24M unveiled new testing data for Impervio, its battery separator that addresses the growing concern of battery safety for electric vehicles (EV), energy storage systems (ESS) and consumer applications. The new data coincides with mounting concerns after recent battery fires in the United States and internationally. Impervio, announced in January... Read more →

Research by AI-powered supply chain risk platform Infyos has identified that companies accounting for 75% of the global battery market have connections to one or more companies in the supply chain facing allegations of severe human rights abuses. Most major battery manufacturers and end batteries applications are exposed including many... Read more →

Berzelius, a developer and manufacturer of silicon anodes, unveiled high-capacity pure silicon anodes with zero graphite. These anodes enable battery cells to achieve an impressive energy density of 400 Wh/kg while maintaining exceptional power capabilities. This was made possible through the integration of OCSiAl’s single wall carbon nanotubes, resulting in... Read more →

The Department of Defense announced a $4.22-million award to Rare Earth Salts in Nebraska for developing and expanding production of terbium oxide from recycled fluorescent light bulbs. Terbium is an essential element for rare earth magnets in many key defense systems. This effort is funded through the Defense Production Act... Read more →

Spodumene prices fell to their lowest levels since August 2021 in early September, trailing the steep drop in prices of lithium chemicals in recent months, according to Benchmark. Spodumene FOB Australia prices have fallen 14.4% so far this year to $818 per tonne in the assessment period ending 4 September,... Read more →

SLB announced that it has proven its solution for sustainable lithium production at scale at its demonstration plant in Clayton Valley, Nevada. The proprietary integrated solution combines SLB’s subsurface expertise with surface engineering of advanced technologies that include direct lithium extraction (DLE). It produces lithium 500 times faster than conventional... Read more →

Volvo is increasing the use of low-CO2-emission steel in its trucks. This steel is produced with recycled material and fossil-free energy and will be used in tens of thousands of Volvo trucks starting next year. Volvo was the world’s first truck manufacturer to introduce this type of steel in its... Read more →

TMC the metals company Inc., an explorer of the undersea resources of critical battery metals, successfully produced high temperature material (calcine) during the first phase of a commercial-scale campaign to process a 2,000-tonne sample of deep-seafloor polymetallic nodules at its partner PAMCO’s Hachinohe Rotary Kiln Electric-Arc Furnace facility in Hachinohe,... Read more →

Tanzanian graphite developer Black Rock Mining signed several binding agreements with its strategic alliance partner, POSCO International Corporation (POSCO), in relation to POSCO investing US$40 million in Black Rock. In exchange, Faru Graphite Corporation Limited (Faru) (the 84% subsidiary of Black Rock and owner of the Mahenge Graphite Project will... Read more →

Arcadium Lithium will suspend Stage 4A waste stripping, and any expansionary investment beyond Stage 3, at its Mt Cattlin spodumene operation in Western Australia given the continued decline in spodumene prices. Benchmark reported that spodumene prices fell to their lowest levels since August 2021 in early September, trailing the steep... Read more →

Nokian Tyres and the Swedish biomaterials company Reselo AB have signed a development agreement to develop further their renewable material Reselo Rubber as a new raw material in tires. Reselo Rubber is a completely renewable material made from birch bark that comes from residues from the global pulp, paper and... Read more →

Constellium announced the results of its collaborative research project ALuminum Intensive Vehicle Enclosures (ALIVE). Constellium’s University Technology Center (UTC) at Brunel University London was the lead partner of the project focused on developing structural aluminum battery enclosures for electric vehicles. The £15-million project, half funded by UK government subsidies through... Read more →

Geoscientists from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) are collaborating to discover new domestic sources for lithium. A joint project entitled “Toward domestic lithium independence: Tectonic controls on critical emerging lithium deposits” was selected for funding under the Seed Projects for Research, INnovation, and... Read more →

With total magnet rare earth oxide consumption forecasted to increase at a CAGR of 5.4% (versus a higher 8.2% for demand) and prices projected to increase at CAGRs of 4.3% to 5.2% over the same period, Adamas Intelligence forecasts that the value of global magnet rare earth oxide consumption will... Read more →

Volkswagen has entered into a cooperation with the German start-up Revoltech GmbH from Darmstadt to research and develop sustainable materials based on industrial hemp. These could be used as a sustainable surface material in Volkswagen models from 2028. The material made from 100% bio-based hemp uses residues of the regional... Read more →

Purifying rare earth critical metals from ores with complex mixtures typically involves strong acids and hazardous solvents, and is primarily conducted in China. However, over the past three years, a team of researchers from Sandia National Laboratories has been developing an environmentally friendly method to separate these rare-earth elements from... Read more →

