Redwood Materials is now working with Ultium Cells LLC—the joint battery cell manufacturing venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution—to recycle production scrap from both their Warren, Ohio and Spring Hill, Tennessee facilities. Materials to be recycled include cathode and anode material as well as cell scrap. Ultium Cells’... Read more →

Smoltek Nanotech Holding AB announced that one of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers is testing custom-made prototypes of a cell material that can significantly reduce the amount of iridium in an electrolyzer cell. The custom-made prototypes delivered by the subsidiary Smoltek Hydrogen have the potential to reduce the iridium load... Read more →

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory used additive manufacturing to produce the first defect-free complex tungsten parts for use in extreme environments. The accomplishment could have positive implications for clean-energy technologies such as fusion energy. Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal, making it ideal for fusion reactors... Read more →

ArcelorMittal and partners Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), BHP, along with Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd (Mitsubishi Development) have successfully started operating a pilot carbon capture unit on the blast furnace off-gas at ArcelorMittal Gent in Belgium. The pilot carbon capture unit will operate for one to two years at Gent... Read more →

Swiss Steel Group is participating in a consortium for renewable energies, the “Initiative EE-Industrie”. This initiative, comprising 19 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany, aims to build, operate and utilize wind and photovoltaic plants for self-supply with green electricity. Based on initial forecasts, the consortium will require a total... Read more →

NGK INSULATORS, LTD. (NGK) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) jointly will develop two types of membrane dehydration systems, one for Bioethanol and e-Methanol, respectively. The goal is to realize low cost and to optimize efficiency of manufacturing processes for Bioethanol and e-Methanol to meet expected demand growth for clean... Read more →

Targets for 100% electric vehicle adoption by 2035 cannot be achieved without an unprecedented acceleration in copper mining, according to the Secretary General of the International Energy Forum Joseph McMonigle. Copper is the most essential mineral for societal development, but growing electrification needs globally cannot be met if limited supplies... Read more →

Researchers from China, Japan and the US have developed a data-driven model to predict the dehydrogenation barriers of magnesium hydride (MgH2), a promising material for solid-state hydrogen storage. This advancement holds significant potential for enhancing hydrogen storage technologies, a crucial component in the transition to sustainable energy solutions. An open-access... Read more →

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it will use low-CO2 emission aluminum parts made from green or recycled aluminum in new and current models from fiscal year 2024 onward and aims to complete the full transition to such parts by 2030. Aluminum accounts for approximately 10% of vehicle weight. By... Read more →

Easpring Finland New Materials Oy, a joint venture recently established by Finnish Minerals Group and Beijing Easpring Material Technology Co., Ltd. (earlier post), has submitted an environmental permit application concerning a cathode active material (CAM) plant to be established in Kotka to the Regional State Administrative Agency. The applicant has... Read more →

BASF has set itself the ambitious goal of reducing its Scope 3.1 emissions by 15% across its entire portfolio by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. This will only be possible by procuring raw materials with reliable PCF (Product Carbon Footprint) primary data and, furthermore, raw materials with a... Read more →

Altilium secured backing from the UK government to begin rapid prototyping of lithium-ion EV battery cells using recycled cathode active materials (CAM). The project, the first of its kind in the UK, has received grant funding of £639,797 (US$798,114) from Innovate UK’s Faraday Battery Challenge. Production of the cells will... Read more →

Catalyst stability and expense remain serious obstacles to widespread adoption of hydrogen generation using proton-exchange membrane electrolysis. In a study published in Science, researchers led by Ryuhei Nakamura at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan report a new method that reduces the amount of iridium needed... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy recently announced $28 million in funding under the Revolutionizing Ore to Steel to Impact Emissions program. (Earlier post.) The DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory will be receiving $3 million over three years in one of the 13 new projects for this... Read more →

Altilium, a UK-based clean technology group focused on supporting the transition to net zero, announced details of the latest advances in its EcoCathode hydrometallurgical recycling technology, with breakthroughs in the recovery of lithium from new battery chemistries and the production of cathode active materials (CAM) from a mixed feed of... Read more →

Albemarle Corporation announced an agreement with Martin Marietta Materials, a leading supplier of building materials—including aggregate, cement, ready mixed concrete and asphalt—to make beneficial use of extracted limestone material from Albemarle’s proposed Kings Mountain Mine lithium project. This agreement is part of Albemarle’s plan to resume lithium mining operations at... Read more →

GF Casting Solutions AG, a division of Georg Fischer AG, Schaffhausen (Switzerland) that produces lightweight components for the mobility and energy industries, will invest more than $184 million in a new manufacturing facility in Augusta, Georgia. GF Casting Solutions develops and produces parts made from aluminum, magnesium, iron, and super... Read more →

