2 comments about Wills' Mineral Processing Technology, Seventh Edition: An Introduction to the Practical Aspects of Ore Treatment and Mineral Recovery.

1. Its a readable book for being technical, its information is mediocre though. Work out examples and pictures very useful in understanding information.



2. This comprehensive book focuses on beneficiation methods. These include crushing, grinding, comminution, froth flotation, dense medium separation, etc. Parts of this book are quantitative, and suggested Excel spreadsheet formats are provided.
   
   There is a relatively sophisticated introduction to the economics of metal recovery. For instance, when tin occurs within easily-accessible alluvial deposits, as little as 0.01% tin (that's a mere 100 ppm) is commercially exploitable. In contrast, when tin occurs in veins that require deep mining to reach it, a minimum level of 1.5% may be necessary to make it worth getting (p. 4).
   
   Considering their increasing importance in recent years, there is little attention devoted to the rare earth minerals. However, the table provided on the polarity of minerals (p. 270) includes some commonly REE-bearing ones (e. g. apatite, monazite). Likewise, the table provided on the electrical behavior of minerals (p. 367) includes the same two minerals.
   
   Virtually all mining operations involve the production of mine waste. Apropos to this, there is a helpful chapter on methods of dealing with mine tailings.

1 comments about Solutions to Red Exercises for Chemistry: The Central Science.

1. Pretty helpful to have for the course. It tends to leave out answers to the simplest questions from the beginning of the problems in each chapter but otherwise is good. For me, I could use a little more step by step answers for some of the solutions but it may may be just fine for others. Overall, I would recommend having this manual for the course.

5 comments about Untapped: The Scramble for Africa's Oil.

1. Ghazvinian has taken on an interesting topic in an intense way, and I salute him for that. Here is a well-traveled and (by all appearances) well-educated author who took the time and made the effort to visit a handful of African nations to get an inside look at "the scramble" he describes in his subtitular reference. The undertaking could not have been an easy one, and I think the effort deserves respect and the derived opinions merit attention.
   
   Further, he backs up his frequent flyer mileage with a solid historical analysis of the shifting political and social atmospheres in his target countries. One wouldn't expect much less from an Oxford man, but the research is impeccable and Ghazvinian's narrative reveals an author who is very comfortable with -- at least historically -- his subject.
   
   The let down for me was in the book's overall organization and approach. Needless to say, there is not much sympathy for or effort at presenting the "development" side of the coin. I am in energy, and find that this is often the problem in discussions of the impact of energy production -- particularly in the extraction side of the business. Everyone can see the environmental, social and other impacts -- but no one cares to consider the alternative to a world without our prevailing energy models in place.
   
   Allow me an anecdotal example, at one point in the barnstorming tour of Africa, the author makes some lament about "sporadic electricity," and at another he bemoans a nation's "lack of infrastructure." It is in these moments when the work's biases emerge and there seems to be ignorance or unwillingness to allow that the benefits of these relatively common Western amenities are prized in their absence while their impacts - in the same absence - are taken for granted. It would be enormously complex and disruptive to establish sophisticated electrical infrastructure or to construct transnational highways. These projects offer many of the same challenges logistically, politically, socially and environmentally that are set out as a scourge on Africans as part of oil extraction.
   
   I suppose another possible excuse is that Ghazvinian did not or could not get access to oil execs and PR folks weren't willing to do much talking. To that I would reply that if one is able to insert themselves into Sudanese opposition militias, then it should be no great challenge to get a sit down with a couple of oil company mouthpieces.
   
   Also, I think Ghazvinian got a little lazy in assembling the book as a series of vignettes about his visits to nations around the western sub-Saharan portion of the continent. There are obvious benefits to that approach, but given the often kaleidoscopic political histories of the nations he visits, I was longing for a more over-arching approach that divided the analysis into a more clearly comparative style organized by unifying themes -- my preferred organizing principle would have been geopolitical chronology.
   
   I still admire Ghazvinian for the effort, but I think the purity of his journalistic motives lost out to the overwhelming force of his moral ones.