China-based BTR Group, a manufacturer of lithium-ion battery materials, announced a strategic investment in Morocco, marking a significant step forward in its international expansion. Following the successful launch of operations in Indonesia, BTR Group, through its subsidiary BTR Mediterranean New Material Technology (MNMT), is embarking on an integrated project with... Read more →

The US Department of Defense has awarded Canada-based Electra Battery Materials Corporation $20 million to support the construction and commissioning of North America’s only cobalt sulfate refinery, capable of producing battery grade materials for lithium-ion batteries. Today, more than 80% of battery grade cobalt is produced in China. The award... Read more →

Sibanye-Stillwater executed a €500-million green loan financing facility (Green loan) for its Keliber lithium project in Finland, through its subsidiary Keliber Technology Oy. The Green loan secures the final capital expenditure funding required for the construction and development of its lithium mining, processing and refining facilities in Kaustinen, Kronoby and... Read more →

Nippon Steel has entered into an equity participation agreement with Whitehaven Coal Limited (WHC) to acquire a 20% interest in the Blackwater coal mine (BW Coal Mine) in the State of Queensland, Australia for $720 million. In addition, Nippon Steel has entered into long-term coal offtake rights agreement with WHC,... Read more →

Estonia-based UP Catalyst, a developer of sustainable carbon material production directly from CO2 emissions, has successfully closed a €2.36-million seed extension round. This follows the initial seed round raised last December which amounted to €4 million, bringing the total seed funding to €6.36 million. The funding round saw equal participation... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) and the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), with support from the Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office, and the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, announced approximately $15 million in funding to address adoption challenges preventing later stage... Read more →

The Nikkei reports that the Mes Aynak copper-mining project in Afghanistan is being restarted by the Taliban and its Chinese partner after a delay of more than 16 years. Aynak is the largest known copper deposit in Afghanistan, with indicated resources of 240 Mt grading 2.3% Cu placing it in... Read more →

Researchers in Spain have developed a two-stage lithium recovery process applied to two different black masses from NMC 622 electric vehicle batteries after prior crushing and separation stages. In the first stage, hydrolysis is used to extract lithium compounds from the degradation products of the electrolyte (LiPF6). In the second... Read more →

Fortescue has started works at its Green Metal Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (WA). Located at the Green Energy Hub at Christmas Creek, the US$50-million project is expected to produce more than 1,500 tonnes per annum of green metal, with first production anticipated in 2025. The plant... Read more →

China’s Ministry of Commerce announced export controls on antimony and related items as well as on items related to super-hard materials. Antimony is used in products from lead-acid batteries to weapons. (Antimony-lead alloys improve the strength and castability of the grids in batteries.) Operators seeking to export antimony and related... Read more →

Tirupati Graphite has begun production at its Vatomina mine in Madagascar. (Earlier post.) Steady state 24/7 production has been ongoing since 6 August 2024, with production of 165 tons in seven (7) consecutive working days. With the 330 days per annum operational design, this run rate equates to 7,778 tons... Read more →

IDTechEx forecasts that US$110 billion of critical materials will be recovered annually from secondary sources by 2045, with a combined weight of more than 3.3 million tonnes. IDTechEx predicts that the critical material recovery market will grow at a CAGR of 12.7% from 2025-2045. Annual value of critical material recovery... Read more →

Cyclic Materials, an advanced metals recycling company building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements and other critical metals, has signed a collaboration agreement for the recycling of electric motors containing rare earths with SYNETIQ, an IAA company and the UK’s leading integrated vehicle salvage and recycling company. The... Read more →

Century Lithium reported the successful addition of a lithium carbonate stage at its Lithium Extraction Facility (Pilot Plant) in Amargosa Valley, Nevada, which is part of the company’s 100%-owned Angel Island Mine. Prior to this addition, concentrated lithium solutions from the Pilot Plant were treated by Saltworks Inc. at its... Read more →

A team of researchers from Hydro-Québec’s Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage has used plasma vapor deposition (PVD) to deposit a think LixSny alloy layer of the surface of a lithium foil. The layer has a much higher hardness than bare Li and can withstand aggressive cycling... Read more →

A decarbonized steel industry that includes carbon dioxide removal techniques in its net zero arsenal could use lower-grade iron ore, according to a new study by researchers from Heriot-Watt University in the UK. Steel accounts for 5-8% of carbon dioxide emissions globally. Its total emissions have risen over the past... Read more →

Researchers at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from leading international institutions, have introduced an innovative cathode homogenization strategy for all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASLBs). This new approach, detailed in apaper in Nature Energy, significantly improves the cycle life... Read more →

