The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
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Commits billions to creating its own U.S. hydrogen demand amidst shaky policy changes. Hyundai is betting big on Louisiana's clean energy future with plans to build a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-integrated steel mill in Ascension Parish. Unveiled before the Louisiana Clean Hydrogen Task Force on June 23, the project is being framed as the cornerstone of Hyundai's broader vision to establish the state as a national hydrogen hub. Slated to begin operations by 2029, the mill will...
Adani Enterprises is piloting hydrogen, building on coal, and cutting crude. Capable of carrying 40 tons for 125 miles (200 kilometers), India's Adani Enterprises has introduced the country's first hydrogen-powered fuel cell truck for mining logistics, marking a major step in industrial transport decarbonization. Currently being piloted at the Gare Pelma III coal block in Chhattisgarh, the truck is part of Adani's commitment to advancing sustainable mining, with the mine...
Houston-based Mati Carbon's approach to sequestering enriches soil, small farms. Sometimes the simplest ideas hold the most promise, and Houston-based startup Mati Carbon just proved it by winning the $50 million XPRIZE Carbon Removal award with a low-tech solution that could pull gigatons of CO2 from the atmosphere while transforming the lives of millions of small farmers around the world. Mati Carbon's approach involves grinding basalt rock into fine dust and spreading it...
Process to extract oxygen from lunar regolith presents an unexpected solution for cleaner steelmaking on Earth. What began as a quest to extract oxygen from lunar soil has led Helios, a startup born of space research, to adapt Moon-mission technology into a sodium-based steelmaking process that could revolutionize one of Earth's dirtiest industries by slashing both emissions and energy costs – a rare climate solution that's not only cleaner, but cheaper. Essential to everythin...
Cleveland-Cliffs walks back plans for flagship U.S. hydrogen steel project. Cleveland-Cliffs, the largest producer of flat-rolled steel in North America, has signaled that it is pulling away from its original plan to build a hydrogen-ready green steel facility at its Middletown Works plant in Ohio, touted as an up-and-coming landmark in U.S. industrial decarbonization. The project, supported by a $500 million federal grant, aimed to replace coal-fired blast furnaces with... Full story
Colorado-based Electra considers building its first commercial-scale plant in Australia. Amid trade tensions and shifting climate policies, Colorado-based startup Electra has raised $129 million to scale its low-temperature, zero-emissions iron-making technology – a potential breakthrough in one of the world's dirtiest industries. However, like its peers, Electra will have to compete for increasingly scarce, low-cost, renewable energy, a resource also in high demand from b...
Zinc-air battery repurposed to make hydrogen peroxide sustainably. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have transformed a humble zinc-air battery into a chemical reactor that produces hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) – offering a low-cost, energy-efficient alternative to a polluting industrial process. For many eco-friendly households, hydrogen peroxide is an all-around essential item in medicine cabinets and cleaning closets. Considered a natural alternative for e...
California's first steel mill in 50 years is poised to set the standard for sustainable steelmaking. Rising out of the sands of the Mojave Desert is a steel mill forging a greener future for both California and the global steelmaking industry. This Mojave Micro Mill, being built by the Pacific Steel Group, is a state-of-the-art facility powered by abundant Southern California sunshine – a model that has state leaders rethinking heavy industry in the era of clean energy. "...
Replacing coal with superheated hydrogen plasma has the potential to slash steel manufacturing emissions. The steel industry is one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions, primarily due to its reliance on coal and coke to refine iron from ore. Researchers at Norway's SINTEF, one of Europe's leading independent research organizations, are pioneering a new approach using hydrogen plasma, which could replace fossil fuels in the metal production process. This...
Global leader in ethically sourced fine jewelry confirms official Science Based Targets initiative verification. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) develops criteria with public consultation and global experts to develop standards for businesses, outlining what they need to do to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and how quickly, to limit global temperature increases to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius and preventing the worst effects of climate change predicted by...
Heavy construction equipment powered by a modified combustion engine that burns hydrogen instead of diesel will be tested for two years in Austria. Construction and mining equipment giant Liebherr is working with STRABAG, the largest construction company in Austria, to pilot the world's first hydrogen-burning loader prototype in a two-year test project at STRABAG's Kanzelstein quarry. Liebherr's hydrogen-powered L 566 loader is serving as a proof-of-concept pilot for a loader...
California's SoHyCal project will be the largest hydrogen generator driven completely by North American renewable energy. Nearly all hydrogen refueling stations in the continental U.S. are situated in California, the only state with hydrogen infrastructure. However, a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) sales slump hit hard this year, with less than 100 hydrogen-powered cars sold countrywide in the second quarter compared to 1,094 in the same period last year – a 91% d...
Various methods, such as using bacteria, can remove elements like selenium from water; a new test using specialized light verifies the effectiveness of these solutions. Heather Shrimpton, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo, and her team are on the hunt for selenium, a naturally occurring nutrient with a nasty habit of causing neurological problems, infertility, and death at higher concentrations. Selenium a...
