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Recent Posts
- Electrifying freight trains in the U.S. is a bad idea
- Why Nuclear Power can’t replace fossil fuels
- Energy, Water, & Climate Change are interdependent
- Why fusion power is Forever Away
- Climate Change dominates news coverage at expense of other existential planetary boundaries
- Excerpt from “The Geopolitics of Resource Wars”
- Homes & Buildings
- Book Review “The Outlawed Ocean” by Ian Urbina
- Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future
- Motherboards: too complicated to make after oil
- “More and More and More” one of the best books on energy ever written
- The staggering destruction of knowledge by Christians in the Roman Empire
- Why the R/P Reserves to Production ratio does not show when oil will run out
- Catton on Collapse “Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse”
- Book Review of Grain Brain: Extraordinary claim not backed up by evidence
Category Archives: Mining
Peak oil, food & the “King of Chemicals” sulfuric acid
Preface. I first learned of sulfur’s existence when my grandmother told me how she loved going to tent revivals on the edge of town where it was common for preachers to get converts by burning sulfur to make the fire … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Mining
Tagged peak food, peak oil, refineries, sulfur, sulfuric acid
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Mining Lithium
Preface. Lithium is essential for transportation because it is the third lightest element and has the highest energy potential, yet ever larger amounts are going to energy storage batteries. Barnhart (2013) found that the only utility-scale battery for which there … Continue reading
Posted in Mining
Tagged electric vehicles, lithium production, lithium supply, mining lithium, peak lithium, recycling
1 Comment
Book review of “Bright Green Lies”
This is a book review of “Bright Green Lies. How the Environmental Movement Lost its Way and What We can Do About It” by Derrick Jensen, Lierre Keith, and Max Wilbert. This is a timely book. The Biden administration is … Continue reading
Posted in Energy Books, Mining
Tagged bright green lies, derrick jensen, Lierre Keith, Max Wilbert, mining, solar
15 Comments
Walter Youngquist: Geodestinies Minerals
Preface. I was fortunate enough to know Walter for 15 years. He became a friend and mentor, helping me learn to become a better science writer, and sending me material I might be interested in, and delightful pictures of him … Continue reading
Posted in Mining, Walter Youngquist
Tagged minerals
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Walter Youngquist: Geodestinies Metals
Preface. I was fortunate enough to know Walter for 15 years. He became a friend and mentor, helping me learn to become a better science writer, and sending me material I might be interested in, and delightful pictures of him … Continue reading
What are rare earth metals and how are they used?
Preface. After oil, the main feature of new products will be drastic simplification. The re-use of existing stuff. Lack of precision machine tools as they rust away. Back to basics: wood, iron, and clay. Yet every high-tech object depends on … Continue reading
Posted in Alternative Energy, Mining, Peak Rare Earth Elements
Tagged gallium, indium, mining, rare earth, solar
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