ASMET, Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Materials’ Post

What are the advantages of #boron? - 5E Advanced Materials, Inc. Boron, often overlooked in mainstream discourse, is a metalloid element with exceptional properties that make it indispensable across various applications. Its high melting point, lightweight nature, hardness, corrosion resistance, and antimicrobial properties make it vital in several industrial, defence-related, and energy transition products. From permanent magnets to solar panels and aerospace technologies, boron plays a pivotal role in advancing technologies crucial for decarbonisation efforts worldwide. Its versatility extends to applications in industrial fertilisers, specialty glass, fibre optics, turbines and more, making it an indispensable resource for building a sustainable future. It is the various forms that boron can be refined into that 5E is facilitating. Boric acid and boron acid are vital for glass used in solar panels, glass and magnets used in electric vehicles, and wind turbine blades, while boron carbides and nitrides are used in products such as aerospace ceramics, borosilicate glass for fibre optic networks, and various materials such as glass and ceramics used in satellites. J.T. Starzecki https://lnkd.in/eHqtr499 #boron #boricacid #boronacid #aerospace #electricvehicles #materialsscience #energy #windturbines #defence #sustainability #USA

📰 Great news! The MagNEO Project has been featured in #MAGNETICS magazine. 🌍   #MagNEO aims to produce robust and sustainable permanent #magnets (PM) free of rare earth elements (REE), set to revolutionize emerging #energy and #mobility applications. 🚗⚡   Within this Horizon Europe project, #aimenct, as a partner, leads the #recycling strategies, including the reuse of waste powder and scrap in the production of bonded magnets. ♻️   👉 Read the full article with an overview on MagNEO Project, here: https://lnkd.in/eEuYSgTZ   #AIMENResearch #Innovation #Sustainability #Mobility #HorizonEurope #AdditiveManufacturing #MagNEO

Operational Entropy, Knowledge, High Entropy Alloys, and Sustainability This morning, I read the excellent review by Peter Liaw and Dierk Raabe's groups on sustainability challenges in high-entropy materials (https://lnkd.in/ensnJvpP). Later, I found a very interesting article---that I highly recommend---in Quanta Magazine exploring the concept of entropy (https://lnkd.in/en3rHbfc). Early in the article, the author discussed the Gibbs Mixing Paradox: Imagine two gases, A and B, separated by an impermeable wall. When the wall is removed, the gases mix, resulting in an increase in the mixing entropy. If the gases are identical, though, there’s no increase in entropy because the particles are already maximally mixed. What makes A and B distinct doesn’t matter—they could be different molecules or isotopes of the same molecule. They could even be the same isotope but have different quantum spins. As long as they are (in principle) distinguishable, the mixing entropy increases by  R \ln(2)  for a 50/50 mixture. If, on the other hand, one cannot tell A and B apart, then the mixing entropy is exactly zero. This paradox highlights the link between entropy and knowledge: In the 1800s, when isotopes were unknown, and no tools existed to separate them, mixing isotopes A and B would result in zero mixing entropy. However, if scientists later discovered a way to differentiate them, they could calculate the entropy change and even design a process to harness energy from the mixing---with the caveat that if A and B did not interact, the energy harvested would be zero. If this same scientist later decided to separate the gases in the most efficient way possible, the work required would exactly equal  T*S_{mix} assuming, again, no interactions between the gas molecules. In this sense, entropy is an "operational" quantity that only matters when you need to quantify or defeat it. This idea of "operational entropy" also applies to high-entropy alloys (HEAs). HEAs' higher entropy does not inherently give them better properties than simpler alloys---entropy is not really a magical "pixie dust" that makes materials special for some mysterious reason. What matters most are the physical, structural, and functional properties that can be accessed by exploring their vast chemical spaces. Where “operational” entropy becomes critical is when considering sustainability. As alloys go through multiple cycles of use, recycling, and reuse, impurities accumulate due to the second law of thermodynamics. Over time, separating these impurities or recovering pure components from HEAs becomes increasingly difficult and energy-intensive. Fighting against this "operational entropy" requires work (chemical, electrical, magnetic, or mechanical), and understanding how to better defeat it is key to addressing sustainability and life-cycle concerns.

