A letter sent by Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Pepsi, Ball, SunPower and eight more leading companies urges the US Department of Energy (DOE) to invest in American-made clean aluminum to retain and create manufacturing jobs, reduce industrial emissions, and grow a vitally important industry. The letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer... Read more →

Researchers from China and the US have developed a cobalt-free, Li- and Mn-rich (LMR) Li-ion battery cathode with negligible voltage decay. The new development overcomes the persistent challenge of voltage decay with LMR layered oxides and could lead to significantly higher energy storage capacity. A paper on their work is... Read more →

INVISTA, an industry leader in the nylon 6,6 value chain, is licensing its nitrous oxide (N2O) abatement technology at three adipic acid production facilities in China; those licenses will help companies in the automotive industry achieve material supply chain emissions reductions. INVISTA—which produces its own adipic acid, along with a... Read more →

Nano One Materials, a clean technology company with patented processes for the sustainable production of lithium-ion battery cathode materials, and Sumitomo Metal Mining (SMM), a leading vertically integrated miner, refiner and producer of cathode active materials (CAM), agreed to a strategic equity investment in Nano One by SMM of C$16,879,949.85... Read more →

Enevate and NantG Power, two battery innovation companies enabling high-speed charge and energy density battery technologies for electric vehicles (EVs) and other markets, announced a strategic alliance to combine their proprietary cathode and anode innovations to commercialize and scale up a breakthrough silicon-dominant battery technology in the transportation, mobility, and... Read more →

BASF is expanding its growing portfolio of 14C bio-based monomers with a proprietary process for production of 2-Octyl Acrylate (2-OA). The new product underlines BASF’s strong commitment to innovation for a sustainable future with 73% 14C-tracable bio-based content according to ISO 16620. Besides the regular 14C bio-based 2-Octyl Acrylate, BASF... Read more →

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and United States Steel Corporation plan to test an advanced membrane technology to capture CO2 emissions generated by steelmaking operations at the company’s Edgar Thomson Plant, located in Braddock, Pennsylvania. The Edgar Thomson Plant, part of the Mon Valley Works, is the last integrated... Read more →

Global copper company First Quantum Minerals Ltd. has contracted with MECS, Inc. (MECS), a subsidiary of Elessent Clean Technologies, for the Kansanshi Smelter Expansion at the Kansanshi Mine in Solwezi, Zambia. The MECS scope will include a redesign of the existing sulfur-burning sulfuric acid plant into a copper smelter off-gas... Read more →

LG Chem announced that it will make inroads into the lithium-phosphate-iron (LFP) cathode materials business in partnership with China’s Huayou Group. In addition, LG Chem will start vertical integration of its cathode supply chain. LG Chem and Huayou Group signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enter the LFP... Read more →

The Salzgitter Group has selected technology group ANDRITZ to supply one of Europe’s largest green hydrogen plants for the SALCOS (SAlzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking) program, which aims to achieve virtually CO2-free (green) steel production. (Earlier post.) ANDRITZ will build a 100 MW electrolysis plant at the Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH site... Read more →

A new study by an international team of researchers estimates that 23 million people may be affected by potentially dangerous concentrations of toxic waste from metal mining contamination on rivers and floodplains across the world. A paper on the study is published in the journal Science. Firefighters from Minas Gerais... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) launched a first-of-its-kind Critical Materials Collaborative (CMC) and announced its intent to fund up to $10 million to establish a Critical Materials Accelerator Program. The vision of the CMC is to integrate critical materials applied research, development and demonstration (RD&D) across DOE and the... Read more →

Li-Metal Corp., a developer of lithium metal anode and lithium-metal technologies critical for next-generation batteries, announced the completion of the definitive agreements for its previously announced exclusive partnership with Mustang Vacuum Systems, a global developer and manufacturer of industrial scale physical vapor deposition (PVD) equipment. (Earlier post.) The signing of... Read more →

Last year, Redwood Materials, the battery materials recycling, refining and remanufacturing company founded by former Tesla exec JB Straubel, announced expansion plans in Europe to support creating a closed-loop battery supply chain. Europe continues to be the fastest growing EV market globally, driven by automakers’ commitments and strong government support... Read more →

Dragonfly Energy, in collaboration with Aqua Metals, has successfully used high-purity lithium hydroxide recovered by Aqua Metals from recycled lithium-ion batteries to manufacture a lithium-based battery cell using Dragonfly Energy’s patented dry battery electrode coating technology. The successful recovery of battery-grade lithium hydroxide and cycle testing of a sustainably manufactured... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has signed an agreement with Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI) to source more than 50,000 tonnes of CO2-reduced steel annually for its plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. SDI steel will be made using an electric arc furnace (EAF) and will use electricity from 100% renewable sources. With EAFs powered by green... Read more →

