The Elements of Innovation Discovered

Articles from the March 27, 2024 edition


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  • A battery cutout with a voltage symbol being held up to an orange sunset.

    Graphite One selects Ohio for refinery

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jun 1, 2024

    Secures former critical minerals stockpile site to build graphite processing and battery materials recycling plant. Graphite One Inc. plans to transform a former national defense critical minerals stockpile site in Ohio into a domestic source of the graphite anode material going into the lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles and storing renewable energy. "Graphite One is delighted to announce that, subject to financing, we will be building our advanced graphite...

  • Small piles of various recycled elements on a glass viewing plate.

    Circular economy for rare earths is online

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 8, 2024

    ReElement CEO signals the first circular system for recycled rare earths from magnets is in place. One after the other, ReElement Technologies Corp. has been establishing all the links required to build a circular economy for rare earth magnets. Recently partnering with EDPR to recycle its wind turbines and reaffirming with USA Rare Earth LLC to purchase some of those recycled REEs, the company has now announced a deal with major U.S. auto manufacturers to recycle end-of-life...

  • Rendering of bubbles with a floating hydrogen chemical symbol.

    DOE continues H2 funding with $750M

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 8, 2024

    The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy continues support of growing U.S. green hydrogen. The U.S. Department of Energy has announced a $750 million infusion into clean hydrogen to significantly reduce its cost, beat out China for global leadership in hydrogen, and develop American energy independence through expansion of the industry. Clean hydrogen adoption by some of the country's most energy-intensive and CO2-emitting sectors is an essential part of the green...

  • PV power station at the Natural Bridges National Monument.

    DOE funds clean energy at mining sites

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 8, 2024

    U.S. Energy Department provides $475M for clean energy in five projects at mine sites across the nation . Looking to revitalize the industry that has supported and continues to support thousands of Americans for over a century, the Department of Energy announced nearly half a billion dollars in funding to accelerate clean energy deployment at five current and former mine sites. DOE has selected five projects in Arizona, Kentucky, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia...

  • Wireframe of a cargo ship and plane with Wright batteries.

    Developing the Wright aluminum battery

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 8, 2024

    DOE bankrolls ultra-lightweight, energy-dense aluminum battery and novel artificial intelligence electrolyte screening system. A collaboration between Wright Electric and Columbia University has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Energy via the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program for a groundbreaking ultra-energy-dense and lightweight aluminum battery brought about by a novel artificial intelligence electrolyte screening system. Founded i...

  • India's deep-sea exploration vehicle, the Matsya 6000

    China, Russia, India vie for sea minerals

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 5, 2024

    With the U.S. still out of undersea race to the bottom of international waters, India strives for greener way toward trillion-dollar resource. The United Nations International Seabed Authority (ISA) has approved 31 license applications for permission to explore international waters, with only two belonging to India from 2016. This is in comparison to China's five and Russia's four. Having never ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which led...

  • Dozens of plumes of emissions in an industrial district.

    DOE funding makes decarbonization history

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 2, 2024

    Largest industrial decarbonization investment ever in US history; will see $6 billion across 33 projects throughout the nation. Stoking the non-emissive fires of industry once again, the U.S. Department of Energy has leveraged another significant share of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to inject upwards of $6 billion into 33 projects across more than 20 states to decarbonize energy-intensive industries, reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions, and invigorate job...

  • Neon green tree sap from a notch in a tree is drawn into a narrow glass tube.

    DOE explores nickel farming concept

    Shane Lasley, Mining News|Updated Mar 29, 2024

    Invests $10 million for PHYTOMINES, a project to investigate the potential of using hyperaccumulating plants to draw nickel from soil. Will we soon be able to farm some of the nickel needed for lithium-ion batteries? The U.S. Department of Energy is investing $10 million to find out. The idea of using plants to extract nickel from soil is not as far-fetched as it may sound. Researchers have identified plants in Malaysia known as hyperaccumulators that thrive in nickel-rich env...

  • A heavy-duty train operating on the Moon with Earth in the background.

    DARPA enlists Northrop for Moon railroad

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 29, 2024

    Begins study to develop first railroad network on the Moon for future extraterrestrial habitation. Invoking a time when Americans began voyaging across the continent in steam-powered engines, Northrop Grumman Corp. has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to further develop the concept of building a Moon-based railroad network. As part of a broader 10-year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) Capability Study, this envisioned lunar railroad network would be...

  • Closeup of silver-colored gallium in its crystallized form.

    High-grade gallium confirmed in Montana

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 27, 2024

    US Critical Materials identifies outstanding gallium grades with the high-grade rare earths at its Sheep Creek project. In addition to showing promise as a high-grade domestic source of rare earths, US Critical Materials Corp.'s Sheep Creek project in Montana shows the potential to be an equally high-grade alternative to China for the gallium used in a wide array of high-tech, green energy, and military applications. "US Critical Materials looks forward to being the primary...

  • Rendering of an astronaut holding a battery.

    Space battery pioneer gets first big order

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 27, 2024

    Hitachi Zosen goes commercial; company sends its all-solid-state batteries into equipment manufacturing space. An as-of-yet undisclosed semiconductor equipment manufacturer has placed the first commercial order for 12 all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (coined AS-LiB) with a capacity of 140 milliampere-hour from battery pioneer Hitachi Zosen, with future orders on the way as part of a new product. A typical all-solid-state lithium battery can not only store nearly twice as...

  • An array of solar panels beneath a bright blue sky.

    Spain's largest solar redox flow battery

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 27, 2024

    The Son Orlandis system is the first vanadium redox flow-based energy storage plant to be built by Endesa; the largest to be paired with solar in Europe. Spanish utility Endesa Enel Green Power España (the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal) has commissioned an energy storage system utilizing a 1.1-megawatt vanadium redox flow battery (VFRB) connected to the 3.34 MW Son Orlandis solar plant in Mallorca, Spain. In 2023, the Balearic...