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Quezon City probes alleged ammonia leak in ice plant
The Quezon City government is investigating a reported ammonia leak at an ice plant in Barangay San Antonio on Thursday morning......»»
Ammonia leak downs 10 in Taguig
Ten people were hospitalized while 13 workers were evacuated after an ammonia leak reportedly hit an ice plant in Barangay New Lower Bicutan, Taguig yesterday, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection......»»
Ammonia leak halts Bicutan classes
The city government of Taguig has suspended the class at R.P. Cruz Elementary School due to the ammonia leak incident at the ice plant along M.L. Quezon Street, Barangay Lower Bicutan on Monday. In a statement, the Taguig City Rescue and the Bureau of Fire Protection swiftly responded upon receiving a report regarding an ammonia-related incident, as the classes at the nearby R.P. Cruz Elementary School were immediately suspended at around 8 a.m. to ensure the safety of the students while roads leading to the incident area were promptly blocked to prevent people from approaching the site. The Taguig Rescue, BFP NCR, and PNP Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams are presently conducting an investigation, assessing the ammonia levels, and monitoring wind direction in the area. The local government also established an incident command post at the medical bay in front of R.P. Cruz Sr. Elementary School, manned by personnel from the CDRRMO, PNP and the Incident Command Team. This post is responsible for providing real-time updates on the situation in the affected areas of the ammonia leak. As of 9 a.m., the BFP has declared that the ammonia leak has been successfully contained. All barangays in Taguig have been put on alert for possible ambulance assistance equipped with medical oxygen in response to the incident. Meanwhile, the City Social Welfare and Development Office assisted affected residents in relocating to the designated evacuation site at Hagonoy Gymnasium. The post Ammonia leak halts Bicutan classes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
50 hospitalized in Aurora ammonia leak
Fifty residents of Barangay Esteves in Casiguran, Aurora were hospitalized following an ammonia leak from an ice plant on Tuesday night......»»
Portuguese firms interested in PHL renewable energy
The Department of Energy has concluded a preliminary meeting with Portuguese partners to explore potential collaboration and investment opportunities that can help further the country's development of renewable energy and alternative fuels like hydrogen. In a press statement on Tuesday, the DoE disclosed that Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho, in his courtesy visit to Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla last week, signified the interest of Energias de Portugal or EDP and EDP Renewables EDPR to invest in the country’s local projects. The Foreign Minister, along with the members of his delegation, was accompanied by Philippine Ambassador to Portugal, Ambassador Celia Anna M. Feria, and the Ambassador of Portugal to the Philippines, Maria João Falcão Poppe Lopes Cardoso. Cravinho reportedly offered to connect the DoE with Portuguese Minister for Environment and Climate Action João Pedro Matos Fernandes for further discussion in the COP28 Meeting this December in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. EDP, a Portuguese electric utility firm, generates 74 percent of its energy requirements from renewable sources. It aims to be 100 percent green by 2030. The EDPR, on the other hand, was established to manage, operate, and invest in the renewable assets portfolio of the EDP. The company is a global leader in the development of onshore wind farms and is the fourth-largest producer of wind energy in the world. Portugal, which began investing in renewable energy early on, faces similar challenges to the Philippines and is curious about the DOE's strategy for developing and utilizing the country's renewable energy sources. According to Lotilla, there are specific areas that require support from partners and investors, such as local offshore wind, floating solar, and renewable energy-based hydrogen and ammonia production. Lotilla also noted that the country needs backing in terms of liquefied natural gas or LNG importation and improvement of transmission and distribution lines. The Energy chief pointed out that Portugal's successful conversion of coal power plants into alternative fuels like co-firing with hydrogen or ammonia could be a useful blueprint for the Philippines to follow. In January 2021, the EDP coal-fired power plant in Sines shut down. Later, in November 2021, the Tejo Energia Pego coal-fired power plant also closed its operations. These events indicated that coal exit can be achieved through a combination of carbon pricing, investment in renewable energy, and the implementation of just transition planning. The Philippine Energy Development Plan has laid out ambitious targets for the country to achieve. By 2030, the aim is to increase the percentage of renewable energy in the overall energy mix to 35 percent. This will further escalate to 50 percent by 2040. The post Portuguese firms interested in PHL renewable energy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The barriers to Marcos vision of upskilling seafarers for greener shipping
In preparation for the decarbonization of the shipping industry, seafarers will need adequate skills and training to operate new technology and to handle alternative fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen......»»
