The Elements of Innovation Discovered

Articles from the October 25, 2023 edition


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  • Large-scale aerospike being metal 3D printed at RPM Innovation facility.

    Aluminum built to withstand rocket power

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 25, 2023

    Exploring the potential of near-infinite geometries, engineers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has partnered with Elemuntum 3D to print rocket engines from a metal that, for all intents and purposes, is not ideal for millions of pounds of thrust – aluminum. The capabilities of additive manufacturing, however, may just unlock a different future into the stars. Aluminum has many of the hallmarks of an ideal metal for building rockets – lower density, high-strength, and... Full story

  • Infographic showing all the minerals and metals in an electric vehicle battery.

    China adds graphite to export restrictions

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 10, 2023

    Following gallium, germanium curbs, China announces plan to restrict its exports of critical lithium-ion battery material on Dec 1. Three months into its restrictions on exports of the critical computer chipmaking metals gallium and germanium, China announced that it will also be limiting global shipments of graphite, the largest single ingredient in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. On Oct. 20, China's Ministry of Commerce posted notices that the exports of nine...

  • Chalmers researchers holding tray with sample black mass.

    New spin on EV battery recycling plants

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

    A new study out of Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, presents a possible new and efficient way to recycle metals from spent electric vehicle batteries that uses an organic compound found naturally in plants – oxalate. Before the push for clean energy or renewable technologies, methods to recycle metal operated much like manufacturing metal, melting it. However, due to the carbon-intensive impacts of smelters or foundries, cleaner solutions to recycling have e...

  • Illustrated graphic of the Viper underground renewable energy storage tech.

    Studio X empowers Economical Energy

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 1, 2023

    Australian startup, its underground renewable energy tech, selected to join Shell-backed accelerator studio. Economical Energy's potentially game-changing Viper underground renewable energy storage system has joined Studio X, a global energy and climate technology innovations accelerator program powered by Shell. "The Studio X accelerator program is excited to have Economical Energy as part of the 2023 cohort," said Max Gray, director of the Studio X accelerator program....

  • An aerial shot of Electra’s current facility in northern Ontario.

    Electra's cobalt refinery still on track

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 1, 2023

    Inching closer to the completion of North America's first battery-grade cobalt sulfate refinery, Electra Battery Materials Corp. issued an update for potential stakeholders as it seeks to secure additional funding to complete this much-needed link in a future EV battery supply chain. Starting out the month with an announcement that it would continue its black mass recycling operations following an extremely successful trial that saw roughly 40 metric tons of black mass...

  • An image of an electronic filing system being inspected with a magnifying glass.

    Paperwork: top danger to commodities?

    K. Warner, For Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 1, 2023

    The minerals commodities industry may be worth trillions, but it has lost billions in less than a decade to fraud perpetrated by industry insiders due to roughly half of the world's mining companies and their warehousing networks still relying on paper documents. This industrial blind spot has been made public by a series of news reports of fraud in metals trading, with the latest incidents having revealed devastating inadequacies in the records and storage systems of...

  • Pilot scale mill and processing plant at the 3 Aces gold project in the Yukon.

    Testing a cyanide gold recovery alternative

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 1, 2023

    EnviroMetal Technologies Inc. is ramping up the commissioning of a pilot plant to demonstrate the commercial viability of a technology that offers a more environmentally sound alternative to cyanide for leaching gold from ore, concentrates, and recycled electronics. EnviroMetal's innovative gold recovery technology uses a blend of five ingredients that individually are FDA approved for human consumption but together can dissolve gold. Once in solution, the gold can be...