2. I enjoyed reading this book. It's not filled with tons of detail, but is more of a travelogue with a bit of history and economics thrown in. If you're really interested in Nigeria in particular, I'd recommend reading Where Vultures Feast: Shell, Human Rights and Oil which captures a lot more of the history, community-relations issues and details of production agreements with the state. It's not as fun of a read as this though. This is more a snapshot of the current state of affairs. Not preachy at all and not academic in style, I think almost anybody could get through it enjoyably. The one odd part I found was where he tried to draw a link between burning piles of trash by the side of the road and hellish living conditions. Not really the same thing.



3. This is a great book for anyone who wants to get a good overview of what is going on in The Central/ Western region on Africa and Oil. The reader meets people and actually travels and hence makes it a much easier and entertaining read. I had anticipated that there would be more talk on the Cameroon-Chad Pipeline project but it was just brushed over. Nevertheless, it provides a great insight of what is going on and how the growing Oil industry is affecting Africa.



4. This book will answer and put into perspective a lot of the nagging questions you've ever had about Africa's colonial past, tribal struggles, economic booms and failures, and ideas on where she's headed in the not-too-distant future. Once read, you'll never see her (or the oil conglomerates) in news headlines the same again, for better or for worse.



5. It turns out Africa is full of oil. Among other great natural resources. Why isn't Africa becoming as wealthy as Norway? There are many reasons for this, which John Ghazvinian discovers through his research and exploration of African oil exporting nations. the most exciting thing about this book is that the price of oil nearly doubled after the book was published.
   
   He starts in Nigeria. Nigeria has been exporting oil for over 40 years. They've managed to lower the prosperity of most of its citizens through this. A few kleptocrats end up as billionaires, while the livelihoods most Nigerians are obsoleted. The worst aspects of American culture are imported to Nigeria: televangelism, tv gameshows, soap operas, american hip hop celebrity, and free trade. "dutch disease" sets in.
   
   What can any African nation that finds itself with new oil wealth do to achieve greater prosperity? It will have to pass greater tariffs on food imports, so that its agriculture doesn't collapse. It can use the oil revenue to import more machine tools, bicycles, wheel barrels, and hand tools. This will allow more africans to improve their quality of life. Just like the Amish: the amish are not poor, and they are not on welfare. Within a generation or two they will be prosperous and literate enough and business savy enough to embrace greater democracy and make better business deals.
   
   John Ghazvinian describes how the Chinese make better deals in Africa: they simply have more to offer in exchange and respect the sovereignty of the nations they are dealing with.
   
   Democracy consistently fails in Africa because the elected officials are as incompetent and corrupt as the autocrats they replace. The most the West can do is give advice to African nations on how to use their oil wealth more effectively: import tariffs, slow industrialization, small scale markets, growth of trailing edge mechanical industries. Get them to where they can fix their own bicycles and plumbing, then build their own bicycles and plumbing and textiles.

1 comments about Oil & Gas Pipelines in Nontechnical Language.

1. The promise in the title is an easily understood explanation of the basics of pipelines for oil and gas. The authors are experts in the industry and have successfully achieved this. The narrative is straightforward. Describing most of the possible problems with laying out a pipeline.
   
   There is indeed complexity. Myriad pitfalls can occur. And there are differences between pipes that transport oil and those for gas. For oil, sludge buildup is a serious impediment and necessitates specialised cleaning equipments (robots!) to dredge the muck.
   
   The book seems suitable for a someone needing to understand the basic issues of building and operating a pipeline. Without going to the extent of actually having to design and maintain it.

4 comments about Working Guide to Process Equipment.

1. As a licensed professional engineer and consultant in the Houston, TX area, I found this to be an excellent and useful book. It simplifies and demystifies fundamental chemical engineering principals and effectively illustrates how theory applies to understanding the root cause/s of real world plant operating problems.

   The Lieberman's also do a fine job of making the book interesting to read through the use of non-process plant related anecdotes. These anecdotes help the reader understand the principals presented by drawing upon experiences and situations common to everyday life.

   I highly recommend this book to engineers of all experience levels who work in the petroleum refining and chemical process industries.