Element3, a Texas-based company focused on extracting lithium from wastewater produced by oil and gas production, has licensed a collection of seven technologies for lithium recovery developed by scientists from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Lithium is the third element on the periodic table.) The technologies were... Read more →

The US Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released final rules on the clean vehicle provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). After careful consideration of the extensive public feedback received in response to the proposed rules, the Treasury Department and the IRS are providing definitions and... Read more →

Amid growing concerns surrounding the impacts of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a chemical widely used in the production of lithium-ion batteries, Europe is setting out plans to restrict its usage. With many suppliers in the battery industry set to be heavily affected by the plans, Leclanché SA, which has... Read more →

Lhyfe, a producer of green and renewable hydrogen, and Ugitech, a subsidiary of Swiss Steel Group, a leader in long stainless steel products, signed of a memorandum of understanding for the creation of a green hydrogen production unit at Ugitech’s Ugine site (Savoie, France), to decarbonize part of the steelmaker’s... Read more →

Australia-based Anson Resources Limited has completed negotiations with LG Energy Solution and executed its first binding offtake term sheet to supply battery-grade lithium carbonate from Anson’s Paradox project in the Paradox Basin in southern Utah. The project is held by Anson’s US subsidiary A1 Lithium. The offtake term sheet calls... Read more →

Scientists at the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub, led by the US Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory, have developed a new process using mechanochemistry—mechanochemical extraction of lithium at low temperatures (MELLT)—that can extract lithium more efficiently than traditional methods. Lithium needed to make batteries comes from two sources: brines... Read more →

McKinsey estimates that Europe and North America will each account for 20% of global battery cell production by 2030. However, both regions combined are forecast to hold anywhere from 5 to 10% of global cell component capacity, lagging further behind incumbents in Asia—specifically in separator and electrolyte components. As a... Read more →

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a method that demonstrates how fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials used in the automotive, aerospace and renewable energy industries can be made stronger and tougher to better withstand mechanical or structural stresses over time. Composites are strong and lightweight... Read more →

Honda Motor plans to build a comprehensive EV value chain in Canada with an approximate investment of CAD$15 billion (US$11 billion), including investment by joint venture partners, to strengthen its EV supply system and capability to prepare for a future increase in EV demand in North America. Honda has begun... Read more →

ArcelorMittal Calvert, wholly owned by ArcelorMittal, is planning for an advanced manufacturing facility in Calvert, Alabama that could deliver 150,000 metric tons (Mt) of domestic production capacity of non-grain-oriented electrical steel (NOES) annually. The US Department of Energy (DOE) defined electrical steel as a critical material for energy as part... Read more →

TMC the metals company Inc. announced that it has successfully produced the world’s first nickel sulfate derived exclusively from seafloor polymetallic nodules. The sulfate was generated during bench-scale testing of its hydrometallurgical flowsheet design in partnership with SGS Canada Inc., at its Lakefield, Ontario facility. Undertaken on samples of nickel-cobalt-copper... Read more →

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with colleagues from other institutions, have developed a metal alloy comprising niobium, tantalum, titanium, and hafnium with impressive strength and toughness at both extremely hot and cold temperatures, a combination of properties that seemed so far to be nearly impossible to achieve. In this... Read more →

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are lighter and stronger than metal and are used in a variety of industries, including aviation, aerospace, automotive, marine, and sporting goods. In recent years, it has also been applied to new industries such as air mobility, which has led to an increase in its... Read more →

Australia-based Sicona Battery Technologies, a developer of silicon-carbon anode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, announced its expansion into the fast-growing United States battery component market with the development of its first commercial production facilities in the south-eastern United States near the geographic heart of the growing US battery and electric... Read more →

Researchers from Kazan Federal University in Russia report in a paper in the Journal of Power Sources that heteroatoms-co-doped oxo-triarylmethyl (B/N/P@oxTAM) can be used as a viable anode material for magnesium-ion batteries (MIBs) with extended life cycle and quick charge-discharge rates due to its low open-circuit voltage and diffusion energy... Read more →

Huntsman, a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals, has added to the company’s battery solutions portfolio a series of new lightweight, durable polyurethane foam technologies developed for the potting and fixation of cells mounted in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The new range also includes products that can be used... Read more →

