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  • A glass tray holding various piles of refined battery materials.

    ReElement technology makes pure lithium

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 6, 2023

    Stepping up to the plate in the contest for battery recycling, American Resources Corp. reported its subsidiary, ReElement Technologies, has produced greater than 99.9% lithium with its patented recycling technology. "Lithium refining in a cost effective and environmentally sensitive manner is the key to the domestic auto and electrification industry," said ReElement Technologies COO Jeff Peterson. "We applaud our team for exceeding our initial target results in producing...

  • The Sandvik Toro LH307 is designed to operate in underground environments.

    Japan automates top-producing gold mine

    K. Warner, For Metal Tech News|Updated Jun 8, 2023

    Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions' AutoMine loading technology is the latest advancement in Sumitomo Metal Mining's long-term vision of leading the world in the non-ferrous metals industry. The Japanese company's philosophical focus on social consciousness and sustainability in business has gained a practical supporter in Sandvik, bringing Sumitomo closer to the ideal of full digitization and automation of the mine. With machine learning, remote operation software, and...

  • L3 Process Development’s modern innovations building in Quebec, Canada.

    US critical and essential mineral source

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

    Elk Creek demo plant recovers magnesium-calcium carbonate with 99% purity. As an initial step toward the ultimate goal of producing niobium, rare earths, scandium, and titanium at a future Elk Creek Mine, NioCorp Developments Ltd. announced that its demonstration-scale processing plant in Quebec, Canada has produced a high-grade calcium-magnesium carbonate from ore obtained from its critical minerals project in Nebraska. The idea behind removing the calcium and magnesium from...

  • Red oval showing the radiometric anomaly at Pennington Mountain in Maine.

    Rare Earth MRI discovery in Maine

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

    A recent rare earth elements discovery in the far northern reaches of Maine demonstrates the value of the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, or Earth MRI, an aptly named project under which the USGS is partnering with state geologists to scan America's geology and critical mineral resource potential. Much like the Earth MRI name implies, the Maine project began with airborne magnetic and radiometric geophysical surveys that provided a picture of the...

  • Prospector Portal mining analytics tool on a laptop, smartphone, and tablet.

    New Prospector for TMX Datalinx clients

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

    TMX info services division offers AI-powered mining analytics software. Prospecting for investment gems out of more than 2,000 publicly traded mining and mineral exploration companies has gotten a lot easier and accessible with a new agreement for TMX Datalinx, the information services division of the mining exchange powerhouse TMX Group, to sell the artificial intelligence-powered Prospector analytical tool. The brainchild of Emily King, a geologist and visionary with extensi...

  • Concept of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft approaching the metal-rich asteroid.

    NASA is psyched about asteroid mission

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

    Psyche mission to $10 quintillion metal asteroid is slated for 2023. NASA and the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are psyched about a recent decision to put their planned mission to a metal-rich asteroid beyond Mars back on the docket. The space agency had originally planned to send a probe to 16 Psyche, a roughly 140-mile-wide asteroid in the belt between Mars and Jupiter, earlier this year. This mission, named after the destination asteroid, however, had to be scrubbed...

  • Computer image of lightning striking and pulverizing a rock pillar with stairs.

    BHP invests in new rock-crushing tech

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

    I-ROX tech utilizes micro electrical bursts to pulverize at lower costs and less energy than traditional milling. Could microbursts of electricity be used to discover hidden mineral deposits, drill down into those discoveries for sampling, and then pulverize rock in the discovered deposits to extract the minerals contained within? BHP believes it is possible and is collaborating with I-Pulse Inc. to advance pulsed-power technology for mining. BHP is particularly interested in...

  • A conveyor belt transports ore to the surface at an underground mine.

    Storing renewable energy in old mines

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

    Can old mines be repurposed as giant batteries for cost-effective and long-term storage of renewable energy? A peer-reviewed paper by a team of researchers led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) makes a compelling case for underground gravity energy storage systems that do just that. Matching electrical generation capacity with consumer demand is key to transitioning to a sustainable low-carbon energy future. This has been a longtime problem...

  • Section of silvery grey core from drilling at Graphite Creek deposit in Alaska.

    Graphite One leverages national lab tech

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

    PNNL to verify G1 Graphite material for EV batteries; Sandia to explore innovative green tech to extract critical minerals. Toward its goal of establishing an all-American supply chain for the graphite that goes into the lithium-ion batteries powering the transition to electric vehicles charged with low-carbon energy, Graphite One Inc. is working with two U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories for the testing of active anode material made from graphite sourced from...

