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…


batteries charging

Lithium and EV Batteries & P&ID Problem Solving

Image source: istock.com Worldwide decarbonization goals and the global aim for a sustainable future have prompted exponential growth in the Electric Vehicle (EV) sector in the last few years. This, in turn, has caused an increase in demand for lithium-ion batteries. Lithium, which is needed to produce virtually all batteries currently used in EVs, has also experienced an increase in demand. As the industry scales, P&ID is taking the lead to enhance knowledge of this industry and tackle…


Solvay Sodium Carbonate Production Process with Diemme Filter Press Technologies       

My readers know that I always talk about my 40 years in this engineering business solving process filtration and drying problems. Most recently I used this knowledge in my P&ID consulting for Diemme Filter Press Technology, a brand of the Aqseptence group. I wrote a paper entitled “Process Testing for Improving and Optimizing the Solvay Sodium Carbonate Production Process with Filter Press Technologies." The paper focuses on calcium carbonate/calcium chloride waste product initially…


Chemical Plant Water Usage & Upcycling

Photo by Jong Marshes on Unsplash Many industries rely on water. The USGS notes this valuable resource is used for fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling, or transporting a product. Or it can be incorporated into a product. Or water may be needed for sanitation within the manufacturing facility. When it comes to chemical plant water usage, upcycling is particularly attractive. After all, this is one of the top industries drawing on our water resources. Continuing my discussion of…