Shipping industry must adapt to new technology, workforce training – PBBM
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for a sustainable future for the shipping and seafaring industries, as the sector undergoes a major transformation. Speaking at the International Chamber of Shipping and the Filipino Shipowners Association, Marcos said that the shipping industry must adapt to new technologies and fuels, and invest in a highly qualified workforce. "We must come together to envision and shape the future of the industry and global trade for the next 25 years," Marcos said. "We can do this by identifying the skills required for the new generation of ships, discussing education and training requirements, and committing to a fair and just transition to build a future-ready and resilient shipping industry,” he added. Marcos also highlighted the Philippines' maritime heritage and said that the government would continue to strengthen maritime-related policies and protect seafarers. "We are also grateful for the opportunities that our seafarers have created and are thankful for the wealth that they have brought home," Marcos said. "I thus ensure everyone that this government will continue strengthening maritime-related policies and protecting our seafarers and their loved ones." Marcos reiterated his directive to the Maritime Industry Authority and the Commission on Higher Education to work closely with the shipping industry on the upskilling and reskilling of Filipino seafarers to prepare them for the shift of ocean-going vessels from using conventional fuel sources to green ammonia between 2030 to 2040. However, Marcos is confident that the shipping industry can overcome these challenges and emerge stronger. "I am confident that, with all of us working together, we will navigate the turbulent tides ahead and chart a course towards a stronger and sustainable tomorrow for seafarers and the global community," Marcos said. He also enjoined all the national government agencies, multilateral organizers, and private stakeholders to work together in identifying strategies to ensure the availability of skilled workers to fulfill the requirements of the shipping industry. He concluded his speech by saying that he is confident that, with all of us working together, we will navigate the turbulent tides ahead and chart a course towards a stronger and sustainable tomorrow for seafarers and the global community. The post Shipping industry must adapt to new technology, workforce training – PBBM appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
AboitizPower eyes ammonia co-firing tests
Aboitiz Power Corp. is hoping to test ammonia co-firing in one of its power plants in the Philippines within the decade through its partnership with Japan’s largest power generation company JERA Co. Inc......»»
Call for safety checks in cold storage plants after ammonia leak in Navotas
EcoWaste Coalition stressed Thursday that safety checks in industrial facilities can prevent ammonia leaks and explosions, which can put the lives of workers and residents at grave risk. .....»»
Fire, ammonia leak hit cold storage facility in Navotas
23 residents in the vicinity were rushed to the hospital and 1 minor reportedly died early Tuesday morning after a cold storage facility caused an ammonia leak and caught fire in Navotas City. Navotas City Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Office head Vonne Villanueva said in a radio interview said 11 individuals were brought to Tondo Medical Center, 12 were brought to Navotas City Hospital, while the minor who died was brought to MCU Hospital in Caloocan. "'Yung bata po, kung hindi po ako nagkakamali, ayon po sa interview, ay mayroon pong pre-existing condition, pero bago po siya dinala sa MCU ay nagsasabi po na nagkaroon po ng difficulty of breathing. Pero 'yun nga po, kailangan pong tignan ng City Health officials kung talagang may kinalaman 'yung ammonia leak sa pagkamatay ng bata," Villanueva said. Navotas Fire Marshall Fire Supt. Jude Delos Reyes said in the same radio interview that the fire was declared fire out at 1:57 a.m. while the ammonia leak has been contained after the valve has been turned off. "Ang unang tawag sa amin ay ammonia leak, so 'nung nagresponde yung ating mga kasama, ang ininspeksyon namin, at we have to manage 'yung pagevacuate ng mga tao sa loob ng ice cold storage," Delos Reyes said. "About 12:05 or 12:04 [a.m.], nagkaroon ng pagsabog doon na mismo sa tanking system ng control room ng isang building sa loob ng compound at 'yun yung nagcause naman ng sunog," he continued. Meanwhile, Villanueva said that face-to-face classes in nearby schools have been suspended today due to the incident. The post Fire, ammonia leak hit cold storage facility in Navotas appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Thousands flee flooded homes after Ukraine dam destroyed