  • A two-story-tall white Liebherr T 264 truck parked in a mine pit.

    Massive Fortescue mining truck battery

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Feb 8, 2023

    5 MWh battery designed by WAE for Liebherr haul truck charges in only 30 minutes. Australian iron ore miner Fortescue has received what is likely the largest electric vehicle battery in the world – a 1.4 megawatt-hour behemoth designed to power a 240-metric-ton mining haul truck it is developing in partnership with equipment manufacturer Liebherr. This massive 15-metric-ton battery – measuring a whopping 11.8 feet (3.6 meters) long, 5.2 feet (1.6 meters) tall, and 7.9 fee...

  • Chain links with binary code representing digital security.

    Ransomware attack idles BC copper mine

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jan 20, 2023

    A ransomware attack that has forced Copper Mountain Mining Corp. to shut down operations at its namesake mine in southern British Columbia elevates concerns about the vulnerability of mining operations that are increasingly dependent on digital technologies. With its computer systems coming under attack late in the day on Dec. 27, the Copper Mountain IT team quickly implemented risk management systems and protocols to limit the damage and ensure safety at the mine. These...

  • A mining truck loaded with rock being helped up a slope with an overhead trolly.

    ABB, Boliden closing the mining CO2 loop

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 20, 2022

    To lower the carbon footprint of its electric motors and other products that play a major role in allowing mining and many other sectors of the global economy to then lower their carbon footprint further, ABB is building a strategic partnership with Swedish mining and smelting company Boliden for low-carbon copper. Copper is a vital material for manufacturing the electrical equipment that is playing an increasingly important role in industrial applications that are...

  • EarthLabs and ALS Minerals company logos.

    EarthLabs sells AI-driven GoldSpot to ALS

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 13, 2022

    In a surprising turn, EarthLabs Inc., previously GoldSpot Discoveries Corp., has sold its recently established ExplorTech Division to ALS Ltd. As part of the C$24 million transaction, including C$6 million in assumed liabilities, the newly formed ALS GoldSpot Discoveries, a subsidiary of ALS Limited, will now be heading the artificial intelligence mineral exploration that got EarthLabs where it is today. "The closing of the ExplorTech Division sale marks the beginning of an...

  • A large, rock-clad earthen dam holds back mining waste and water.

    Mining trio seeks new ideas for tailings

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 13, 2022

    OZ Minerals, Rio Tinto and Boliden launch initiative that encourages entrepreneurs to reimagine mining and mine tailings. Setting aside professional rivalries for the greater good, OZ Minerals, Boliden, and Rio Tinto have joined forces to nurture new technologies that will reduce the environmental risks posed by mine tailings and extract value from these materials currently considered waste after the targeted metals are extracted. "It isn't very often that competitors come...

  • Computer graphics for AI, machine learning, data mining, and related topics.

    Minerva selling AI-driven geo division

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 13, 2022

    Seequent, the geodata company that offers powerful earth modeling solutions such as the Leapfrog Geo 3D modeling software for mining and mineral exploration, has added an artificial intelligence-driven geological modeling tool to its portfolio. Seequent's parent company, Bentley Systems Inc., acquired the geological division of Minerva Intelligence Inc., an AI software company that has developed tools for climate risk evaluation and geological modeling, for C$1 million...

  • The basalt cliffs overlooking the coast at Wallula Gap in Washington.

    PNNL studies carbon negative REE mining

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 13, 2022

    Chosen as one of 16 projects across 12 states, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's "Re-Mining Red Mud Waste for CO2 Capture and Storage and Critical Element Recovery" (RMCCS-CER) project will receive $1 million in funding to advance a technology that may kill two birds with one stone in the race for critical materials. Announced in November, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Mining Innovations for Negative...

  • A mining truck being pulled up a snowy slope by an overhead trolley.

    ABB, Perenti team up to electrify mining

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 6, 2022

    To build team of experts focused on accelerating decarbonization of mining through electrification. Switzerland-based ABB and Australia-based Perenti Group have forged a partnership focused on establishing strategies that will help their mining clients achieve net-zero carbon emissions at operations around the globe. ABB, a company that has been electrifying mines since delivering the first drives and controls to a mine in Sweden in 1891, brings more than 130 years of...

