent global greenhouse-gas emission reductions to comply with state climate law.On Feb. 21, Gov. Deval Patrick (D) granted final approval for construction of a new, $1-billion plant to replace the
Photo by Mike Verzella, Courtesy of L.F. Driscoll/Structure Tone Penn Medicine has allocated $1 billion in improvements to meet demand projections. Related Links: After Sandy, Hospitals Rethink Where to Put IT and Other Systems After Sandy: Rethinking, Recovering, Rebuilding Two separate conferences held in Manhattan recently emphasized two major themes in hospital and health-care construction: Project teams must be flexible as client demand evolves with changes in the marketplace, and hospitals themselves must be made more resilient to major weather events, such as Superstorm Sandy."The future is in ambulatory care," Gary Acord, executive director of planning, design and construction at
RSS
