Gulf Coast Environmental Systems

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GCES Supports the “Zero Flaring by 2030” Initiative

open flaring

Gulf Coast Environmental Systems Supports the “Zero Flaring by 2030” Initiative

20-years-ago, the southern Texas skyline, like many other areas of “oil country”, looked like a birthday cake lined with bright burning open flares. With recent pushes towards alternative options, the “candles” have started to disappear.

In the drilling process, the oil that is retrieved from the ground is accompanied by a significant amount of gas. These gases are deemed uneconomical and generally burned off using flares. Flares are pollution control devices used to safely combust unwanted process waste gas streams and are essential for safe plant operation, and the abatement of routine waste gas emissions. This process has been used for decades and is still the most widely accepted method of process waste gas abatement because of the dangerous Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that can be found in these streams. Routine flaring, a specific type of flaring that is incredibly common in the oil and gas industry, is a process in which flaring is done in cases where the gas does not present any safety risks. However, flares have garnered quite a bit of attention in the media with the focus on methane and CO2 and their role in climate change.

Globally, gas flares burn approximately 140 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. This amounts to 300 million tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere without capture. This release is a potentially massive missed opportunity; the amount of gas flared last year alone could be used to create more electricity than the entire continent of Africa uses in a year. Furthermore, gases that cannot be used for energy generation could alternatively be used for conservation and use in several other industries (ie: food and beverage, medical, etc.) providing further financial value. [Read more…]

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2020 Pollution Control Outlook

We have all seen the industry outlook articles, claiming to name the upcoming industry leaders and trends for this year. You might notice these articles list completely irrelevant “trends” and a number of companies that paid to be called “up and coming,” Gulf Coast Environmental Systems has been recognized as an industry leader for nearly two-decades. We work in some of the most challenging environments on the planet, with some of the harshest pollutants. Because of this, we have a constant pulse on the pollution control field.

With 2020 upon us, we sat down with a few of our in-house experts and put together a list of trends and changes the industry should expect this year.

The most obvious issue facing nearly every industrial facility is the public focus on pollution and climate change. In 2019, we were presented with study after study proving a connection between pollution and serious human health risks, and even death. With 24-hour access to these studies, and widespread social media use, the general public is starting to raise their voice in protest, and demanding government action. This, in combination with increased urbanization in previously underdeveloped areas, the regulatory agencies of the world have started to demand more stringent destruction requirements.

Most of the trends we expect to see in 2020 are related to the pressure that these regulatory industries are facing, regarding specific applications and/or emissions. Below are the “hot topics” for 2020: [Read more…]

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Rendering Pollution Control: Vapor-Tolerant and Aqueous RTOs Comparison

Vapor-rich and wastewater waste streams, such as those from the rendering process, pose challenges for traditional treatment systems. Gulf Coast Environmental Systems provides robust, economic solutions to these challenges utilizing thermal oxidizers which apply the combination of heat and time to combust pollutants into harmless CO2 and water.

Some of the harshest pollution control applications are in the rendering field of the food processing industry. The waste stream can contain odors, ammonia, fats, grease, water and other vapors, and even particulate matter, all in a wide ranging mix. GCES’ custom designs systems to handle these difficult processes based on each facilities waste output and goals. Included in our solution is the Aqueous RTO wastewater destruction system with capabilities that allow for processing of both air and water pollution simultaneously. The process is controlled through metered injection of the water into a pre-heated inlet stream into the oxidizer for complete destruction using the standard oxidation process. The following is a comparison of the Aqueous Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) and a Vapor-Tolerant RTO for implementation in the treatment of food rendering waste streams. [Read more…]

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Case Study – Specialty Chemical Refurbished Solution

Industry: Specialty Chemical/Materials
Project Type: Chemical
Location: Louisiana
Project Goal: A quickly commissioned pollution control solution
Equipment Type: Refurbished Thermal Oxidizer

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Gulf Coast Environmental Systems was tasked with finding a pollution control solution for a chemical application which had an unusually tight timeline.

CLIENT OVERVIEW:
This customer manufactures and sells high-performance specialty chemicals and materials. One of the largest chemical providers in the world, this company operates in two separate segments; Catalyst Technologies and Materials Technologies. Catalyst Technologies provides fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts to produce petroleum-based fuels like gasoline and diesel. They also supply methanol-to-olefins catalysts for the conversion of methanol into petrochemical feeds like ethylene and propylene. [Read more…]

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Landfill RNG Case Study

CASE STUDY
THERMAL OXIDIZER
LANDFILL – BIOGAS | NOVEMBER 2018

Industry: Landfill/Waste Management
Project Type: Biogas
Project Goal: Building a biogas facility to develop pipeline quality natural gas
Equipment Type: Carbon Adsorber and Thermal Oxidizer

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Gulf Coast Environmental Systems was tasked with finding a pollution control solution that could handle two combined PSA reject gas vent streams.

PROJECT OVERVIEW:
In this case, Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) systems are cleaning biogas from a landfill. Potentially dangerous gases like methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfides, and ammonia, are created by the decomposition and evaporation of organic compounds as well as chemical reactions between waste components. These gases and other hydrocarbons are often considered greenhouse gases and play a huge role in global warming. According to the EPA, in the United States landfills are the third most prevalent source of methane and other greenhouse gases. Another risk when dealing with methane is the flammability of the gas which is incredibly high. When condensed into a small space, methane is considered an explosive, and should be handled with extreme caution. The fact that a minimal amount of oxygen is present in this particular stream of waste gas eliminates risk of the process concentration becoming combustible that could lead to flashback. However, poorly designed or maintained landfills run the risk of higher levels of oxygen entrainment leading to elevated danger and uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions. [Read more…]

Company Profile

Gulf Coast Environmental Systems (GCES) is your custom solutions provider for pollution control systems, industrial ovens, systems engineering and field support worldwide. Our unique approach is to analyze your process stream and business objectives and propose an ideal solution or range of options to help you optimize these objectives. GCES is a one-stop shop: we provide engineering services, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and ongoing support. With our broad base of expertise and large installed global base, we are well-positioned to solve your pollution control issues.

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