2. I'm a summer intern in an oil refinery and few of my tasks were to rerate exchangers, fin fan coolers, etc., and I didn't have any experience whatsoever! They don't teach at school how this equipment works in a process context and if you don't have a clue on what you're doing, this is the best book to refer to. It is very elementary, but at the same time, it can be very specific. It goes through fundamental steps for troubleshooting general processes as well as clear explanations of how most of the equipment in the industry work. Highly recommended at any level!



3. The unique style of the author explaining basic concepts with everyday problem expamples is what makes this book very absorbing and useful.



4. Boringless, easy to understand and real practical book. Reading this book I have troubleshoot many process problems effectively.
   I strongly recommend this fantastic practical book for all levels.
   arvind bhagat.

5 comments about From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel.

1. This book is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in learning the basics of the renewable fuel bio-diesel.
   
   Mr. Tickell does an excellent job in presenting the argument as to why, from an economic and envrionmental standpoint, our government should invest in renewable fuels. Job creation, reduced trade deficit, and the environment to name a few.
   
   The most astounding bit of information I gleaned from this book is that the most promising future of bio-diesel lies in algea.
   
   This book is worth the investment.



2. Very helpful but quite thechnical...



3. The book is a good introduction to alternative fuels but for the svo conversion I found was not complete enough and doesn't have enough pictures and the diagrams are badly made. For the rest: recipes for biodiesel, and other it's good but still not much details. But anyway it's a must for anyone interested in the subject, being the only book available, but before doing anything ask around for more precise and recent advance in this technology.



4. I purchased this book before starting a biodiesel project with a local community development group. After researching, designing, building, and operating a biodiesel processor for myself, I would not recommend this book. It promotes open reaction tanks, which would expose the user to toxic methanol fumes, and possibly splashing methodixe- a corrosive, flammable chemical used in making biodiesel. It also says that washing biodiesel is unnecessary, which could cause engine damage. When researching biodiesel, please be careful- use only closed methanol and mixing tanks (wash tanks aren't as big of a concern), and make sure to learn all about the safety aspects of the titration chemicals and the storage of methanol. Here's to happy, safe, "brewing"!



5. This book is excellent in some ways. The most useful section details the basics of biodiesel home brewing, transesterification, titration, testing, building the processor (pp. 59-98). The bulk of the book (pp. 5-58) concerns preliminaries - a history and (useful) description of the functioning of diesel engines, a section on growing one's own fuel, renewable energy. Then, the author shifts gears and discusses the SVO (greasecar or 'straight vegetable oil' approach) (pp. 99 -116). There are numerous disadvantages to SVO which are not discussed. The book closes out with a generalized section on troubleshooting (pp. 117-132). Then, a series of more or less useful appendices (pp. 139-62). All in all, the book is worth buying with lots of useful info.
   Now - the caveat. Unless you have advanced pipefitting, plumbing, mechanical, and chemist skills - by all means - get 'hands on' instruction. Building and operating a biodiesel processor is not a book-learned skill - it requires the combination of trade-skills as listed. Methanol - one of the key components in the mixture is a highly flammable and dangerous fluid. Lye (POH) - another component can seriously burn, blind, or even kill you and must be handled with the utmost care. You must be trained in this. Glyceron, the by-product, is the glyceron which is found in 'nitro-glyceron' - go figure. Plus, even if you don't care much about yourself, there's a lot that can mess up your vehicle if you don't get it right. And I know you care about your vehicle, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this far.
   There are a number of key issues not discussed in the book. The biodiesel community breaks down into two basic camps: 1) SOV (straight veg oil users - where the transesterfication process takes place within the vehicle) - a subspecies is the group that uses a 'solvent thinner' to achieve this process (mainly of historical interest) and 2) the home-brewers (those who build and operate biodiesel processors). My advice is to save the money you would spend on this book and access a class taught by a member of this community - namely, 'girl Mark', Maria Alovert. She is not only expert at making biodiesel (including disposal or reapplication of by-product) but she teaches workshops throughout the U.S. on a continuous basis. She may be accessed by searching on the machine you are operating now. 'Girl Mark' also produces excellent, precise written materials which deal with crucial subjects like the advantages of Potasium Hydroxide (KOH) over Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) for the entire process which Tickell's book does not. Brewing Bio is a complex - yet not undoable process. You want the best - for you and your vehicle.

