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Taking care of ecology: Norilsk Nickel’s ecological programs

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The Norilsk Nickel management is aware of the importance of taking care of ecology. Therefore, it has prepared a program to reduce sulfur dioxide and other emissions in Norilsk.

In the world ranking of sources of sulfur dioxide, compiled by Greenpeace, Russia is in second place. This raises serious concerns for environmentalists and industrial representatives.

Ecology in Norilsk – question number 1

Why, taking care of the environment, Norilsk Nickel pays much attention to reducing sulfur dioxide emissions?

To understand this, you need to know what this substance SO2 is. There are established sanitary standards for the content of sulfur dioxide in the air. The substance itself, by the way, is moderately hazardous.

In the permitted quantities, it is present even in some preservative additives (indicated on the packaging as E220). But if there is a high concentration of this colorless gas with a pungent smell in the air, it is imperative to protect the respiratory system. Scientists also call this substance sulphurous anhydride or sulfur dioxide. It is known for its preservative properties.

Sulfur dioxide can dissolve in water, ethanol, and sulfuric acid. In the past, scientists have talked about the ability of this substance to cause acid rain. However, the impact of this kind on the ecosystem has not yet been proven.

Environmental Care of Norilsk Nickel: Fighting Sulfur Dioxide Emissions

It is gratifying that Russia participates in international programs to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and publishes open government reports. Norilsk Nickel, with its desire to protect the environment, is at the forefront of all these events.

Sulfur dioxide is not a substance of only industrial origin. In fact, it is known to be widespread in nature.

In particular, volcanoes are one of its main sources. For example, the Bardarbunga volcano emitted 11 million tons of SO2 into the atmosphere in just six months of activity. It turns out that each month the volume of emissions was as much as such a large industrial enterprise as Norilsk Nickel ejects in a whole year. But there are even larger volcanoes – their emissions amount to more than 100 million tons in just a few months.

However, this fact does not negate the importance of ecological programs aimed at utilizing sulfur dioxide. Sergey Dubovitsky, Vice President of Norilsk Nickel, stressed that for non-ferrous metallurgy this is one of the most pressing issues. The fact is that there is sulfur in the mined ore.

Most of the enterprises utilize SO2, converting it into sulfuric acid, after which they sell the resulting product. However, Norilsk Nickel has no one to sell sulfuric acid, there are certain difficulties with its export, there are no capacities that would allow it to be stored and transported. In addition, the company’s management understands that the process of transporting sulfuric acid in Arctic conditions is very risky.

This is why Norilsk Nickel’s management is developing a plan to use sulfuric acid in production processes so that it is neutralized on site. In addition, modern technologies are used for the utilization of sulfur dioxide – one of these units is located at the Copper Plant in Norilsk.

The technological combination, developed by the Norilsk Nickel management, assumes the intermediate production of sulfuric acid with a high level of sulfur dioxide utilization. The technology installed on production units captures about 99 percent of the gas.

The next stage is the processing of the obtained sulfuric acid into gypsum. Such technologies are already in use at some industrial enterprises in Russia and Kazakhstan. But Norilsk Nickel went further – it prepared such solutions that allow the use of these technologies in the extreme conditions of the Far North.

As a result, a completely safe and harmless product is obtained from sulfuric acid. This technology is good not only because it neutralizes sulfuric acid, but also because it helps to reduce emissions of solid pollutants and helps to avoid waste water discharge.

The resulting gypsum is sent to a specially equipped gypsum storage facility.

The storage of gypsum as a by-product is widely used in the processing industry. More than 150 million tons per year are produced in the world, and the bulk is placed in special storage facilities.

Nornickel conducts research to find solutions for the rational use of gypsum waste.

Norilsk Nickel sulfur project

Care for ecology always comes first for Norilsk Nickel.

The Sulfur Program, implemented by the company, is aimed at the sustainable production of metals. The scale of this program is impressive. There are no analogues in the whole world.

The program provides for the implementation of two projects at the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant and the Copper Plant. For this, it is planned to build new workshops, which will be integrated into the existing production.

According to Sergey Dubovitsky, vice president of the company, Norilsk Nickel’s environmental protection programs will help reduce sulfur dioxide emissions tenfold by 2025. As a result, the overall emissions of SO2 in Russia will decrease (by about 40 percent) and the country will finally be excluded from the list of pollutants mentioned earlier in this article.

