Sustainable energy

Brooklyn Making a Difference in Sustainable Energy

Wikimedia commons I’m proud to say my hometown of Brooklyn is listed as a major tourist destination by leading travel publications. Why not? You can visit the only aquarium in New York City and have lunch at Nathan’s Famous. In fact, Brooklyn, if it were not a borough in New York City, would be the 3rd largest city in America, after Los Angeles and Chicago. That city would also be at the cutting edge of sustainable energy. Now, I can also be proud to write this article combining my love for…


geothermal baths for lithium extraction

P&ID Out Front for Lithium Extraction from Geothermal Waters

Photo by Joey Clover on Unsplash P&ID is proudly out front for lithium production and sustainable processes.  In a recent column in Chemical Processing, Barry on Batteries, I discussed how the chemical industry can prepare for a new market segment, lithium extraction from geothermal waters. Geothermal water is the product of water-rock interactions over a long time at a high temperature and depth. The water contains lithium as well as other minerals, such as bromine. In direct lithium…


octopus

Creative Thriller Explores Octopus Innovations and Human Communication

Wikimedia Commons Octopuses are intriguing creatures. I have written two previous blog posts about their creativity and innovations. In November 2019, I wrote about Creativity and Lessons Learned from Octopuses. That blog talked about how octopuses are creative, intelligent creatures who can problem solve and are masterful mimics. In 2021, I discussed the winner of the Oscar’s best documentary award, My Octopus Teacher, and the power of critical thinking demonstrated by octopuses. I like to…


geothermal area

Lithium Industry Innovation is Ongoing

Credit: unsplash.com Lithium industry innovation is widely apparent, and P&ID is proud to be part of the ongoing development. While speaking at the International Battery Seminar & Conference, I was excited to hear the latest lithium supply chain innovations, especially as they reflected thinking I was already doing for my web-exclusive Chemical Processing column, Barry on Batteries. Take conventional lithium mining. Traditionally lithium production involves mining of lithium-containing…


P&ID Calls for Chemical Process Development     

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash Back in April 2021, I wrote about Working from Home. One of the points was about video calls and how to “read eyes” to gauge the attendees’ interest and your communication success. Now, however, we’re experiencing “video fatigue.” We’re combating this by returning to telephone calls to discuss chemical process development. But some people have forgotten how to have an effective phone conversation. Others are afraid to pick up the telephone. Fortunately,…