4 comments about Fairchild's Dictionary of Textiles.

1. This is a great unique book for all textile related persons, it gives in details the perfect meaning of all the words used in todays textile field. I think this book is must for all textile related persons.



2. This book is great. I don't think I've ever gone to it and not found the word I was looking for. I wish it had a bit more pictures of some of the fabrics and such. But still, it is very good and there isn't one week that goes by that I don't reference it for one reason or another. I especially like that it offers origins of some textile words which is always interesting and helpful to know.



3. We work in the fashion industry, and this dictionary is very useful w/ lots of words. A great help anytime! Great price, too, @ Amazon!



4. I highly recommend this dictionary if you work in the fashion or textile industry. I refer to it very regularly and often use it as back-up when writing fabric descriptions in marketing material. The references are up to date and include many branded yarns, manufacturing techniques and fabric finishing terms.
   
   5 ***** Worth buying

5 comments about Creating an Herbal Bodycare Business (Making a Living Naturally Series).

1. I found this book to contain general information on starting any type of business, such as licensing information and advice on running a business. If you're looking for information and help specifically for starting an herbal bodycare business, you won't find it in this book.



2. This book didn't stay in my library for long. I'm glad that I read it and I did glean some good ideas but it wasn't at all what I expected based on the title. I appreciate many of Ms. Maine's points but the book is not really about the Herbal Body Care Business. It's about creating a philosophy of business, really your Mission Statement, and the goals that produces. The philosophy is blatantly New Age and so, not for everyone. The best part is the many stories of other soap makers.

   Ms. Maine is one of my favorite soapmaking book authors. She is the owner of one of the largest businesses of it's kind. She has shared her knowledge over the years with others who would like to make soap via her many books on the market. Those books are the how-to's. This one, by the author's own admission is a "how-can".

   It was interesting but not an essential book for either the hobby or professional soap maker's library.




3. This book begins, and ends, on a hopeful note. Its message is a positive one. There is considerable truth in what Ms. Maine says. Many people believe that big is good, but big is often bloated, and not long after, bankrupt. For some people, small can be both beautiful and happy.

   From the start, I do not believe Ms. Maine intended to write a business book based on the standard boiler plate model for such books. She has endeavored to put something of herself, and her outlook on life into the text, and it shows. Granted, on first pass, the New Age references and more than a few statements are a bit off-putting, especially if you, like me, are skeptical by nature, but if the book is read very closely, you will find that all the basic ingredients of a Start Your Own Business Book are there.

   For example, she makes these and other questionable claims throughout the book such as: society and the planet are going to hell in a hand-basket. What is the solution, you ask? Start an herbal bodycare business! Or, my personal favorite: the natural food and bodycare market is experiencing an annual growth rate of 15 percent. With that kind of growth rate, given the anemic 1 to 3 percent growth rates in mature general retail categories like food and cosmetics, it will not be long before those godless multinationals pick up the scent. In fact, it turns out they have picked up the scent, and are closing in these 'alternative' categories.

   However, this is not to say that there is no value or credibility in the text- far from it. The real value of this text resides in the stories of those folks, like Ms. Maine, who set up their own successful herbal bodycare business, and Ms. Maine's insistence that you think and plan about your herbal bodycare business. This last bit is most important, as it seems everyone and her mother is involved in this area nowadays (in fact, that is LITERALLY the case) so it pays to think of how you can be different and unique, yet still offer value.

   Moreover, Ms. Maine did it the right way, that is, the smart way: she got the business right BEFORE she went into business. That means getting a clear idea of the business (what you offer versus what customers really want and will pay for), putting some flesh to the concept, and laying down a well-reasoned plan. It also means examining various scenarios WITHOUT numbers and prepping yourself for mis-haps, as nothing will EVER go exactly as planned. Ms. Maine, as well as the people she profiles, all started small, worked in and around the herbal bodycare business for a few years before going out on their own, and all of them got their businesses off the ground with five thousand dollars or less, thus demonstrating that it can be done on the literal 'shoestring budget'. As Liz Claiborne once said, 'Start with a low overhead and be willing to everything yourself.'

   My somewhat jaded advice to anyone thinking about going into this or any other business is this: Before you go into business, it is all about thinking, reasoning and planning. Once you go into business, it is all about execution. When you go into business with a flawed concept, even the most mundane annoyances can morph into major and insurmountable problems, and will ultimately kill your business. Get the concept right, and execute flawlessly. That ways lies blockbuster success. Money may be an initial barrier, but you creative types should be able to cobble together what you need from the odd bits and pieces here and there and wow the customer with your presentation and artistic flair. Remember this one lesson from the internet company boom: a lot of money behind a flawed concept equals a fantastic and bankrupt failure. Start simple, start small, and work within a limited budget. That will force you to unleash your creativity. More often than not, the more money we have, the less carefully we think, and the dumber the ideas that come to the fore.
   

   The target audience for this book is not highly accomplished over-achievers with a bent for numbers and order. Rather, this is a book for those free-spirited, creative, chaotic, artsy types who often go by the moniker of 'Right-Brain Person'. There is a definite bias in the text towards the burned-out female company employee working for a god-less, soul-less corporation, and as such, the book is open to the charge of pandering to an escapist fantasy- one that more than a few of us, male or female, in the same bind share.

   I can also say with certainty that the book is more of an exercise in building the reader's self-confidence about starting such a business, and less of a guide to the inner workings of an herbal bodycare business. That, however, is most likely the intended objective- giving those who may not have the confidence to start such a venture a few ideas and a little prodding. Ms. Maine is planting a seed, I think, in a certain type of person, preferably young, single and female but a little unsure of herself. Although I did not get much out of the book (thus three stars), this person I believe will derive the most out of the book.




4. I was a bit disappointed at first, as I was looking for more of a 1-2-3 approach. But I picked the book up again a couple of days later, and found lots of useful information in it. It still wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but well written and informative nonetheless.



5. Very informative and very well written. I learned a lot from this book. Great tips and a lot of things that I never thought about that could make or break my company!
   I would highly recommend this book for small business people who want to make money selling personal care products.

5 comments about Perfumes, Splashes & Colognes: Discovering and Crafting Your Personal Fragrances.

1. Good exposition of history of perfume, basic types, and so on. Good instructions on how to start making your own.



2. This book arrived on time and was exactly as described. It's been fun playing around with making my own fragrances and not having to pay top dollar to smell good (smile). Will purchase from this company again!



3. I pretty much knew nothing about perfumes before I read this book. I know quite a bit about aromatherapy, but not perfumes. For me, this book was easy to read/follow and I liked the history that it included. The recipes in the book were pretty basic and were fun and easy to try out. A "must read" for anyone wanting to start learning about perfumes.



4. If you are just starting out this is a great book. It breaks down a lot of info and gives you some great recipes to try on your own.



5. I really liked this book , any beginner can handle his way trough it , there are sections that are really interesting like the one where you can choose a perfume by your personality .

5 comments about Process Dynamics and Control.

1. Process dynamics and control is a vast subject, profoundly important for maximizing value in plant operations, but unfortunately often neglected by undergraduate students. This book by three of the most illustrious professors of chemical engineering distills their expertise and wisdom, as teachers with about 100 years combined teaching experience, into a highly accessible and cogent textbook. The book contains excellent discussions and expositions of just about all the technical concepts one would ever need in industrial practice. The example problems are juicy, to say the least, and complement the text very nicely. Those who know how to use Matlab or Mathematica will benefit hugely from solving the computer problems. In my opinion, this book should be a required text for all undergraduate chemical engineering programs, along with the book by Prof. Harmon Ray and B. Ogunnaike (Oxford).



2. I have just finished a postgraduate course in process dynamics based on this book. I have a maths background so I found some of the concepts hard going at the start of the course. I have used this book costantly throughout the course and I have found it to be excellent. It has really helped my understanding of the subject, so much so that I want to write my Master`s thesis in process engineering and process dynamics. I have enjoyed everything about the course and it is all because of this book.



3. 
   This book is an introductory course that provides an appropriate balance between process control theory and practice. In particular it emphasizes on dynamic behavior, physical and empirical modeling, computer simulation, measurement and control technology, basic control concepts, and advanced control strategies.
   
   The mathematical level of the book is oriented toward a junior or senior student who has taken at least one course in differential equations. Additional mathematical tools required for the analysis of control systems are introduced along the book as needed. The book emphasizes process control techniques that are used in practice and provides detailed mathematical analysis only when it is essential for understanding the material. Key theoretical concepts are illustrated with examples.
   
   The book is divided in four parts. Part I (chapters 1 to 2) provides an introduction to process control and an in-depth discussion on process modeling. The development of dynamic models for representative processes, like a stirred-tank blending system are used as illustrative examples throughout the book.
   
   Part II (chapters 3 to 7) is concerned with the analysis of the dynamic behavior of processes. A key issue is the determination of the transient response that occurs after a process disturbance occur, a grade change is initiated, or a process is started up or shut-down. Important analysis toll are introduced, the Laplace transform and the transfer function. For many practical control applications, it is not feasible to develop a physically based, dynamic model. For this the important topic of empirical models and their development from plant and process data are presented. Both continuous-time and discrete-time models are considered here.
   
   Part III (chapters 8 to 15) addresses the fundamental concepts of feedback and feedforward control. The topics included the PID controller and an overview of the process instrumentation and control hardware and software that are necessary to implement process control, The important relationship between process design and process control is emphasized, and a whole section is dedicated to process safety. The design and analysis of feedback control systems, as well as new methods for controller design, tuning, and troubleshooting receive considerable attention. This part concludes with a chapter on feedforward and ratio control.
   
   Part IV (chapters 16 to 24) is concerned with advanced process control techniques. The topics include digital control, multivariable control and enhancements of PID control, such as cascade control, selective control, and gain scheduling. Powerful techniques like real time optimization and model predictive control (MPC) that have had significant impact on industrial practice are covered on dedicated and separated chapters. Also process monitoring, batch processes control, and plant-wide control are also developed on individual chapters. Illustrative case studies are included in this part of the book.
   
   Even though the book is designed for Chemical Engineering students, I truly believe that this text would also be suitable for industrial practitioners and students in mechanical, industrial, and electrical engineering. I am an Industrial Practitioner of Process Measurement & Control who has been working in the Process Industries for more than 16 years as an Automation, Instrumentation, Process Safety and Process Control Engineer. My academic background is in electrical and electronics engineering (I am an Electronic Engineer), not in chemical engineering as might be the case of the usual reader of this book, but working in the Oil & Gas Industry all this time, I have been dealing with Chemical-Process Control issues in a day-to-day basics. I found this book to be a very useful reference and refresher to gain a better understanding of Modern Process Control Applications.
   
   The book is organized in reasonable short chapters what makes it more readable and modular, which makes it also suitable for self-study by engineers in industry.



4. Overall, this book helped me make sense of a fairly difficult course. Unfortunately, I would often find myself spinning my wheels trying to solve example problems and derive equations that were full of typos. I know all textbooks have errors, but this one seemed worse than most. I would highly recommend downloading the errata list before reading anything. The book provided pretty clear explanations of most topics, but some things were out of order and seemed a little confusing. Rudimentary topics that had been used throughout the entire text and were necessary to understand parts of many chapters were explained late in the book and were often difficult to find. Many of the example problems also did not show solutions in enough depth.



5. So to begin, This book was absolute hell. It gave a pretty good overview of what the class was about. But it contains over 200 errors (don't believe me?? go to the wiley site) this made the class incredibly hard to do because when I had assignments I would end up proceeding and come to a hault and realize my answer wasn't correct. I would come to find out that that problem contained an error in it. If you are really into this type of major then I would say to choose a different book