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Tom Baxter

Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of Aberdeen

Tom Baxter graduated from Strathclyde University in 1975 with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (first class honours). He is a Fellow of the IChemE. He started his career with ICI Petrochemicals, moved to fine chemicals with the Swiss company Ciba-Geigy before taking a position as a Process Engineer in 1980 with BNOC (British National Oil Corporation).

Through privatisation and acquisitions BNOC became Britoil then BP. Here he worked as an Operations Engineer, Development Engineer and Research Manager. In 1991 he left BP and joined Altra Consultants as Technical Manager. In 1998 he accepted a position as Technical Director with Genesis Oil and Gas Consultants and became the Aberdeen Business Unit Director in 2006.

He returned to his role as Technical Director on 2010 together with a position as Senior Fellow in the Chemical Engineering Department at Aberdeen University which he helped establish. He was appointed Visiting Professor of Chemical Engineering at Strathclyde University in 2003 and Aberdeen in 2009. He has co-authored numerous papers on the use of Full Cost Accounting to measure sustainable performance.

Oil in Global Economy Series

Electrifying offshore platforms targets a tiny fraction of the oil industry's emissions

Oct 27, 2023 14:54 pm UTC| Business

We are all familiar with the greenhouse gas emissions that come from burning fossil fuels in car engines, central heating systems and power stations. Little discussed is the climate footprint of producing oil and gas in...

Hydrogen: UK government sees future in low-carbon fuel – but what's the reality?

Aug 22, 2021 01:27 am UTC| Business Economy

The UKs long-awaited hydrogen strategy has set out the governments plans for a world-leading hydrogen economy that it says would generate 900 million (US$1.2 million) and create over 9,000 jobs by 2030, potentially rising...

Why hydrogen energy has seduced a generation of politicians

Apr 04, 2021 10:20 am UTC| Politics

Hydrogen is often touted in the scientific and general media as a silver bullet for reaching net zero emissions. Such articles might include the following claims: Its the most common element on Earth. It can be...

Hydrogen: where is low-carbon fuel most useful for decarbonisation?

Nov 10, 2020 05:50 am UTC| Science

Is hydrogen the lifeblood of a low-carbon future, or an overhyped distraction from real solutions? One thing is certain the coal, oil and natural gas which currently power much of daily life must be phased out within...

Why we should leave old oil rigs in the sea – and why we don't

Oct 05, 2020 14:09 pm UTC| Business

Decommissioning the UKs offshore oil and gas infrastructure will cost the taxpayer 24 billion, according to estimates from HMRC. So why cant we leave man-made structures in the sea and thereby save the cost of removal and...

Electric Vehicle Series

Hydrogen cars won't overtake electric vehicles because they're hampered by the laws of science

Jun 03, 2020 14:35 pm UTC| Science

Hydrogen has long been touted as the future for passenger cars. The hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), which simply runs on pressurised hydrogen from a fuelling station, produces zero carbon emissions from its...

Oil in Global Economy Series

Five myths about dismantling North Sea oil rigs

Apr 14, 2017 03:14 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell is under fire from environmental groups over its proposal to decommission the Brent oilfield in the North Sea. The plans submitted to the government relate to four concrete and steel platforms...

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Economy

Ukraine Faces $56 Billion Budget Gap as War Costs Soar

Ukraine is confronting a deepening budget crisis as Russian attacks cripple major industries, reduce tax revenues and drive the cost of fighting the war sharply higher. Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr...

Thailand Plans Dual-Class Shares to Revive IPO Market

Thailands Stock Exchange plans to introduce a dual-class share structure by 2027, aiming to attract more companies to the countrys struggling IPO market while allowing founders to retain greater control over their...

India-US Trade Deal Talks Hit Plateau, Sitharaman Says

India and the United States have reached a difficult stage in negotiations over a long-awaited trade agreement, with little room left for either side to make additional concessions, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala...

Europe EV Sales Hit Record as Affordable Models Boost Demand

Europes electric vehicle market is accelerating in 2026, with record sales and a growing range of affordable models helping automakers meet stricter European Union emissions targets, according to a new study. Electric...

RBI Rate Hike Bets Surge as Inflation Rises

Investors are increasingly betting that the Reserve Bank of India will raise interest rates this week as inflation accelerates, economic growth remains strong and major global central banks adopt more hawkish policies. A...

Politics

Ukraine to Intensify Strikes on Russian Oil Refineries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv will intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscows expanding air campaign against Ukrainian cities, while stressing that Ukraine will not deliberately...

Takaichi Pledges to Control Japan Bond Issuance

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged Monday to control government bond issuance and respond quickly to market volatility as rising yields intensify concerns over Japans public finances. In a policy speech to...

Australia Probes Flydubai Co-Pilot’s Links After FZ1073 Hijack Attempt

Australian counterterrorism authorities are investigating the local connections of the flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to seize control of flight FZ1073. The Victorian Joint Counter...

OPEC+ Keeps November Oil Output Targets Steady

OPEC+ has agreed to maintain its existing oil production targets for November, keeping supply policy unchanged as Middle East disruptions continue to limit actual output from several major producers. Seven core OPEC+...

Yemen Launches Major Offensive to Retake Houthi-Held Areas

Yemens Saudi-backed government announced Sunday a major military campaign aimed at recapturing territory controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis, escalating a conflict increasingly linked to the wider Middle East war....

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Huawei, Qualcomm Sign Multi-Year AI and 5G Patent Deal

Chinas Huawei Technologies has reached a broad multi-year patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm covering key technologies including artificial intelligence, 5G, computing and networking, strengthening the companies...

Zcash NU7 Testnet Cuts Block Time to 25 Seconds

Zcash has activated its NU7 network upgrade on the public testnet, reducing the targeted time between transaction blocks from 75 seconds to 25 seconds as developers prepare for a potential November mainnet launch. NU7 went...

Firmus Grid IPO Draws Strong Demand, Nvidia and Blackstone Could Raise Stakes

Australian data centre operator Firmus Grid plans to reserve roughly half of the shares in its initial public offering for existing investors, potentially giving Nvidia and Blackstone an opportunity to increase their...

UK Warned Over Growing Reliance on US Cloud Providers

Britains increasing dependence on U.S. cloud computing companies for critical government services could create a major strategic and economic vulnerability, lawmakers have warned, raising concerns about data sovereignty...

AI Agents Could Disrupt Financial Services, Bernstein Says

Consumer AI agents could reshape financial services by reducing customer inertia and making it easier to switch between financial products, although trust, data access and regulatory hurdles may slow adoption, according to...