Technology

  • SES AI Completes Milestone in Lithium-Metal Battery Production for Urban Air Mobility

    BY Lars Jensen
    SES AI Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance lithium-metal batteries, has announced the successful conversion and acceptance testing of its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) lithium-metal cell production facility in Chungju, South Korea. This development represents a significant step forward in the company’s efforts to commercialize its lithium-metal battery technology. The facility is now...
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  • Controlled Magnetic Thin Films Developed for Advanced Spin-Wave Electronics

    BY Lars Jensen
    Scientists from the Institute of Physics at Kazan Federal University, in collaboration with colleagues from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), have successfully grown thin films of a palladium-iron alloy with a controlled distribution of magnetic impurities using molecular beam epitaxy, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. The research...
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  • Echelon Resources Secures Gas Supply Deal for Rare Earth Mining in Australia

    BY Lars Jensen
    Echelon Resources, a Wellington-headquartered oil and gas exploration firm listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), has signed a significant contract to supply gas for rare earth mining projects in Western Australia. The deal, inked with the Northern Territory Government, enables Echelon to provide gas from its Mereenie joint venture field until 2030. This agreement...
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  • Russian Scientists Develop High-Strength, Corrosion-Resistant Alloy

    BY Sophia Schmitz
    Material scientists in Russia have developed a new aluminum-based alloy with a unique combination of high strength, excellent casting properties, and strong resistance to corrosion. This innovative material, composed of aluminum, zinc, magnesium, copper, zirconium, chromium, and erbium, is poised to benefit industries such as aerospace, automotive, and construction, particularly in extreme temperature environments. The...
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  • Asturiana de Zinc Plans New Heat Recovery Facility to Cut Carbon Footprint

    BY Lars Jensen
    Asturiana de Zinc has announced plans for a new heat recovery facility at its San Juan de Nieva plant in Avilés, which is expected to produce around 33,000 MWh annually. This initiative aims to reduce the plant’s carbon footprint by approximately 6,000 tons of CO2 per year. The facility will feature a new steam turbogenerator,...
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  • Umicore Delays $2 Billion Ontario EV Battery Materials Plant Amid Slow Consumer Adoption

    BY John Davis
    Umicore, a Belgium-based company specializing in circular materials technology across material science, chemistry, and metallurgy, has postponed its plans to build a CAD2.8 billion ($2 billion) electric vehicle battery materials plant in Ontario. The decision comes as consumer adoption of electric vehicles falls short of expectations. In October, Umicore confirmed its intention to construct the...
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  • Hindustan Zinc to Explore Zinc Battery Applications Amid Global Energy Transition

    BY Lars Jensen
    Hindustan Zinc Limited, the world’s second-largest integrated zinc producer and third-largest silver producer, is set to explore new applications of zinc in batteries as part of its strategy to support the global energy transition. Chairperson Priya Agarwal Hebbar announced that the company is focusing on enhancing production volumes, reducing production costs, and creating stakeholder value....
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  • Novelis Invests $90 Million to Boost UK Beverage Can Recycling Capacity

    BY Lars Jensen
    Novelis has announced a significant investment of approximately $90 million to enhance its recycling capacity for used beverage cans (UBCs) at its Latchford plant in the UK. This project aims to increase the recycling capacity by 85 kilotonnes per annum, marking over a 100% growth. The investment involves constructing new facilities, including a building dedicated...
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  • Vedanta Aluminium and NITI Aayog Collaborate on Sustainable Use of Red Mud

    BY Lars Jensen
    Vedanta Aluminium, in partnership with the policy think tank NITI Aayog, is exploring sustainable applications for red mud, a byproduct of the bauxite refining process used in aluminium production. The collaboration aims to utilize red mud effectively through focused research, development, and commercialization efforts in various industries. During a recent day-long session, participants discussed the...
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  • Integrals Power Unveils Pilot Plant for Advanced Battery Materials

    BY John Davis
    Integrals Power, a UK-based company has launched a pilot plant capable of producing 20 tonnes of advanced battery materials annually. The facility demonstrates the scalability of the company’s proprietary technology for producing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) nanomaterials, crucial for the future of electromobility. Company founder and CEO Behnam Hormozi...
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  • Serbia and EU Sign Strategic Partnership on Sustainable Raw Materials and EV Batteries

    BY Sophia Schmitz
    On July 19, in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Serbia and the European Union. This agreement establishes a strategic partnership focused on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains, and electric vehicles. The MOU was signed during the Summit on Serbia’s...
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  • Critical Minerals Investment Hampered by EV Demand Uncertainty

    BY John Davis
    Industry experts at the World Materials Forum in Paris last week expressed concerns about investing in critical minerals and energy transition projects, citing uncertainties surrounding consumer demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and government commitments to zero-carbon goals. While the long-term need for materials like lithium, cobalt, and copper remains clear to support a transition away...
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  • IBAT Launches Commercial Lithium Production with Breakthrough DLE Technology