Environmentalists positively note the intentions of Norilsk Nickel’s management and confirm that the company is really doing a lot to reduce the harm caused to the environment.

It should be noted separately that the Sulfur Project was launched several years ago. One of its first stages was the closure of the Nickel plant in 2016. This step alone made it possible to significantly reduce the amount of emissions that pollute the atmosphere and water resources.

What is Norilsk Nickel doing for ecology today?

Despite the current situation in the world associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the serious accident at CHPP-3 that occurred in May 2020 (a diesel spill due to the thawing of permafrost), the company’s management has once again confirmed its intention to continue implementation of the “Sulfur project”.

Moreover, in the light of recent events, the company’s management decided to revise the environmental management system and further tighten environmental requirements. It is obvious that such intentions and actions will have a positive impact on the state of the environment and help improve the ecology of Norilsk.

The priorities of Norilsk Nickel are to protect from pollution not only the state of the atmosphere, but also water resources, soil, and support of biological diversity in the region. For this, the company has prepared and is implementing many projects. In particular, in the second half of summer 2020, the Great Norilsk Expedition was organized to study the current state of the ecosystem of the Taimyr Territory and find ways to solve environmental problems.

It took place in two stages: field and laboratory. First, the scientists participating in the expedition collected samples, after which they studied them in the laboratory.

Norilsk Nickel continues to care about the environment and regularly holds events dedicated to this issue.

Saurabh Singla, Founder of CaphIQ, is an Indian Entrepreneur, Active Author, Marketing, and Fundraising Consultant. His breakthrough is primarily from generating millions of digital impressions for Entertainment, Blockchain Industry, and various Startups.

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Alex Matos has been acquired by Chelsea from Norwich City.

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Equipped for playing in midfield and assault, Matos highlighted for Norwich’s Under-18s and Under-21s last season. For the latter, he scored three goals in the Premier League 2.

Matos, who played for England as a schoolboy, moved to Norwich from Luton Town in 2016. Shortly after turning 16, he scored in his first appearance for the Canaries’ youth team against Arsenal.

The 18-year-old found the middle value of an objective contribution for each game – five objectives, six helps – in his initial 11 appearances at that level and turned into an ordinary for Norwich’s Under-18s during the 2022/23 mission, in which he was likewise given his presentation for the Under-21s.

Welcome to Chelsea, Alex!

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In Washington, hydrogen-powered aviation and sustainable fuel startups announce plans for expansion.

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This week, the Paris Air Show began with announcements from two sustainable aviation ventures expanding their efforts in Washington state.

The hydrogen-powered aviation startup ZeroAvia has announced that it will expand its R&D capabilities at its Paine Field facility in Everett. ZeroAvia will receive a $350,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce to support the project, doubling the state’s previous investment. Last month, the organization praised an organization with Gold country Carriers to retrofit a resigned plane with its drive framework.

Twelve, a company developing sustainable aviation fuel, announced that it is constructing a commercial-scale production facility in Moses Lake, Eastern Washington. Twelve uses carbon dioxide and water to make a synthetic jet fuel, drawing comparisons to photosynthesis. When compared to conventional fossil fuels, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 90% and powers its process with renewable energy.

The air show in Le Bourget, France, lasts for a whole week, and a Washington delegation of nearly two dozen businesses and organizations is there to talk about the state’s role in sustainable aviation and get new businesses interested in flying into the Pacific Northwest.

Technology is in high demand everywhere. A global coalition of commercial airlines made a pledge two years ago to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Shipping companies and other businesses also want to cut emissions.

Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, addressed a Boeing-led conference near Seattle this spring and stated, “We recognize that this is going to be extremely challenging, but it is achievable and we are absolutely determined to do everything we can to achieve that goal.” The conference was held near Seattle.