UNITECR 2025: Advanced technologies and fresh vistas https://lnkd.in/dYvpVZJ8 UNITECR 2025 UNITECR 2025 has announced its theme for next year’s event: Sustainability Meets Intelligence – Shaping the Future of Refractories. The 19th Biennial International Technical Conference on Refractories takes place 27-30 October 2025 in Cancun, Mexico. Mauro Cueva, President of ALAFAR and UNITECR 2025, said, “Our theme for 2025 aims to draw together all strands of thought that point to a smart revolution for a greener refractories world. It is clear that industry generally promotes and accelerates the development and exploitation of intelligence-based systems, while at the same time recognizing its responsibilities in nurturing a sustainable future. “This is true of the principal sectors of the refractories industry – extraction, processing, manufacture, deployment, maintenance, and recycling – and we aim at UNITECR 2025 to stage a wide-ranging conversation, guided by those with a deep knowledge of each facet of the subject. I warmly invite everyone with an interest, from whatever standpoint, to join us in Cancun and to help us push boundaries in a positive and enlightening atmosphere.” Close attention to all aspects of promoting sustainability is not only key to moving the refractories industry forward, but will bring widespread benefits. New tools and techniques are emerging that will help achieve sustainability goals in the decades ahead. Already, it is clear that digitalization, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning – along with associated technologies – can be effectively exploited to enhance and accelerate efforts across refractories mining, manufacture and use. There are a whole host of areas where adoption of these technologies is expected to occur. Predictive algorithms, for instance, may find a place in materials selection, maintenance protocols, wear analysis, or operational optimization. Equally, they can have a direct impact on areas such as thermal efficiencies, pollution abatement, defect detection, safety and waste reduction, where improvements will have a decisive impact on the sustainability chart. There’s a strong argument to be made that the refractories industry needs to rapidly assess and adopt advanced intelligence-based tools, to the benefit of both the bottom line and shaping a greener future. UNITECR 2025 aims to provide an unmissable forum for a deep dive into all the possibilities.

DECARBONISATION ROCKS👷♀️👷♂️🪨♻️ 🇬🇧: Veolia, the UK's leading resource management company, has partnered with UK biotechnology startup FabricNano to apply enzymes to rocks to trial faster, permanent carbon dioxide removal directly from the atmosphere. This decarbonisation innovation is part of a wider strategy from Veolia Group to 'GreenUp' globally. Already a leading player in the research and development of environmental solutions, with 14 research centres worldwide, the Group announced that it would significantly accelerate its investments in innovation with an additional €200 million to design future technologies. Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a process that helps to address climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and permanently storing it in rocks. Veolia's new ERW service utilises large particle basalt rock fines sourced from local mining operations. Once spread on land, these rocks react with the carbon dioxide from rainwater to permanently store carbon dioxide. One tonne of basalt rock fines can remove up to 300kg of carbon dioxide. However, this process can take more than 30 years. FabricNano's patented technology immobilises the Carbonic Anhydrase enzyme directly onto large particle basalt, accelerating carbon sequestration timelines from decades to a few years.  This innovation could make a huge difference to global decarbonisation efforts in the next decade, with net zero targets fast approaching. For the full story, click here ➡️🖱️: https://lnkd.in/eiGnMKJ2 #decarbonisation #rocks #rockweathering #trials #uk Marine Avisse Grant Aarons Malcolm Marshall Mineral Products Association The Concrete Centre GCCA – Global Cement and Concrete Association

👉 #Carbon #mineralisation in #building #materials has the potential to dramatically reduce #carbondioxide #emissions from the #built #environment. It's the process of incorporating #CO₂ into building materials. 👉 As an #emerging #technology, not yet implemented at #scale, work is underway by #cement companies as well as independent start-ups, like Seratech Ltd, to understand how CO₂ mineralisation can be best deployed while demonstrating the #economics. 🗣 “We’re not just storing carbon; we’re turning it into something useful that can help us build in future,” says Sam Draper, Seratech Ltd #CEO. 📖 Read the full story on Seratech Ltd's blog to understand how we're developing this new technology: https://lnkd.in/e7yEmsGe Mike Eberlin Noël Djobo, PhD Usama Mohamed