    BY Lars Jensen
    International Battery Metals (IBAT) has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first company to commercially produce lithium using a novel direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology. The company is producing lithium at a site in rural Utah, controlled by US Magnesium, at a rate of nearly 5,000 metric tons per year. The company’s portable DLE...
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  • Novelis Files Patent for Advanced Metal Level Monitoring System in Casting

    BY Lars Jensen
    Novelis, a U.S.-based company, has filed a patent application for a new system and method designed to monitor metal levels during the casting process. The patent application, filed on December 23, 2022, is identified by the application number 202217074874 A. The inventor, John Robert Buster Mccallum, has developed a monitoring system aimed at maintaining the...
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  • Weekly Metals News Digest – July 1-5

    BY Lars Jensen
    Rio Tinto’s Carbon-Free Aluminum Production Arvida Smelter Project Rio Tinto Corporation plans to produce carbon-free aluminum at its Arvida smelter in Canada by installing inert anode electrolyzers. A pilot line with ten electrolyzers is set to be designed and commissioned, leveraging a technology license from Elysis, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Alcoa. Investment...
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  • Metso to Supply Grinding Plant Equipment for South32’s Critical Minerals Project in the USA

    BY John Davis
    Metso Corporation announced it has secured orders to deliver grinding plant equipment for South32’s new Hermosa project in the Patagonia Mountains of southern Arizona. The order, booked in the second quarter of 2024, includes a Premier Primary Autogenous Grinding (AG) Mill and a Vertimill VTM-4500 Secondary Grinding Mill, with potential to supply additional comminution and...
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  • Nyobolt Unveils Five-Minute Charging Battery Technology

    BY Lars Jensen
    British startup Nyobolt has announced a breakthrough in battery technology, revealing that their new batteries can be charged in just five minutes. This development, reported by CNN, is made possible through the incorporation of niobium in the creation of a lithium-ion battery with a 35 kilowatt-hour capacity. During tests, the battery was charged from 10...
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  • Asturiana de Zinc’s New Solar Plant to Boost Sustainability and Cut Emissions

    BY John Davis
    Asturiana de Zinc (AZSA) will use the aid granted under the Strategic Project for the Recovery and Economic Transformation (PERTE) of Industrial Decarbonization to construct the largest solar plant for industrial self-consumption in Spain. The 28.7-megawatt facility will be located at the San Juan de Nieva site, utilizing the area of the old waste ponds,...
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  • CMOC Signs Contract for Nzilo II Hydropower Project to Boost Power Supply for Future Expansion

    BY Lars Jensen
    CMOC has entered into a cooperation agreement with Lualaba Power of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to accelerate the development of the Nzilo II hydropower project. This project aims to provide a stable power supply for CMOC’s upcoming capacity expansion. The Nzilo II hydropower project, with a capacity of 200 MW, is designed to...
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  • Gelion and Glencore Partner to Advance Next-Generation Battery Technologies

    BY Lars Jensen
    Gelion and Glencore have entered into an agreement to accelerate the development and deployment of Gelion’s next-generation battery technologies. The collaboration aims to explore the potential introduction of these advanced battery technologies to the global mining sector. John Wood, Chief Executive of Gelion, highlighted that the partnership provides an opportunity to evaluate the scope for...
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  • Lilac Solutions Unveils Data on Advanced Lithium Extraction Technology

    BY Sophia Schmitz
    Lilac Solutions announced on Tuesday that the latest version of its lithium extraction technology can recover more than 90% of lithium from various brine formations and has halved the construction cost of its system. The release of this data addresses concerns about the efficiency and economics of Lilac’s direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, which is...
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  • Heraeus Acquires Canadian Recycling Company McCol Metals to Boost Precious Metals Expertise

    BY Lars Jensen
    Heraeus has announced the acquisition of McCol Metals, a Canadian company specializing in the recovery of iridium from spent mixed metal oxide electrodes. The acquisition aims to enhance Heraeus’ capabilities in precious metals recycling. McCol Metals, based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, will now operate under Heraeus Precious Metals, the precious metals division of...
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  • Umicore Unveils Cooperation Plans for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Value Chain

    BY Lars Jensen
    Umicore, a Belgian cathode material company, has introduced plans for cooperation within the hydrogen fuel cell value chain. The announcement was made during the ‘Korea-Europe Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Partnership Plaza Online Forum,’ held on June 12, as revealed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)....
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  • Nornickel instals advanced flash smelting furnace at Nadezhda Smelter

    BY Lars Jensen
    Nornickel is installing a new flash smelting furnace at its Nadezhda Smelter, the world’s largest supplier of palladium and Class 1 nickel, said in a press release. This new furnace is set to replace one of the existing smelting units that has become obsolete and is being phased out of operation, Nornickel said. Its key...
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