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…
Sustainability for Agriculture Irrigation
Photo by Léon McGregor on Unsplash Did you know agriculture irrigation accounts for 70% of the water used worldwide? That’a a lot. At the same time, most of the world relies on flood irrigation to water crops as a more efficient alternative has proved elusive. Any innovations have not been widely adopted due to expense. Yet, one Israeli soil physicist has provided a sustainable solution in a tiny plastic widget. This modest innovation in drip irrigation could forever change agriculture,…
Circular Economy and Sustainable Travel to St Kitts
Photo by Josh Duncan on Unsplash I have been recently writing again about the circular economy. My readers may remember by blog about the Beer Industry and Sustainable Water with a Cherry Stout. Well, as much as I like a cold beer, I also like to practice yoga and run on the beach. With this in mind, let’s look at how one Caribbean nation is changing to renewable energy. First, some background. St Kitts and Nevis is a tropical two-island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Both of the…
Circular Economy and Closing the Loop in Case Studies
Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash Recently I blogged about how to address Circular Economy considerations in engineering and applied science settings and how companies too can learn to adapt. It is fast becoming a necessity as industry recognizes the criticality of a holistic approach to sustainability. For example, the UK last year announced £22.5m in government funding for five new R&D centers focusing on the circular economy and developing methods to reuse and recover materials…
Teaching & Learning in the Circular Economy
Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash Since the industrial revolution there have been waves of technology and innovation. We all remember the movie “The Graduate” and that technology wave told to Dustin Hoffman in one word: PLASTICS. The next wave came along in the chemical/petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. It also brought along the US Environmental Protection Agency, where, as many of you know, my career began. Now, we all see the next wave coming with the Circular Economy. What…