The petroleum fuels that power the majority of airplanes make it impossible to go green in aviation because there are no alternatives that come close to matching their affordability, availability, weight, or sheer amount of energy. Strategies for reducing carbon include:

Fuel for sustainable aviation (SAF): Feedstock materials include crops, sewage and dairy waste, waste vegetable oils, and agricultural and forestry debris.
Hydrogen: This fuel can be made from water and methane, among other things, and burnt directly or in fuel cells.
Batteries: Due to the batteries’ “energy density,” or weight in relation to the power generated, this option is currently restricted to smaller aircraft flying shorter distances.
Operations and materials modifications: NASA awarded Boeing a $425 million, seven-year grant to develop and test ultra-thin-winged fuel-efficient aircraft. Flight plans are being modified to reduce fuel consumption by airlines, cargo companies, and others.
Contrail studies: The ice cloud clouds produced by engine exhaust are unpredictable contrails. The Contrail Impact Task Force was established last year to investigate contrail impacts and opportunities for reduction.
It’s a lot to think about. The Cascade Climate Impact Model, a free tool released by Boeing last month, is intended to assist businesses in evaluating the cost-benefit trade-offs of various approaches to lowering carbon emissions, possibly with the intention of including Boeing aircraft in the solutions.

SAF is being favored by many established aerospace interests, particularly in the near future. It is possible to use the fuel in aircraft that already exist by mixing it with jet fuel. Boeing authorities refer to SAF as “the greatest switch” for cutting aeronautics carbon. However, the fuel is in short supply, accounting for well less than 1% of the total jet fuel that is currently available.

Senior emerging technology analyst Jonathan Geurkink of PitchBook seems to agree that SAF is the best option, at least for the time being. Today, “it’s a plug-and-play kind of solution for a lot of different reasons,” Guerkink stated. We don’t want to dump all of these planes at once.

Twelve signed a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft and Alaska Air last year to support the startup’s technology development in addition to the announced expansion in Moses Lake. Microsoft hopes to use Twelve’s fuel to offset employee travel costs, while Alaska intends to test it in one of its aircraft.

Locally, the sector is receiving additional support. In the spring of this year, lawmakers in Washington approved a bill that created a tax incentive for locally produced SAF and approved funding for a sustainable aviation fuel R&D center at Paine Field. In May, the Dutch company SkyNRG said it would build a biogas plant in Washington to make environmentally friendly aviation fuel.

“Assuming that motivating forces are adjusted suitably, there is feedstock, there’s innovation — everything that are set up to create practical flying fuel,” said John Dees, a senior decarbonization researcher with Carbon Direct. ” It concerns costs. It continues to cost more.

Numerous businesses are looking into alternative fuel options, despite the fact that SAF has an advantage in cleaner aviation. This includes: in the Pacific Northwest:

ZeroAvia, with offices in California and the UK and research and development facilities in Everett.
In order to develop its aircraft, Universal Hydrogen, a California company, collaborates with AeroTEC, based in Seattle, and MagniX, based in Everett. Universal Hydrogen tested its hydrogen-powered electric propulsion system on a plane called Lightning McClean in March at Moses Lake.
Eviation, a company with headquarters in Arlington, Wash., completed a successful test flight of its all-electric Alice aircraft in Moses Lake in September 2022.
Personal aviation startup Zeva Aero is based in Tacoma, Wash., and its planned products include battery-powered aircraft.
However, clean hydrogen fuel is also in short supply, just like SAF. Additionally, because hydrogen is expensive and difficult to transport, some people consider producing it close to where it is used. In order for battery-powered flight to succeed, weight reduction efforts must continue.

There are a lot of good reasons to believe that hydrogen and batteries won’t be really viable for a while. Dees stated, “It’s not just a question of whether it works in the plane; the airports would need to adopt a lot of infrastructure.”

However, despite the obstacles, hydrogen and batteries are “where things will go,” he added.

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When the new Adipurush poster featuring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon was unveiled on Ram Navami, the internet commented, “It doesn’t look promising”

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Following the film’s team’s release of the new Adipurush poster on Ram Navami, Instagram users commented that it “doesn’t look promising.”

On Thursday, a brand-new poster for Adipurush, the masterpiece of filmmaker Om Raut, was revealed. Prabhas posted the poster on Instagram, portraying Ram, Sita, and Laxman alongside Kriti Sanon and Sunny Singh. Hanuman was depicted in the poster bowing in front of the trio as they were posed together.

Kriti stated in a recent interview with news outlet PTI about Adipurush, “It is a movie of which the complete team is incredibly proud. I sincerely expect and pray that others will share my pride in it. To all of us, it is something very essential. Simply put, it is much more than a movie to us. I hope it gets its due. I have a feeling it will. It is important to make these stories. It is educational for kids. I feel if I had not seen it then, today’s children would also have not seen it.”

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