Scientists from the Tokyo University of Science (TUS) have developed a low-cost palladium-based nanosheet catalyst that matches platinum’s efficiency in hydrogen production. This breakthrough aims to address the affordability challenges of large-scale hydrogen generation, which has traditionally relied on expensive platinum-based catalysts. The research, published in Chemistry – A European Journal, introduces bis(diimino)palladium coordination nanosheets...
READ MORELithium-ion battery recycler Aqua Metals has successfully produced what it claims to be the first cathode active material (CAM) made entirely from domestically sourced recycled nickel. This breakthrough represents a significant step toward building a cleaner and more secure U.S. battery supply chain. Using its proprietary AquaRefining process, Reno-based Aqua Metals recovered high-purity nickel from...
READ MORENeveah Limited, a Nigeria-based commodities export company, has announced plans to open an aluminium and copper waste recycling plant in Mowe, Ogun State. The facility is expected to create 40,000 direct jobs and an additional 6,000 indirect jobs, according to CEO Ibidapo Lawal. Lawal emphasized the plant’s environmental benefits, stating it will reduce Nigeria’s carbon...
READ MOREMobec Innovation has inaugurated its first lithium battery recycling facility in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, marking a step toward enhancing India’s clean energy infrastructure. The plant, with an annual processing capacity of 6,000 tons, aims to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported critical minerals while advancing sustainability goals. Expanding beyond its core focus on B2B mobile...
READ MOREA massive power outage plunged most of Chile into darkness, leading the government to briefly declare a national emergency. The blackout affected the capital, Santiago, and the mining-intensive northern region, causing a temporary halt in copper production. Chile, the world’s largest copper producer, saw market disruptions as a result of the outage. Latin America’s electricity...
READ MOREMobec Innovation has inaugurated its first lithium battery recycling facility in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, with an annual processing capacity of 6,000 tonnes. The plant aims to reduce India’s dependence on imported critical minerals while aligning with national sustainability goals. The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board has granted environmental certifications for the facility. Expanding beyond its...
READ MOREEmirates Global Aluminum (EGA) is evaluating clean energy opportunities in Indonesia following a clarification that it has no plans to build a nuclear power plant in the country. The Indonesian government updated its statement after initially suggesting EGA aimed to develop a nuclear facility with a capacity of up to 5 gigawatts. Indonesia’s Ministry of...
READ MOREBelgian recycling and smelting company Umicore reported a 22% drop in adjusted EBITDA for 2024, reaching 763 million euros. While the catalysts segment remained profitable, the battery materials business saw a significant downturn, and recycling profits also declined. The company forecasts its 2025 EBITDA to be between 720 million and 780 million euros, with catalysts...
READ MORENovelis has successfully conducted tests using hydrogen fuel to power a recycling furnace at its Latchford plant in the UK. The trials, carried out as part of a UK government decarbonization programme in collaboration with Progressive Energy, involved installing new burners, regenerators, and furnace lining material. According to Novelis, replacing natural gas with hydrogen in...
READ MOREThe Tomago aluminium smelter near Newcastle is at risk of closure in 2029 due to the rising cost of transitioning from coal to renewable energy. The planned shift to firmed solar and wind power would double electricity costs compared to its current coal-based contract, raising concerns for the future of over 1,000 workers. Rio Tinto,...
READ MORECobalt is a critical material for electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion batteries and energy storage systems, playing a key role in the global clean energy transition. With increasing market demand, understanding which countries hold economically viable cobalt reserves is essential for assessing future supply. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), global cobalt reserves currently stand...
READ MOREThe Bolivian government suspended a public meeting on Thursday following over two hours of protests against lithium contracts with a Chinese-led consortium. The demonstrations occurred in Potosí, where the planned lithium carbonate plants will be built. In November 2023, state-owned Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) signed a $1 billion lithium production service deal with Hong...
