Salt of the Earth: Part 1
Martin Pitt considers the chemical engineering history of common salt
Features
The Story of PTFE
Martin Pitt looks at the accidental discovery of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a versatile non-...
Glass In all its Glory: Part 2
Martin Pitt looks at the Industrial Age, which saw the mechanisation of glass manufacture, but al...
Glass In all its Glory: Part 1
We look through it and maybe overlook it, but glass is a vital 200m t/y material for the world to...
Drink it in
Martin Pitt looks back on the history of drinking water and chemical engineers’ contribution to it
The Loch Ness Monster and Plant Safety
Martin Pitt recalls his time spotting monsters, and warns that just because they are hard to spot...
Rare Metal Detecting
The conversion of rocks to metals is quintessential chemical engineering which created the techno...
History of Nuclear Engineering Part 3: Atoms for Peace
In 1953, Dwight D Eisenhower (1890–1969) began his US presidential term with a widely applauded “...
History of Nuclear Engineering Part 2: Building the Bomb
The story of the Manhattan Project and the race to build nuclear weapons is usually told about ph...
History of Nuclear Engineering Part 1: Radioactivity
For just over 100 years, radioactive elements have proved of industrial and commercial use. Marti...
Rocket Science: From the Mongols to the Moon and beyond
Rocket science is a famously difficult area, but it’s more than the physics of force and trajecto...
Christmas Past: A Historical Christmas Stocking
Martin Pitt reminisces on Christmases past, and brings with him a sackful of facts and figures
Taking a Look Back at Control: Part 2
Martin Pitt considers the history of process control in a two-part series, concluding with electr...
Taking a Look Back at Control: Part 1
Martin Pitt considers the history of process control in a two-part series, kicking off with mecha...
Chemical Engineer - What's in a Name?
An occasional contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Martin Pitt looks at the origins of t...
Brewing Up a Storm: The Origins of Biotechnology Part 2
In this two-part contribution to his series about chemical engineering history, Martin Pitt focus...
Brewing Up a Storm: The Origins of Biotechnology Part 1
In this contribution to his series about chemical engineering history, Martin Pitt turns his focu...
A Short History of Unintended Consequences
In his ongoing series looking at the history of chemical engineering, Martin Pitt considers the h...
A Wasted Life
Martin Pitt reflects on the history of the waste industry, including his own experiences
The Breakfast Club
Early innovations from the food and drinks industry have done much to influence other industries ...
Back to the Future!
Green electricity and electric vehicles: Martin Pitt FIChemE thinks we might have been here before
The £300 Industrial Secret that Changed the World
Martin Pitt looks at how acquiring gunpowder know-how shaped the world as we know it
The Story of Oil 1822–1922
Martin Pitt continues to look at the history of chemical engineering and IChemE
Pee, Purple, Potions & Pills
Martin Pitt looks at the origins of the pharmaceutical industry
The Forgotten Founder of IChemE
Martin Pitt celebrates the life of John W Hinchley
Signs and Symbols
Martin Pitt explores the 19th century inventors of the symbols and calculations upon which modern...
The Explosive Foundation of IChemE
With IChemE’s Centenary celebrations under way, Martin Pitt explores the chemical engineers who i...
100 Centuries of Chemical Engineering
In a prelude to IChemE’s centenary celebrations, IChemE Fellow Martin Pitt charts the influence o...
