A new method safely extracts valuable metals locked up in discarded electronics and low-grade ore using dramatically less energy and fewer chemical materials than current methods, report University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers in the journal Nature Chemical Engineering. The paper is titled “Redox-mediated electrochemical liquid-liquid Extraction (e-LLE) for selective metal recovery.” Gold and platinum group […]
Metals Tech
New all-liquid iron flow battery for grid energy storage
A commonplace chemical used in water treatment facilities has been repurposed for large-scale energy storage in a new battery design by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The design provides a pathway to a safe, economical, water-based, flow battery made with Earth-abundant materials. It provides another pathway in the quest to […]
Scientists discover origin of corrosion in 3D-printed stainless steel
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory delved into the mysterious world of pitting corrosion in additively manufactured (3D-printed) stainless steel 316L in seawater and discovered that the key players in this corrosion drama are tiny particles called “slags.” Stainless steel 316L is a popular choice for marine applications due to its combination of mechanical […]
Future nuclear power reactors could rely on molten salts—but what about corrosion?
Most discussions of how to avert climate change focus on solar and wind generation as key to the transition to a future carbon-free power system. But Michael Short, the Class of ’42 Associate Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT and associate director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), is impatient […]
New model makes it easier to build sustainable structures of textile-reinforced concrete
By reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel, it is possible to use less material and create slender, lightweight structures with a significantly lower environmental impact. The technology to utilize carbon fiber textiles already exists, but it has been challenging, among other things, to produce a basis for reliable calculations for complex and vaulted structures. […]
We rely heavily on lithium batteries – but there’s a growing array of alternatives
Lithium batteries are very difficult to recycle and require huge amounts of water and energy to produce. Emerging alternatives could be cheaper and greener. In Australia’s Yarra Valley, new battery technology is helping power the country’s residential buildings and commercial ventures – without using lithium. These batteries rely on sodium – an element found in […]
Sodium-ion batteries put to the test in Komatsu pilot program
This electric forklift concept by Japanese equipment giant Komatsu is powered by sodium-ion batteries and promises safer, cheaper operation than the competition. Sodium-ion batteries have been hailed as a possible alternative to more expensive lithium-ion batteries for a while, and have shown enough promise that EV leaders like BYD and Volkswagen-backed JAC have already spent […]
Novel material for perovskite solar cells can improve their stability and efficiency
A team of chemists from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania, developed a new material for perovskite solar cells. After polymerization, it can be used as a hole transporting layer in both regular and inverted architecture solar cells; in both cases, the solar elements constructed have better power conversion efficiencies and operational stability. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) […]
Even as the fusion era dawns, we’re still in the Steam Age
Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. But while the steam engine has been superseded by internal combustion engines and now electric motors, the modern world still relies on steam. All thermal power plants, […]
ADS-TEC: Decentralized battery storage platforms with ultra-fast DC charging
At the recently held Volta-Xchange in Stuttgart, ADS-TEC Energy presented its decentralized battery-based energy storage solutions that do not require the grid to be upgraded, also suitable for non-public charging infrastructure due to their ultra-fast DC charging capability. Citing a recent study by Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the Fraunhofer Institute for […]
