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.
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...
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...
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...
South Africa’s plan to move away from coal: 8 steps to make it succeed
Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects