The Elements of Innovation Discovered

Articles from the August 31, 2022 edition


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 9 of 9

  • Cups with aluminum, sulfur, and molten salts in aluminum-sulfur batteries.

    A new low-cost aluminum-sulfur battery

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    Seeking an affordable and safer alternative to lithium-ion batteries for the storage of intermittent clean energy from wind and solar, a global team of researchers led by an award-winning chemist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a new rechargeable battery made with affordable and readily available materials – aluminum, sulfur, and molten salts. "I wanted to invent something that was better, much better, than lithium-ion batteries for small-scale s...

  • An RMIT researcher with three columns of concrete produced with PPE.

    Discarded PPE makes concrete stronger

    Rose Ragsdale, For Metal Tech News|Updated Sep 6, 2022

    Researchers at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology School of Engineering have found that disposable personal protective equipment can be used as reinforcement materials in making structural concrete. Their studies, which followed earlier work on the recycling of used rubber tires, demonstrated that using shredded PPE – discarded isolation gowns, masks, and nitrile gloves – could increase the strength of concrete by 22% and improve its resistance to cracking. The RMIT tea...

  • Molten rare earth metal being poured into ingot molds.

    Canada first, SRC pours rare earth metal

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 31, 2022

    Major step along the path to establishing Saskatchewan as rare earths hub In another milestone along the path to establishing a major rare earths hub in Saskatchewan, the province announced that the Saskatchewan Research Council poured the first rare earth metal ingots ever in Canada at the REE processing, separations, and metals facility it is developing near the city of Saskatoon. Saskatchewan's mission to become a leader in rare earths processing and production began with...

  • Concept of peeling away old power sources to reveal renewable energy.

    US utility testing liquid metal batteries

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 31, 2022

    Xcel Energy eyes Ambri antimony batteries for clean energy storage Xcel Energy, a utility company that generates enough electricity to power roughly 23 million homes across eight states, has selected the liquid-metal batteries produced by Amri Inc. as a potential long-term clean energy storage solution. "Partnering with a progressive and innovative utility such as Xcel Energy is an exciting opportunity for Ambri as their clean energy vision is directly aligned with our...

  • Various e-waste in the form of lithium-ion batteries.

    DOE seeks lithium battery recycling input

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 30, 2022

    As part of the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy is seeking input to help guide the future implementation of $335 million in investments for lithium-ion battery recycling programs. "Battery recycling doesn't just remove harmful waste from our environment, it also strengthens domestic manufacturing by placing used materials back into the supply chain," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer...

  • The shores of Qinngorput, a district part of the capital of Greenland, Nuuk.

    Amaroq signs autonomous equipment MOU

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 30, 2022

    Leading vehicle automation provider ABD Solutions has signed a memorandum of understanding with Amaroq Minerals Ltd. to investigate the potential for introducing autonomous mining systems for vehicles at a gold mine Amaroq hopes to develop at its Nalunaq project in Greenland. The long-term goal of the MOU is to provide a framework for ABD Solutions to deliver the support, software, and hardware solutions needed for the company to operate a diverse range of automated equipment...

  • A series of lithium-ion-phosphate cells wired together.

    RecycLiCo achieves 99% recovery from LFP

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 30, 2022

    RecycLiCo Battery Materials Inc., in partnership with Kemetco Research Inc., has announced over 99% lithium recovery from its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cathode materials process during bench-scale tests. Since 2016, RecycLiCo has facilitated up to 100% extraction of valuable battery materials from nickel-rich, manganese-rich, cobalt-rich, and now LFP cathode chemistries. As all these battery chemistries contain lithium, which has seen a more than 350% increase in pr...

  • Inside of Rio Tinto's Saguenay aluminum facility in Quebec.

    Rio Tinto starts circular aluminum recycling

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 30, 2022

    Investing US$29 million (C$35 million) to build a new aluminum recycling center at its Arvida plant in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, Rio Tinto hopes to expand its offering of low-carbon aluminum solutions for customers in the automotive, packaging, and construction markets. This future facility will make Rio the first primary aluminum producer in North America to incorporate recycled post-consumer aluminum into aluminum alloys. "Investing in new recycling facilities in...

  • A geologist’s hammer next to lens of graphite at Graphite Creek in Alaska.

    Study details US graphite supply chain

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Aug 30, 2022

    At a time when American automakers are looking for potential domestic supplies of the graphite that makes up nearly half of all the materials that go into the lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles, Graphite One Inc. offers up details of its plans to develop a mine at its Graphite Creek project in Alaska and processing facility in Washington that would produce roughly 75,000 metric tons of advanced graphite products per year. Earlier this year, S&P Global Platts...