ArcelorMittal is extending its innovative ArcelorMittal Multi Part Integration (MPI) steel solution to Japan. This expansion comes as a result of a strategic collaboration with G-Tekt, culminating in the signing of a partial ablation license agreement. The MPI concept allows multiple vehicle components to be integrated into one large laser... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced $28 million in funding to 13 projects across 9 states to advance zero-process-emission ironmaking and ultra-low life cycle emissions steelmaking. The technologies funded through this program would be the first to meet both emissions and cost-parity goals. The teams will be managed by... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group signed an agreement for strategic cooperation with Toray Industries, Inc., a pioneer in carbon fiber and composite material technology, to advance material innovation for a new era of mobility. Toray Industries specializes in fibers and textiles, performance chemicals, carbon fiber composite materials, environmental engineering and life science.... Read more →

BASF has successfully started operating its prototype metal refinery for battery recycling in Schwarzheide, Germany. The plant allows for the development of operational procedures and the optimization of innovative battery recycling technology, processing end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and battery production scrap. This will facilitate optimal recovery of valuable metals such as... Read more →

China-based BTR New Material Group signed an investment agreement with the Moroccan government to erect a lithium battery ternary cathode material facility in the country. The venture aims to cater to the surging demand in global markets while broadening the battery material maker’s international footprint. As part of the agreement,... Read more →

The US Department of the Treasury, in coordination with the United Kingdom, issued two new prohibitions to disrupt the revenue that Russia earns from its export of aluminum, copper, and nickel. This new action prohibits the import of Russian-origin aluminum, copper, and nickel into the United States, and limits the... Read more →

Smoltek Nanotech Holding announced that group company Smoltek Hydrogen completed a successful long-term test of the company’s newly developed material for PEM electrolyzer cells. During 1000 hours of continuous operation, at 2 A/cm2, the company has produced hydrogen with only 0.2 mg iridium/cm2 without any degradation of the nanostructure in... Read more →

Amprius Technologies, a developer of next-generation lithium-ion batteries using its Silicon Anode Platform, has completed its qualification process for its centrotherm mass production deposition tool to manufacture silicon nanowire anodes. This marks a pivotal step in ramping production capacity to meet the growing demand for its ultra-high-energy SiMaxx cells in... Read more →

Green Li-ion, a lithium-ion battery recycling technology company, launched its first commercial-scale installation to produce sustainable, battery-grade materials—the first of its kind in North America. The plant, located within an existing recycling facility, will produce battery-grade cathode and anode materials from concentrated components of spent batteries using Green Li-ion’s patented... Read more →

Orion S.A., a global specialty chemicals company, broke ground on a plant in La Porte, Texas (southeast of Houston) that will be the only facility in the US producing acetylene-based conductive additives for lithium-ion batteries and other applications vital for the global shift to electrification. The battery additives produced by... Read more →

Benchmark expects lithium demand to increase by 32% this year, compared to 2023. However, increases in production by industry majors as well as new supply means the market is set to be in a small surplus of around 8,000 tonnes this year, Benchmark forecasts. Arcadium Lithium said it would increase... Read more →

A team of researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University, led by Associate Professor Atsushi Sakuda and Professor Akitoshi Hayashi, both of the Graduate School of Engineering, led a research team in developing a process that can lead to mass synthesis for sodium-containing sulfides. Using sodium polysulfides (sulfides with two or more... Read more →

Vulcan Energy Resources announced the Start of Production (SOP) of the first lithium chloride (LiCl) product at Vulcan’s Lithium Extraction Optimization Plant (LEOP) in Landau, Germany (earlier post), marking the first lithium chemicals domestically produced from a local source in Europe, for Europe. LEOP is showing strong early results with... Read more →

Constellium has signed a partnership agreement with PyroGenesis Canada to test the use of plasma torch technology to support Constellium’s decarbonization roadmap. After successful first laboratory trials, Constellium and PyroGenesis have now entered an agreement to test this technology at industrial scale with the implementation of a demonstrator plasma-heated furnace... Read more →

Nanocellular graphene, a specialized form of the revolutionary material graphene, is coveted for its ability to improve the performance of electronic devices, energy devices and sensors. But its development has been stymied by cracks that appear during the manufacturing process. Now, researchers have discovered a means to achieve crack-free, robust... Read more →

Malaysia-based Graphjet Technology, a developer of patented technologies to produce graphite and graphene directly from agricultural waste, plans to build a commercial artificial graphite production facility in Nevada. This plant is expected to be a first-of-its-kind in the United States. The plant is expected to be capable of recycling up... Read more →

A recent study led by researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the non-profit conservation organization Re:wild shows that the threat of mining to the great ape population in Africa has been greatly underestimated. Am open-access paper on the work... Read more →