READ MOREIndonesia Battery Corporation (IBC) has announced plans to develop a nickel-based electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling plant by 2031. The initiative, revealed by IBC President Director Toto Nugroho, aims to recycle more than 99% of battery components, supporting the long-term sustainability of Indonesia’s nickel industry. “The nickel used in car batteries can be recycled and...
READ MOREUS mining company Newmont continues to dispose of millions of tonnes of toxic waste into the ocean at Papua New Guinea’s Lihir mine each year. The company’s proposed Wafi Golpu copper-gold project could add another 360 million tonnes of mine waste into the Huon Gulf over its lifespan. Newmont inherited these operations after acquiring Newcrest...
READ MOREIndonesia has leveraged its vast nickel ore reserves to develop a domestic processing industry, a move aimed at increasing revenue and economic diversification. The country, which banned nickel ore exports in 2020, has since become the leading global producer of refined nickel, accounting for nearly half of the world’s supply in 2023. The export ban...
READ MORECanada Nickel will receive $3.4 million in federal government funding to advance its proprietary in-process tailings (IPT) carbonation process at the pilot plant level. The IPT carbonation process transforms nickel mining tailings into a permanent carbon storage solution, and Canada Nickel has filed a patent application for the technology. The company’s Crawford nickel sulphide project...
READ MOREThe City Council of Castrillón has granted Asturiana de Zinc (AZSA) a building permit for the installation of a photovoltaic plant covering 180,035 square meters. The decision was made during the council’s weekly meeting on Thursday. The plant will consist of 41,040 photovoltaic modules, according to a statement from the Castrillón Town Council. AZSA’s project...
READ MOREAs U.S.-China trade tensions escalate into export controls on rare metals, Korea Zinc’s role in maintaining supply chain stability for critical minerals has become increasingly significant. On February 4, China announced immediate export controls on five key metals—tungsten, molybdenum, indium, bismuth, and tellurium—just minutes after U.S. President Donald Trump’s additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods...
READ MORERio Tinto is exploring the use of intermittent renewable energy for its aluminium smelters, citing falling battery prices as a key factor in making the shift economically viable. Jerome Pecresse, head of Rio’s aluminium division, stated that transitioning to renewable power supported by battery storage is becoming increasingly feasible for the Boyne smelter in Queensland...
READ MOREJapan’s Marubeni Corporation has entered the aluminum recycling sector in Vietnam through an investment in local firm Nguyet Minh 2 Trading-Services-Environment JSC. Nguyet Minh 2 specializes in melting various types of aluminum scrap, primarily beverage cans, to produce recycled aluminum ingots, according to a statement from Marubeni. Recycled aluminum ingots emit only 3% of the...
READ MOREElement Six (E6), a leader in synthetic diamond material solutions, will introduce its new Cu-Diamond product at Photonics West 2025. This copper-plated diamond composite is designed to address thermal management challenges in advanced semiconductor devices, offering high thermal and electrical conductivity for applications such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), and GaN RF devices....
READ MORENovacium, a France-based affiliate of HPQ Silicon Inc., has introduced a pioneering Waste-to-Energy (W2E) technology capable of transforming Black Aluminum Dross, a hazardous byproduct of aluminum recycling, into valuable resources. This innovative solution not only produces green hydrogen but also helps achieve a fully circular aluminum recycling process, significantly enhancing sustainability and resource efficiency. Laboratory...
READ MORELithium battery recycling is emerging as a key solution for reducing environmental impact and securing future supplies of critical battery metals. A Stanford University study highlights that recycling lithium-ion batteries emits less than half the greenhouse gases (GHGs) of traditional mining while using only a quarter of the water and energy. Recycling defective scrap materials...
READ MOREAluminium Bahrain (Alba), the world’s largest aluminium smelter on a single site, has initiated a pilot programme to test an electric, battery-powered Aluminium Fluoride (AlF3) feeding vehicle. The vehicle, developed by Techmo Car S.p.A., is currently undergoing evaluation in Reduction Lines 4, 5, and 6. The trial will assess the vehicle’s performance and efficiency, with...
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