Thousands were fleeing their homes Wednesday after the destruction of a frontline Russian-held dam in Ukraine flooded dozens of villages and parts of a nearby city, sparking fears of a humanitarian disaster. Downstream from the breached Kakhovka dam, Ukrainian police and troops in the southern city of Kherson were bringing people out from inundated areas in inflatable boats, most clutching only a few documents and pets. Despite the evacuations, officials said Russian forces have kept shelling the residential neighborhoods. Ukraine and Russia have traded blame for the dam being ripped open early Tuesday, prompting Turkey's president to propose to both nations' leaders an international probe of the breach. The destruction has also raised fears of an environmental disaster and nuclear safety risks as it provides cooling water for Europe's largest nuclear plant. One woman, Nataliya Korzh, 68, had swum part of the way to escape from her house. She emerged from a rescue boat barefoot, her legs covered with scratches, her hands trembling from cold. "All my rooms are underwater. My fridge is floating, the freezer, everything. We're used to shooting, but a natural disaster is a real nightmare. I wasn't expecting that," she told AFP. She feared for her two dogs and cat, which she was unable to save. "To get to the room where the dogs were, I would have had to dive. I don't know what's happened to them." The water was waist-deep in the central streets of Kherson and the ground floors of buildings were submerged. A spokesman for Ukraine's emergency services, Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, said that "currently there is no information about the dead or injured". Water levels in Kherson have risen by five meters (16 feet), he said. While finger-pointing continued over the dam's destruction, Moscow accused Kyiv of blowing up a key pipeline that Russia used before the war to export ammonia and whose re-activation it has requested as part of grain deal talks. Continued shelling The governor of the Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said 1,700 people had been evacuated so far and reported that ongoing shelling was endangering rescuers and locals. Moscow-installed officials on the Russian-occupied side of the river said on Tuesday that more than 1,200 people had been evacuated. A policeman, Sergiy, 38, was using a radio to coordinate the rescue boats. "Today we've already saved 30 people, 10 pets. There was one child. We will work until we've brought out all the people," he told AFP. Washington warned there would be "likely many deaths" due to the breach of the Kakhovka dam. Kyiv said the destruction of the dam -- seized by Russia in the early hours of the war -- was an attempt by Moscow to hamper its long-awaited offensive, which Ukraine's leader stressed would not be affected. The United Nations warned that hundreds of thousands could be affected on both sides of the frontline. The governor of the Kherson region, Oleksandr Prokudin, said 1,852 houses had been flooded by early Wednesday. "According to our forecasts, the water level will increase by one meter within the next 20 hours," he warned. An official in President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Daria Zarivna, said that in the occupied territory "the Russians simply abandoned people" and in the town of Oleshky on the opposite bank from Kherson, "many spent the night on the roofs of houses". 'Environmental bomb' Zelensky accused Russia of detonating an "environmental bomb of mass destruction", saying authorities expected up to 80 settlements with tens of thousands of residents to be flooded and urging the world to "react". "This crime carries enormous threats and will have dire consequences for people's lives and the environment," Zelensky said. But the explosion would "not affect Ukraine's ability to de-occupy its own territories", he added. Last October, Zelensky accused Russia of planting mines at the dam, warning that its destruction would spur a new wave of refugees into Europe. Kyiv said 150 tonnes of engine oil had spilled into the river, and the agricultural ministry said about 10 thousand hectares of farmland on the right bank of the river would be flooded and "several times more" on the left bank. China expressed "serious concern" over the dam destruction, while EU chief Charles Michel called it a "war crime" and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg condemned it as "outrageous". Russia has said the dam was partially destroyed by "multiple strikes" from Ukrainian forces and urged the world to condemn Kyiv's "criminal acts". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said he proposed setting up an international commission to investigate the destruction of the dam in calls with Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The Soviet-era dam, built in the 1950s, sits on the Dnipro River, which provides cooling water for the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant some 150 kilometers (90 miles) away. The UN nuclear watchdog agency said the dam break was posing "no short-term risk" to the plant. Separately, Moscow accused a Ukrainian "sabotage" group of blowing up a section of the Togliatti-Odesa pipeline that Russia used to export ammonia and that is part of the international talks on allowing grain exports from Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of firing at the ammonia pipeline. The post Thousands flee flooded homes after Ukraine dam destroyed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The Hatch Project – AI in action (2)