  • Cat 793 Electric mining truck towers over more than 50 people posed for a photo.

    Cat unveils two electric mining prototypes

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 6, 2022

    Demonstration of Cat 793 Electric mining truck; new mine site of the future to be built at Tucson test site. With executives from some of the world's largest mining companies on hand to witness the historic event, Caterpillar Inc. carried out its first demonstration of a battery electric 793 large mining truck prototype at the heavy equipment company's proving grounds south of Tucson, Arizona. Roughly as tall as a two-story building and capable of carrying nearly 500,000...

  • Helicopter carrying a large oval antenna over a desert region in Nevada.

    Critical Earth MRI scan of Nevada, Oregon

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 6, 2022

    USGS to carry out Earth MRI scan of lithium-rich areas of western states. Building upon its successful scans of the United States for potential sources of minerals critical to everything from smartphones and kitchen gadgets to the electric vehicles and wind turbines powering the renewable energy future, the U.S. Geological Survey announced it is investing $1.45 million for Earth Mapping Resources Initiative programs in Nevada and Oregon. Under the cleverly named Earth MRI...

  • An automated battery electric loader being tested in an underground mine.

    Sandvik is adding industrial math power

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 15, 2022

    Polymathian will bolster Sandvik's automated and battery-electric mining solutions. In yet another move to bolster its digital mining technologies division, Sandvik has cut a deal to acquire Polymathian Industrial Mathematics, an Australia-based provider of advanced mine optimization software and services. Founded in 2013 by a trio of mathematicians and operations researchers, Polymathian leverages its world-leading expertise in industrial mathematics, simulation, machine...

  • Boston Dynamics Spot robot fitted with ExynAI, Trimble X7 3D scanning system.

    Spot the autonomous robot surveyor dog

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 9, 2022

    Boston Dynamics' Spot fitted with Exyn autonomy and Trimble 3D scanning tech. Upgraded with the powerful autonomy offered by Exyn Technologies and Trimble's advanced 3D scanning system, Boston Dynamics' Spot robot dog has been transformed into a state-of-the-art autonomous surveyor that can traverse, image, and map complex environments without the need for GPS or other guidance. "The integration of autonomous surveying technology into a construction workflow has...

  • A mineshaft being outlined with a digital rendering.

    Ericsson and Becker partner on mining 5G

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 1, 2022

    Seeking to unearth the future of smart mining, Swedish telecom giant Ericsson has partnered with Becker Mining Systems AG to distribute private 5G networks at global operations. According to a recent report by Ericsson, the successful implementation of digitalization into the mining sector could potentially triple productivity growth in the industry by 2025 – shining a light on the value of creating data-driven mines. With the apparent necessity mining will play in the o...

  • Industrial buildings at Rio Tinto’s Fer et Titane smelter in Canada.

    Critical minerals titans join forces

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 1, 2022

    Rio Tinto, Ottawa to invest C$737M in lowering GHG emissions, upping critical minerals output in Quebec. Mining giant Rio Tinto and the Canadian government have committed to investing up to C$737 million (US$537 million) into significantly reducing the greenhouse gas emissions at Rio Tinto Fer et Titane (RTFT), a metallurgical complex in Quebec that produces titanium, scandium, steel, and other metal products critical to electric vehicles, 3D printing, and aerospace. "Rio...

  • A Cat loader dumps iron ore into a Scania autonomous mining truck.

    Will autonomous trucks shrink mines?

    Shane Lasley, Mining News|Updated Oct 18, 2022

    Rio Tinto, Scania are reimagining mining with more agile and efficient self-driving truck. Will the automation and electrification of mining trucks shrink the size of equipment used to dig up and haul ore and waste rock at mines around the globe? Rio Tinto believes it could and has teamed up with Scania to develop more energy-efficient and agile autonomous haul trucks at the Channar iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. "Rio Tinto is excited to partner...

  • Columns of liquids used to separate mixed rare earths into individual elements.

    Ucore's Alaska 2023 is now Louisiana 2024

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 18, 2022

    Plans to build first rare earths plant In the Gulf Coast state by 2024. With $10 million in economic incentives and quicker permitting of already established industrial sites on the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana has lured Ucore Rare Metals Inc. and its proprietary rare earths separation technology away from Alaska. In 2020, Ucore set a plan in motion to begin producing individual rare earth elements in Alaska by 2023. The idea was to install its RapidSX rare earths separation...

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