In reviewing an interesting year for P&ID — with many new projects, process applications and conferences — I tried to determine the best way to summarize how P&ID helps our clients. It occurred to me that we stay curious. We challenge assumptions, dismantle stale approaches and ask “why.” Let me explain.
P&ID works a lot in the lithium value chain. For lithium-ion battery recycling, the challenge is to provide safe and reliable process designs. At the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference in December, I spoke about chemical “industry-level” engineering design and safety protocols with hazard and operability studies to prevent accidents and ensure process safety during recycling operations. Yes, this can be accomplished! Contact me for a copy of the presentation and see my column in Barry on Batteries for more information.
At the same time, P&ID is pursuing a very unique process which cuts across various industries including chemical, environmental and basic manufacturing. The process operates at 450 degrees Celsius. Our challenge was to find a solid-liquid separation technology that could meet this parameter as well as other very specific process requirements. Well, we went back to the P&ID “Solid-Liquid Separation Matrix”, asked questions and brainstormed with a vendor to design a fresh approach to the separation system. Yes, we met the challenge!
Our work with battery-grade materials is another example of staying curious to meet a challenge. By walking around the plant, and digging into processes, we transferred pharma designs to industrial materials to meet the strict requirements to produce lithium-ion battery cells.
Curiosity: A Shared Approach
P&ID’s curiosity approach results in the types of creative and innovative process solutions that were the basis of my presentation at the Powder & Bulk Solids Conference in April. P&BS recognizes the interconnectivity of powders and solid-liquid separation. I had a great time discussing Solid-Liquid Separation Technologies for Process Applications.
Someone at the conference asked the most intriguing question: whether I had thought to use magnetic separation as a pretreatment method for solid-liquid separation. Basically, her idea was to remove small, ferrous particles to change the particle size distribution (PSD) of the entire slurry By removing particles, the PSD could be modified to produce a higher permeable cake for filtration, cake washing and dewatering. This idea presented yet another great challenge for P&ID. One inspired by another industry professional asking questions and pushing back against stale assumptions.
The year 2025 was a rewarding one for P&ID because we leaned into innovation and fresh approaches. Our work for clients forced us to recognize curiosity is necessary although (or perhaps because) it disrupts comfort. Curiosity may be dangerous as a disruptive force, but P&ID is engaged in building resilience for our clients by always asking “What if?” Have a happy holiday season and contact P&ID with your “Curious Ideas” for 2026.