If KadaKareer, the first place winner of the Rotary Club of Makati’s digitally inspired Hatch Project, focuses on the aspirations of the low-income segment of our youth to land meaningful employment though they are handicapped by limited resources and networks, and addresses the typical SMEs’ need for competent, reasonably valued, operating support, the second placer, Bangus PAFK: Bangus Pro-Active Fish Kill, seeks to address a perennial problem plaguing our aquaculture industry, fish kill. Fish kill or fish die-off is the sudden death of a large population of fish in a specific area of the marine environment such as a lake or a fish pen triggered by the deterioration of the quality of the water. We need not look too far for examples. Laguna de Bay’s steady deterioration over the decades of man-made pollution from industrial firms, extreme weather disturbances, and fish pen mismanagement have contributed to the degradation of the water quality in the lake arising from high water acidity levels, extreme water salinity, the concentration of ammonia, abrupt changes in water temperature and oxygen depletion, a sure-fire formula for the fish kill. This sad state of affairs is unfortunately not limited to Laguna Lake. This is happening as well in other aquaculture-dependent communities such as Pangasinan, where the project was initiated, and where the aquaculture industry is a major driver of the province’s economy. A few instances. In Bolinao, P22M worth of bangus was wiped out in a fish kill rampage in a matter of days in May 2020 after a heavy downpour. In Dagupan in 2019, thousands of fish, dead due to extreme heat. Just last January, in Lake Sebu in Cotabato, P10M worth of tilapia was spoiled due to improper aquaculture practices and weather disturbance-induced fish kill. Evidently, fish kill is a serious concern that needs to be addressed. Allow a non-techie, yours truly, to share my understanding of how PAFK works. Basically, it is an Internet of Things or IoT-based initiative of students from the Pangasinan State University, conceived not only to alleviate the plight of the fish farming community of Dagupan whose livelihood has been affected by fish kill but also to contribute in no small way to the very important task of ensuring food supply. PAFK monitors in real time the water condition and can forecast the occurrence of a looming fish kill of bangus in fishponds. The application uses sensors installed on a floating platform in a fish pen to remotely monitor the levels of dissolved oxygen, acidity, salinity, and ammonia, and to measure the water temperature. These sensor readings are recorded and transmitted to the Arduino microcontroller. An Arduino is an open hardware development board that can be used by any tech-savvy hobbyist to design and build a device that interacts with the real world. In the case of PAFK, the device the students created has sensors attached to the mainboard which is programmed to wait for a signal from the connected sensors. The microcontroller collects the readings hourly and transmits the data via hypertext transfer protocol which in simple terms is an application that allows users to communicate data using the internet. The program has three detection levels similar to street crossing signals: Normal (green light) - no action is required; Warning (yellow light signaling caution)- triggers remotely the switching on or off of the mechanical aeration system through either a text or a missed call; and Critical (red, full stop) - immediate force harvesting or transferring of the fish to another fishpond. Once the Warning or Critical signals occur, an SMS notification is sent to the caretaker’s cellphone. The AI component of the system “decides” when to trigger signals, guided by a predetermined threshold based on minimum or maximum value parameters inputted by the user. AI also calculates the average mean using the frequency distribution method. All the results are online and after receiving and storing the readings on a remote database server, the web page refreshes hourly. Will it work commercially? I certainly hope and pray that it will. Congratulations to three very bright science students of Pangasinan State University – Haryll Caido, Dexter Javelosa, and Jonathan Quiles, and their mentor, Elmer Noche. Until next week… OBF! For comments, email bing_matoto@yahoo.com The post The Hatch Project – AI in action (2) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DoST inaugurates Subic plant-based water treatment
The Department of Science and Technology inaugurated Monday a plant-based water treatment in Subic which can reduce operational costs of commercial and industrial firms and help them protect the environment. The project — located at the CUBI Sewage Treatment Plant, Subic Freeport Zone in Zambales — will be using the plant-based phytoremediation technology to remove traces of fat, oil and grease. Along with the DoST’s vortex technology, the plant can remove residues of heavy metals, ammonia, nitrates and phosphates from the Freeport’s industrial firms. “With this game-changing wastewater treatment facility, we anticipate a reduction of operational costs for industries with the use of cost-effective technology for treating wastewater effluents,” DoST said Undersecretary Leah J. Buendia. “Ultimately, we can look forward to an improvement in water quality and the protection of aquatic ecosystems, especially here in Subic,” she added. The water project was created with the Technological Institute of the Philippines and water treatment firm Subic Water under the DoST Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy or CRADLE Program. It allows innovation to cost-effective and low-maintenance constructed wetlands in Subic to absorb and convert pollutants to harmless substances through interactions of various layers of soil, micro-organisms and sunlight. Buendia said the program helps Subic firms comply with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards of 2016. The post DoST inaugurates Subic plant-based water treatment appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
G7 pledges to quit fossil fuels faster, but no new deadline