Getting round to a circular economy. Electric motors heavily depend on magnets made from Rare Earth Elements (REEs). However, mining this raw material carries a high carbon footprint. Additionally, China is producing 70-80% of REEs for the global market, which means that Europe is subject to price and supply chain volatility. That’s why ZF is part of the #SUSMAGPRO Project. As an EU-funded initiative, this partnership of industry, education and government aims to establish processes for the sustainable recovery, reprocessing and reuse of Rare-Earth Magnets. ZF and its project partners take a holistic approach to the subject, for instance by designing components with a focus on end-of-life repurposing. This and other steps could massively cut down on energy and material consumption and bring forth a circular REE economy in Europe, making the region more independent. #ActingNow #CircularEconomy #Susmagpro #ElectricMobillity #SustainableInnovation

The new project “SAFE H-DRI – Safe transport of DRI from H2-based direct reduction considering quality-related H-DRI reactivity, stability, the efficiency of passivation methods and health and recycling aspects” started on 1 October 2024. The kick-off meeting took place from 8 to 9 October 2024. DRI originating from DR processes using natural gas with or without H2, with its high metallisation degree, is reactive. Exothermic reactions can occur when exposed to unfavourable conditions. Combined with self-heating material, these can result in a serious hazard of explosion. To better understand and address this issue, targeted experiments regarding H-DRI stability (crack and fines formation), reoxidation behaviour during H-DRI transport with related handling (loading and unloading), and recycling of resulting fines are being conducted.   The main goal of the project is the adjustment of an industrially applicable logistics and transport system for H-DRI that ensures safe handling, transport, and storage. Find out more about the SAFE H-DRI project: https://lnkd.in/dXBr4FhB funded by: European Union project coordination: K1-MET GmbH project consortium: Acciaierie d'Italia Spa, ArcelorMittal innovacion investigacion e inversion SL, ArcelorMittal Maizières de Research SA, VDEh-Betriebsforschungsinstitut GmbH, Centre de Recherches Métallurgiques asbl, Danieli Officine Meccaniche SpA, DB Cargo Aktiengesellschaft, Aktien-Gesellschaft der Dillinger Hüttenwerke, Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann GmbH, Innofreight Solutions GmbH, Innofreight Germany GmbH, Montanuniversität Leoben, Chair of Ferrous Metallurgy, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Chair of Mining Engineering and Mineral Economics, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Chair of Thermal Processing Technology, RINA Consulting - Centro Sviluppo Materiali SpA, Tata Steel Nederland Technology BV, Università del Salento, voestalpine Stahl GmbH, voestalpine Stahl Donawitz GmbH #K1MET #research #forschung #SAFEHDRI #sustainability #innovation #hydrogen

𝑰𝑵𝑶𝑽𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑺𝑷𝑶𝑻𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻: 𝑯𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑶𝑺 𝑮𝑹𝑬𝑬𝑵 𝑰𝑹𝑶𝑵 Level: REVOLUTIONARY Company: Helios Phase: Laboratory / Pilot Challenges: Scaling to Industrial Capacity Estimated Scale Production: Unknown Investors: Anglo American, TechEnergy Ventures and At One Ventures #Green #steel could potentially come from another unexpected source. Helios an #Israeli space startup working on a way of drawing oxygen from the moon’s soil has accidentally stumbled upon a #carbon-free, green alternative for the production of steel and other metal alloys. The #sodium-based process binds oxygen to sodium instead of carbon, creating sodium oxide amd mitigates the environmental impact associated with traditional iron production. Unlike other green steel technologies, Helios does not require steelmakers to make major changes to their existing processes. The method requires 30% less energy than the industry standard. https://lnkd.in/gbKi3ard https://lnkd.in/g-HbDZQN #Steel #Sustainability #SustainableSteel #GreenSteel #Innovation #Steelcon

A new step towards the electrified mine of the future with a fully battery-electric trolley truck. Together with Epiroc and ABB we have passed a new technology milestone in Kristineberg by successfully deploying the first fully battery-electric trolley truck system on an 800 meter long underground mine test track. How we conduct our mining operations and extract minerals plays a pivotal role in the transition towards a more sustainable society and we are taking the opportunity to expand our Kristineberg mine using new technology, moving from fossil fuels to all-electric. The collaboration contributes to reducing carbon emissions as well as improving health and safety for the industry’s workforce. By deploying this system, the underground working environment can be significantly improved with fewer emissions, less noise, and reduced vibration. This project was supported by funding from the Swedish innovation agency Vinnova and will contribute to Boliden’s vision to be the most climate friendly and respected metal provider in the world.