The Elements of Innovation Discovered

Articles from the May 15, 2024 edition


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 11 of 11

  • The interior of WEST, a donut-shaped fusion reactor in France.

    Fusion reactors switch to tungsten

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 11, 2024

    Materials breakthrough improves the timeline of plasma stability, brings endless energy closer. This month in France, a donut-shaped fusion reactor the size of an eight-foot box called WEST has upgraded from a carbon interior to one made of tungsten, an improvement which successfully contained plasma hotter and longer than ever. Compared to this latest result, our own sun burns at temperatures 30% less while still powering grid-scale systems running on solar panels whose...

  • Looking over long stockpiles of coal toward a power plant in Slovenia.

    Turning European mines into batteries

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated May 24, 2024

    Mining companies look to Gravitricity's gravity energy storage tech as anopportunity to extend usefulness of mine shafts after the ore is gone. Energy storage is the lynchpin of a clean energy future that will rely on enormous quantities of zero-carbon electricity from intermittent sources such as wind and solar. After all, the billions of lightbulbs illuminating a city at night or millions of air conditioners keeping homes and businesses cool on a still summer day do not...

  • ABTC employees pose for picture at opening of recycling facility.

    ABTC exceeds battery recycling capacity

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated May 24, 2024

    Company ramps up recycling facility, operates at over 115% capacity. In a triumph of innovation, American Battery Technology Company announced a groundbreaking milestone: its lithium-ion battery recycling facility has been operating steadily at over 115% of its designed capacity, showcasing the efficacy of its proprietary recycling technology. Established in 2011, ABTC began its journey with a handful of mining claims out of Nevada. Stemming from a former Tesla employee's ambi...

  • Overhead view of International Battery Metals DLE plant.

    Mobile, modular direct lithium extraction

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated May 24, 2024

    International Battery Metals and US Magnesium agree to install world's first modular DLE plant. This May, International Battery Metals (IBAT) and US Magnesium announced their partnership to install a first-of-its-kind modular direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant that can rapidly be deployed to a site and efficiently extract lithium from a variety of brine resources. The portable, modular design provides both a smaller footprint and scalability. The mobile facility is...

  • GRX-810 superalloy powder being poured into a small mound.

    GRX-810 licensed to four U.S. companies

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated May 24, 2024

    NASA offers opportunity with stellar superalloy set to rocket aerospace to new heights. After two years since its debut, NASA's GRX-810 superalloy remains poised for transformative takeoff. Crafted through innovative 3D printing and thermodynamic modeling, this material has captivated the aerospace industry. Now, with the agency licensing GRX-810 to four American companies, a future of sturdier, more resilient aircraft and spacecraft components emerges, signaling a giant leap...

  • Graphic with bubbles depicting hydrogen supply chain against green background.

    DOE to loan Plug $1.7B for green hydrogen

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated May 24, 2024

    Funds will be used to build out a complete green hydrogen ecosystem in the U.S.; will create new demand for PGMs. To help support the production of green hydrogen to fuel America's clean energy economy, the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office has conditionally committed to loan Plug Power Inc. $1.66 billion to help finance the construction of up to six domestic hydrogen facilities. "Green hydrogen is an essential driver of industrial decarbonization in the United...

  • A man surveys a tidal habitat in Australian wilderness.

    AU targets critical minerals in hunt

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated May 24, 2024

    Latest budget's resource search focuses on battery metals and rare earth elements. Over the coming decade, Australia is prepared to spend A$566 million (US$373 million) to map out deposits of minerals critical to high-tech manufacturing and the green energy transition. "The critical minerals space is one of the reasons why there is so much attention from global and domestic investors, but we need to make sure we can attract and deploy that," Australia Treasurer Jim Chalmers...

  • Aerial view of phosphor-gypsum stacks at the Phalaborwa project.

    Billions in rare earths for U.S. at risk

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated May 24, 2024

    Without investors, the future of South Africa's rare earth elements enriched Phalaborwa site may depend on Washington support. Bordering South Africa's renowned Kruger National Park stands Phalaborwa, a mine sporting two rare earths-enriched phospho-gypsum waste piles that could mean over a billion in critical minerals for the U.S. – if the project can get enough support to run. To challenge China's near monopoly on rare earths, Washington has committed funds to a little-known...

  • Artist’s rendering of a translucent body with 2D symbolism.

    Borophene beats graphene for biotech

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated May 24, 2024

    Boron 2D material may surpass graphene in improving a variety of next-gen technologies. Graphene has been this decade's star of materials development, lending itself to everything from cancer detection to stronger concrete. But a new and improved two-dimensional material is making its presence known in the world of nanomaterials – borophene. First synthesized in 2015, borophene is the nano-thin 2D version of boron that is more conductive, lighter, stronger, and more f...

  • US Strategic Metals battery materials recovery facility in Madison County, MO.

    Missouri sparks battery materials collab

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated May 17, 2024

    Missouri University of Science and Technology, US Strategic Metals; lithium-ion battery precursor cathode active material research. Pioneering a transformative shift in the American battery landscape, US Strategic Metals joins forces with Missouri University of Science and Technology to advance research on precursor cathode active material, leveraging the Show Me State's abundant natural resources and cutting-edge facilities in green innovation. Transforming from humble...

  • Photo of a splash resulting from a droplet of water into a pond.

    More green hydrogen with less iridium

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech New|Updated May 13, 2024

    Riken researchers have developed a green hydrogen catalyst that reduces the amount of rare and expensive iridium needed by 95%. One of the most elementary chemistry lessons taught to schoolchildren is that water is a molecule made up of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. Now, scholars at the highest level of academics are working to find the most efficient and sustainable means of breaking those hydrogen atoms off of water to produce a green fuel that turns back into...