The G7 pledged on Sunday to quit fossil fuels faster and urged other countries to follow suit, but failed to agree to any new deadlines on ending polluting power sources like coal. The language reflects the depth of disagreements among the allies on the balance between climate action and energy security, with host Japan leading a pushback against the most ambitious proposals discussed. After two days of talks in the northern city of Sapporo, the bloc's climate and environment ministers vowed to "accelerate the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels so as to achieve net zero in energy systems by 2050 at the latest... and call on others to join us in taking the same action". But they offered no new deadlines beyond last year's G7 pledge to largely end fossil fuel use in their electricity sectors by 2035. France's energy transition minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said the "phase-out" wording was nonetheless a "strong step forward" ahead of the G20 and COP28 summits. Britain and France had put forward a new goal of ending "unabated" coal power -- which does not take steps to offset emissions -- in G7 electricity systems this decade. But with global energy supplies still squeezed by the war in Ukraine, the target faced pushback from other members, including bloc president Japan and the United States. "I would obviously have liked to have been able to make a commitment to phase out coal by 2030," Pannier-Runacher told AFP. But "it is one issue on which we can still make progress in forthcoming discussions, particularly at COP28", the UN climate conference to be held in Dubai this November. Call to reduce 'gas demand' The Group of Seven industrialiZed nations, which also includes Germany, Italy, Canada and the EU, all target net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner after signing the Paris Agreement to cap warming at well under 2 degrees Celsius, and ideally 1.5C. The ministers had been under pressure to announce bold steps after a major UN climate report warned last month that 1.5C increases would be seen in about a decade without "rapid and far-reaching" action. But campaigners expressed fears ahead of the talks that Japan, supported by Germany and others, could lead backsliding on pledges such as ending new overseas fossil fuel financing. G7 leaders said last year that the "exceptional circumstances" of Russia's war in Ukraine made gas investments "appropriate as a temporary response". Sunday's statement contains similar language, but also sets multiple parameters around such investments and highlights the "primary need" for "gas demand reduction". Still, climate campaigners warned the ambiguity sends the wrong message. "The science is crystal clear that leaving the door open to investments in new gas or (liquefied natural gas) leaves the G7 off track for 1.5C," said Laurie van der Burg of Oil Change International. Japan's energy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura nonetheless characterized the communique as "ambitious" and praised the G7 for "recognizing diverse paths towards carbon neutrality" during the energy crisis. Hydrogen controversy Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, told AFP he was pleased with the statement. "It combines our current energy security concerns and it also provides a road map on how we deal with the climate crisis," he said, adding that Japan had played a "responsible and constructive" role. The bloc however stopped short of endorsing Japan's strategy of burning hydrogen and ammonia alongside fossil fuels to reduce emissions -- which activists say only serves to extend the lifespan of polluting plants. Its statement simply notes that "some countries are exploring" the potential of hydrogen fuels, adding that this should be "aligned with a 1.5C pathway". Attempts to commit to halving emissions from vehicles in the G7 by 2035 also floundered, but the group did pledge for the first time to end new plastic pollution by 2040. The statement also urges a peak in global greenhouse emissions by 2025 at the latest. Experts say this language is aimed at the world's largest carbon emitter, China, which is targeting a peak in its emissions by 2030. The post G7 pledges to quit fossil fuels faster, but no new deadline appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tecnalia participates in the world’s first plant to convert ammonia into hydrogen
M Saturday 25 June 2022 02:29 Tecnalia H2SITE is participating in a project aimed at developing the world’s first decentralized plant to convert ammonia into.....»»
Ammonia leak: Navotas ice plant faces sanctions
The Department of Labor and Employment is eyeing to impose sanctions on a cold storage facility in Navotas partly owned by Mayor Toby Tiangco’s mother for failing to report the death of two employees due to ammonia leak last week, DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said yesterday......»»
Fishkill in Batangas due to ammonia leak?
The Environmental Management Bureau in Batangas is investigating if a fish kill in Lian town on Wednesday was due to an ammonia leak that hit an ice plant......»»
Ice plant must shoulder victims hospitalization over ammonia leak — Navotas mayor
The ammonia leak at the T.P. Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage left one worker dead and dozens hospitalized......»»
1 died, 76 hospitalized in ammonia leak incident in Navotas
One man died while 76 residents from a bayside community in Navotas City were sent to the hospital Wednesday following an ammonia leak in a cold storage facility owned by the family of Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco, authorities confirmed......»»
Navotas City mayor calls for evacuation over ammonia leak from ice plant
Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco called on residents near an ice plant to evacuate after ammonia leaked from it......»»