Amprius Technologies, a developer of next-generation lithium-ion batteries with its Silicon Anode Platform, will host an event for customers, vendors, investors and partners to showcase its expanded production facility—known as Amprius Lab—in Fremont, California. Amprius is increasing its capacity by 10x at its Fremont facility through the commissioning of its... Read more →

Li-Cycle Holdings and Glencore International, a leading producer, recycler, and marketer of nickel and cobalt which is required for the production of lithium-ion batteries, are now planning a two-phase approach to the Portovesme Hub project in Sardinia, Italy (earlier post) to expedite the production of battery-grade lithium carbonate. Phase 1... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced the winners of its first-ever American-Made Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize. Three teams will split a total of $2 million for prototyped innovations to directly extract lithium from the hot water used to produce geothermal energy, known as geothermal brines. Lithium is a crucial... Read more →

Talon Metals, through its wholly owned subsidiary Talon Nickel (USA) LLC, has entered into a definitive agreement with the Department of Defense’s Office of Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization to accelerate and expand the company’s efforts to discover and secure additional domestic supply of nickel for the growing US... Read more →

In June 2023, total lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) deployment in full electric vehicles (BEVs) was up 35% compared to the same month last year, according to data from Adamas Intelligence. Month-on-month there was a 22% jump in June with just shy of 33,000 tonnes of LCE in EVs rolling out... Read more →

Ionic Technologies, Less Common Metals (LCM) and Ford will establish a demonstration circular supply chain for Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in the UK, by utilizing innovative technologies to create high-specification magnets containing 100% recycled REEs for use in Electrical Vehicles (EVs). Ionic Technologies has demonstrated patented technology at the demonstration... Read more →

Ascend Elements, a US-based manufacturer of sustainable, engineered battery materials, announced a contract to engineer sustainable cathode active material (CAM) for Freudenberg e-Power Systems. At its XALT Energy battery plant in Midland, Mich., Freudenberg manufactures battery cell, pack, and system solutions for applications with particularly high performance requirements for lifetime,... Read more →

The US Department of the Interior-led Interagency Working Group on Mining Laws, Regulations, and Permitting (IWG) released its final report containing recommendations to reform and improve the way mining is conducted on US. public lands. The report will inform efforts to modernize the Mining Law of 1872 and related federal... Read more →

OCSiAl, a leader in graphene nanotube technologies (earlier post), has been granted a construction permit for a nanotube production facility near Belgrade, Serbia. (Earlier post.) The new nanotube synthesis plant will be launched in 2024 and will have a planned annual capacity of 120 tonnes per year. The project will... Read more →

The US Department of Defense approved a $90-million grant to Albemarle Corporation to help support the expansion of domestic mining and the production of lithium for the US battery supply chain. The funding will be provided by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, utilizing... Read more →

Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and colleagues have developed a novel high-performance electrolyte (HPE) consisting of lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI), lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) and carbonates to support extreme fast charging (XFC). A paper on their work appears in the journal Batteries & Supercaps. Realizing XFC in lithium-ion batteries for... Read more →

Continental recently added recovered carbon black (rCB) to its newly produced Super Elastic solid tires at its tire plant in Korbach, Germany, thus reducing the use of fossil raw materials and CO2 emissions. Solid tires such as Continental’s SC20+ already contain around 60% renewable and recycled materials due to their... Read more →

TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K., which operates an industrial precious metals business as a core company of TANAKA Precious Metals, signed a technical assistance agreement with Chengdu Guangming Paite Precious Metal Co., Ltd., an affiliated company in China, in the area of fuel cell electrode catalyst manufacturing technologies. TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo... Read more →

A consortium of battery scientists, led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), will accelerate the commercialization of a new family of battery cathode materials called DRX or “disordered rock salt.” DRX cathodes could provide batteries with higher energy density than conventional lithium-ion battery cathodes made of nickel and cobalt,... Read more →

The US Development Finance Corporation’s (DFC’s) Board of Directors approved the provision of up to $150 million in financing to Twigg Exploration and Mining—a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australia-based Syrah Resources Limited—to fund investments in the company’s graphite mining and processing operation in Balama, Mozambique. (Earlier post.) The DFC loan is... Read more →

Researchers from UNSW Sydney (Australia) report in an open-access paper in the Journal of Power Sources on the use of hard carbons derived from automotive shredder residue (ASR) as a suitable anode electroactive material for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs). Limitation of graphite as anode material in NIB has paved the way... Read more →

A research team led by a group from Peking University has designed a new 3D carbon monolith, Hex-C57, using 5–7 nanoribbons as the building block, for use asan anode material for sodium-ion batteries.A paper on their work appears in the Journal of Power Sources. Motivated by the successful synthesis of... Read more →