Continental has concluded a long-term purchase agreement with Pyrum Innovations, a specialist in the thermolysis technology of end-of-life tires, for particularly high-quality carbon black (rCB) recovered from end-of-life tires. Pyrum thermolysis involves the thermal decomposition of organic substances or rubber and plastic waste in the absence of oxygen. The process... Read more →

The auto industry can eliminate more than 95% of greenhouse gas emissions from producing the steel for passenger vehicles by switching to fossil fuel-free steel, according to a new report released by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Primary steel, a critical component of today’s auto sector supply chain,... Read more →

Edison Agrosciences, an industrial biomaterials company leveraging crop agriculture and technology, has closed a $600,000 seed financing round. This investment was made possible by the support of current and new investors, including BioGenerator, Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC), Crisp & Company, LLC and others. Edison Agrosciences is developing more sustainable, domestic... Read more →

BHP and Lundin Mining Corporation agreed to acquire jointly 100% of Filo Corp. which owns 100% of the Filo del Sol (FDS) copper project. BHP and Lundin Mining have also agreed to form a 50/50 joint venture to hold the FDS and Josemaria projects (Joint Venture) located in the Vicuña... Read more →

Ceylon Graphite has entered into a purchase and distribution agreement with GES Europe GmbH (GES), specialist in the manufacture, trade, and processing of synthetic and natural graphite Ceylon’s graphite has uniquely high natural carbon characteristics that exceed those of any other natural graphite suppliers we have seen. The extremely high... Read more →

Researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong University in China have developed a new ionic liquid-based electrolyte (ILE) that exhibits high conductivity that is twice that of pure ILE and also constructs a LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) for electrochemical stability. A paper on their work is published in Journal of Power Sources.... Read more →

C-BATT, a joint venture between X-BATT and CONSOL Innovations, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CONSOL Energy Inc., has launched the next phase of its effort to accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation battery anode materials. C-BATT is combining X-BATT’s battery technology with CONSOL Innovations' domestically sourced carbon resources to bring... Read more →

Rio Tinto and Aymium have formed a new joint venture named Évolys Québec Inc. to manufacture a renewable metallurgical biocarbon product to reduce carbon emissions in large-scale industrial processes. This biocarbon, sourced from biomass residues, offers an alternative for anthracite currently used in ilmenite smelting processes at Rio Tinto’s metallurgical... Read more →

Constellium signed a long-term agreement with Lotte Infracell, a subsidary of Lotte Aluminium, a leading provider of aluminum solutions, to supply foilstock for Lotte’s battery foil applications in Europe. This partnership highlights Constellium’s commitment to the growing electric vehicle (EV) market and its strategic focus on advanced automotive aluminum solutions.... Read more →

Constellium announced that its facility in Muscle Shoals, Alabama has been selected by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for an investment of $23 million under Title III, Defense Production Act to rebuild its Direct Chill aluminum casting center. The funding was awarded via the Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI)... Read more →

The EU and the Republic of Serbia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) launching a strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains and electric vehicles. The partnership builds on the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) entered into force on 1 September 2013 and is in line with EU’s... Read more →

Canada recently added an additional three minerals—high-purity iron, phosphorous and silicon metal—to its Critical Minerals List, bringing the total to 34. Canada released its first Critical Minerals List in March 2021 with a commitment to review the minerals identified as critical every three years. The list guides federal policy and... Read more →

ArcelorMittal and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) are working with a climate tech company, D-CRBN, to trial a new technology to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) captured at ArcelorMittal’s plant in Gent, Belgium into carbon monoxide which can be used in steel and chemical production. This is the first industrial testing... Read more →

USGS scientists have developed a new scientific mechanism for assessing the potential risk to worldwide mineral commodity supplies from seismic activity. The methodology was developed through studying copper and rhenium but provides a framework for future studies assessing many other mineral commodities around the globe. Earthquakes have the potential to... Read more →

The new UltraPLAS coating developed by Fraunhofer researchers has proven to be a ground-breaking solution to the challenges of primary forming processes. This advanced release and easy-to-clean coating is applied as a gradient layer using a cold plasma process and is suitable for materials such as tool steel, stainless steel... Read more →

Researchers from Zhejiang University have developed 3D photo-printable resin chemistry that yields an elastomer with tensile strength of 94.6 MPa and toughness of 310.4 MJ m-3—both of which far exceed that of any 3D printed elastomer. A paper on their work is published in the journal Nature. Three-dimensional (3D) printing... Read more →

Iveco Group announceda new research and development partnership with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), a research and technology organization under the auspices of the Luxembourg Ministry of Higher Education and Research. The collaboration will concern sustainable and lightweight composite materials for transport applications. The collaboration will be... Read more →