Joins forces with GravitHy in to produce an ultra-low-carbon iron product for steelmaking. Continuing its global leadership in decarbonizing steelmaking, Rio Tinto is helping to accelerate GravithHy's project aimed at slashing ironmaking-related carbon dioxide emissions by more than 90%. From the humblest of paper clips to the tallest skyscrapers, steel forms the framework for modern living. The process of transforming raw iron ore into steel, however, is responsible for... Full story
Funds go to 20 projects across 15 states for clean hydrogen infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded nearly $62 million to fund 20 projects across 15 states to accelerate research, development, and deployment of next-generation clean hydrogen technologies. These selected projects aim to advance critical elements of hydrogen fueling infrastructure, hydrogen-powered container-handling equipment for use at ports, and to improve processes essential to the efficient...
Chilean copper miner leverages ABB's global automation and electrification expertise to power its net-zero goals. Toward an overarching goal to "develop mining for a better future," Antofagasta Minerals is collaborating with ABB to implement net-zero emissions haulage solutions at its copper mines in Chile. Antofagasta's four mines produced 715,000 metric tons (146.3 million pounds) of copper last year, making it the fifth largest producer of this metal critical to energy... Full story
Tested on the racetrack, this clean-burning fuel offers an alternative to EVs for zero-carbon emissions transportation. With the automotive industry headed toward greener transportation, electric vehicles have been the face of the shift. Meanwhile, another promising clean technology is quietly coming to the fore – hydrogen. A future in which hydrogen vehicles share the road seems increasingly possible as numerous established automakers such as BMW, Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, a... Full story
Deepens partnership with Aymium to produce renewable biocarbon at new facility toward the reduction of carbon emissions in metal smelting operations. In an ambitious move toward sustainable industrial practices, Rio Tinto and Aymium have partnered to create Évolys Québec Inc., a joint venture focused on producing renewable metallurgical biocarbon as an alternative to traditional carbon sources used in metal smelting processes. In 2022, Rio Tinto, Steel Dynamics, and Nippon S...
The trend towards increased sustainability within the steelmaking process, "green steel" practices are catching on around the world. Under a pioneering memorandum of understanding, Lhyfe will install a green hydrogen production unit at Ugitech's plant in Ugine, France, capable of generating around 13 tons of hydrogen per day. This comes at a time when "green steel" practices are making headlines around the world, from Boston Metal's molten electrolysis to Rio Tinto's latest...
Climeworks has started operations at the world's largest direct air carbon capture plant in Iceland; stashing CO2 in Louisiana's salt aquifers is next. Over in Iceland two massive direct air capture (DAC) plants priced in the low triple-digit millions to build are costing close to $1,000 per metric ton to pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But that's only the beginning – they will build even bigger next time. Climeworks' carbon capture technology is coming to America. E...
World-changing molten electrolysis process spun out of MIT can make steel with no emissions, may also be applied to other smelting processes. In the crucible of industrial progress, steel stands as both the foundation and obstacle. Armed with its molten oxide electrolysis process, Boston Metal aims to revolutionize steelmaking that will join innovation with sustainability and offer a path toward greener steel production. The advent of steel in industrial applications quickly s... Full story
Thermal energy storage cavern twice the size of Madison Square Garden could heat Finland's fourth-most-populous city of Vantaa all year. Engineering advancements have recently made strides in sustainability by imitating nature as opposed to conquering it. In the case of storage, the global energy transition demands more powerful and efficient batteries as well as earth-friendly processes to get the technology where it needs to be, and one city in Finland is building the...
University convened with key leaders across government, industry, and academia on Capitol Hill to discuss sustainable production and cultivating the next generation of miners. In a pivotal move to safeguard the U.S. critical mineral supply chain, the University of Arizona has taken center stage in pioneering sustainable mining practices, nurturing a skilled domestic workforce, and powering the national transition to renewable energy and next-gen defense technology at an event... Full story
Japan's Kajima Corp. is well on its way to supplying the world with carbon-negative concrete. A little over an hour from Tokyo, nestled in the mountains near Nagano, a house has been built in Karuizawa with the world's first carbon dioxide-removing concrete walls produced by replacing a percentage of the cement content with an industrial byproduct and adding a CO2-absorbing admixture of dicalcium silicate. Karuizawa is one of Japan's oldest and most famous forested mountain re... Full story
Iconic heavy metal band will use electric trucks produced by Italian automaker on European leg of 2024 tour. In what may be the perfect metaphor for the heavy metal needed as a catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells, Italian automaker Iveco is providing electric and natural gas trucks and busses to transport crew and gear during the European leg of Metallica's M72 World Tour. Representing the environmental and social values embraced by both the legendary heavy metal rock band and... Full story