Tantalex Lithium Resources, a Canada-based exploration and development stage mining company, received and executed a term sheet from Glencore International AG for a marketing offtake agreement for the lithium to be produced from its Manono Lithium Tailings Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Tantalex is engaged in the... Read more →

A team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory is developing a new machine-learning (ML) model for discovering critical-element-free permanent magnet materials. The model predicts the Curie temperature of new material combinations. Curie temperature is the maximum temperature at which a material maintains its magnetism. A paper on the work is... Read more →

Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei will showcase diversified material solutions for safe and compact EV batteries, improved connectivity and lightweighting, as well as circular economy at Fakuma, the world’s leading trade event for industrial plastics processing, from 17 - 21 October 2023 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Thermoplastic composites for EV battery... Read more →

Demand for manganese in batteries is set to grow over eight-fold this decade, due to new battery chemistries and rising electric vehicle sales, according to Benchmark’s Manganese Sulphate Market Outlook. Manganese is a crucial element in nickel cobalt manganese (NMC) cathodes and can be used to improve the range of... Read more →

Albemarle Corporation confirmed that it will be working toward the execution of a binding agreement to acquire Australia-based battery minerals company Liontown Resources Limited; the Revised Proposal values Liontown at A$6.6 billion or US$4.32 billion on an equity value basis. In March, Liontown Resources, an emerging battery minerals producer based... Read more →

The Nikkei reports that Japan and the UK are set to make joint investments in critical minerals in Africa and other places. The two countries will also establish a framework for discussing economic security at the ministerial level, with a focus on supply chains. The two countries reportedly aim to... Read more →

Ovako, a European manufacturer of steel and one of the largest steel recyclers in the Nordic countries, is inaugurating the hydrogen plant at its Hofors mill. (Earlier post.) Ovako’s hydrogen plant is the world’s first facility for producing fossil-free hydrogen to heat steel before rolling. This reduces emissions from this... Read more →

A new study by a team from the University of Sydney and Geoscience Australia has mapped the concentration and distribution of lithium across Australian soil, providing crucial insights for identifying potential reserves in the country. An open-access paper on the work is published in the journal Earth System Science Data.... Read more →

ZF has developed an electric motor which does not require magnets. In contrast to the magnet-free concepts of separately excited synchronous motors (SESM) already available today, ZF’s I2SM (In-Rotor Inductive-Excited Synchronous Motor) transmits the energy for the magnetic field via an inductive exciter inside the rotor shaft. This makes the... Read more →

The electrolyte additive Trinohex Ultra, manufactured and marketed exclusively by Ascend Performance Materials, is now approved for import into the EU in quantities up to 100 metric tons annually per REACH, the regulation for registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals in the region. Trinohex Ultra is high-purity 1,3,6-hexanetricarbonitrile designed to... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korea Zinc. The Group will cooperate with Korea Zinc, Korea’s leading non-ferrous metal smelting company, in a comprehensive collaboration across the nickel value chain. The partnership includes joint sourcing of nickel raw material, processing of nickel raw material, and ensuring... Read more →

Redwood Materials, the battery materials recycling, refining and remanufacturing company founded by former Tesla exec JB Straubel, has raised more than $1 billion in Series D shares. The round which was co-led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund, and funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price... Read more →

NEO Battery Materials, a developer of silicon anode materials for longer-running, rapid-charging lithium-ion batteries, announced the latest optimized batch of NEO’s proprietary silicon anode materials, NBMSiDE, has been sent to battery manufacturers and EV automakers for performance evaluation. As announced earlier, further improved formulations with uniform coatings and additives have... Read more →

Forge Nano, Inc., a provider of precision nano-coating technology, and 6K Energy, a developer of critical materials for lithium-ion batteries, signed an agreement to implement commercial-scale production of 6K Energy’s US-made battery materials with Forge Nano’s proprietary Atomic Armor surface technology platform (commercial-scale Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)). This collaboration will... Read more →

A team at Sandia National Laboratories has developed a molecule that helps change the way some polymer materials react to temperature fluctuations, which makes them more durable. It’s an application that could be used in everything from plastic phone cases to missiles. Polymers, which include various forms of plastics, are... Read more →

A €2.94-million project coordinated by SINTEF seeks to develop and demonstrate a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer stack with increased performance, reduced CAPEX, and increased sustainability compared to current PEM electrolyszer systems. Participating with SINTEF in the UNICORN (“Unlocking the Full Potential of Electrolysis with Next-Generation Proton Exchange Membrane Stacks”)... Read more →

Australian lithium producer, Pilbara Minerals Limited and Australian environmental technology company, Calix Limited, will construct and operate a mid-stream demonstration plant in a joint venture. The project aims to demonstrate the potential to reduce carbon emissions intensity for the hard-rock lithium supply chain via the creation of a high-purity lithium-rich... Read more →