Energy and Environment Feature Library

Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.

Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE (the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.

08/08/2023 Fostering a maintenance culture Our society has become a throw-away one, and part of the problem is a lack of knowledge and capability in repair » Read More

20/02/2023 All about storm overflows As Southern Water recovers from a dark period, managing storm overflows is the biggest challenge that it – and the industry – faces. Water utilities use storm overflows to serve as relief valves that ensure that rain and wastewater is ... » Read More

19/12/2022 Musts when decommissioning buried storage tanks Underground storage tanks (USTs) provide an invaluable resource, but eventually their working lives come to an end and they need to be removed. How can that be done in an environmentally safe and hazard-free way? » Read More

18/02/2021 Spill stop While there is no perfect way to treat large oil spills, a number of techniques have proven effective in mopping up much of them » Read More

17/12/2020 Disposal: reducing waste Shredders and balers can help reduce packaging waste volumes. How can plants select the most-suitable machinery, and what are their maintenance/service requirements? By Steed Webzell » Read More

12/12/2019 Increased range Thermo-pressure hydrolysis uses heat and pressure to pre-treat food waste before anaerobic digestion. This increases the methane yield while improving the process tolerance to contaminants. It also dramatically increases throughput, ... » Read More

06/09/2019 Unwrapping the enigma At this year’s Siemens Digital Talks conference, TrakRap CEO Martin Leeming told the story of how the SME is disrupting the packaging industry– one sheet of plastic at a time » Read More

05/02/2019 The wonders of waste United Utilities’ £200 million investment at its Davyhulme wastewater treatment works in greater Manchester has put the site right at the forefront when it comes to sewage treatment » Read More

05/02/2019 Comment: Monster of the deep A ‘monster’ fatberg, longer than six double-decker buses, has been found in Devon. South West Water says it’s the largest mass of oil, grease and wet wipes discovered in its service history. » Read More

05/12/2018 A cut above The Brent oil and gas field operation is all but over after 40 years. Now the first of its 24,200 tonne ‘topsides’ platforms is in the process of being dismantled, with components recycled, reused and disposed of in a highly complex ... » Read More

05/12/2018 Avoiding landfill Plant items are often disposed of before reaching the end of their operational life. However, alternatives to disposal are emerging – not only selling on, but also repurposing – which help the environment as well as support community ... » Read More

05/10/2012 Absorbing practice Staying on the right side of the law might mean paying more attention to absorbents, spill kits and the professional services around them to prevent problems. Brian Wall reports » Read More

05/04/2005 Waste Treatment - Turning pollutants back to rock By treating waste containing calcium compounds (lime) with carbon dioxide, it possible to quickly and inexpensively convert materials to substances closely resembling limestones or other natural rocks. » Read More

05/04/2005 CIWM Preview - Time to raise the standard According to the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), the discipline of waste management is entering its third age. The first age was concerned simply with disposal, while the second age was also about removing waste swiftly ... » Read More