A Blog for Browsing Mining, Mineral Processing, and Metals Info

Inspired by an #American fern, scientists have developed a new #Graphene based electrode that could boost the capacity of existing solar integrable storage technologies by 3,000 per cent. The “groundbreaking” prototype created by researchers from RMIT University in Australia could be the answer to the storage challenge still holding solar back as a total energy solution.

The new electrode is designed to work with supercapacitors, which can charge and discharge power much faster than conventional batteries.Supercapacitors have been combined with solar, but their wider use as a storage solution is restricted because of their limited capacity.

Read more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/new-graphene-based-electrode-inspired-from-fern-leaves-to-boost-solar-power-devloped-4596352/

A #UK-based team of researchers has created a #Graphene-based sieve capable of removing salt from seawater.

The sought-after development could aid the millions of people without ready access to clean drinking water.

The promising graphene oxide sieve could be highly efficient at filtering salts, and will now be tested against existing desalination membranes.

Read more at: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39482342

Grid-scale storage to be feasible, the solution would have to be low cost and have a long service life, which Sadoway asserted was likely to make #Lithium-ion batteries unsuitable in the longer term. “Lithium-ion batteries were developed for portable applications . . . and while they are currently being deployed for large-scale applications, there is no record of the behaviour of these batteries in deep-discharge over long periods of time.”

By contrast, the liquid metal battery draws its inspiration from the large-scale industrial process of #Aluminum smelting, with the Ambri technology conceptualised as a way of holding rather than consuming electricity, as would be the case during the smelting process, and release the electricity on demand.

Read more at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/liquid-metal-battery-inventor-questions-lithium-ion-as-grid-scale-storage-solution-2017-03-29

Publicly listed #Nickel mine operator PT #Vale #Indonesia plans to build a US$2 billion ferronickel smelter in #Pomalaa, Southeast #Sulawesi.

Read more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/03/29/vale-indonesia-to-build-2-billion-ferronickel-smelter-in-southeast-sulawesi.html

The entrepreneur, #SirRichardBranson likened the push for #Graphene planes to his previous encouragement of #Airbus and #Boeing to make planes from carbon fibre, a battle he eventually won. Boeing’s latest 787 Dreamliner planes, which Virgin is flying on the #London #Heathrow – #Seattle route, are made from 50pc carbon fibre and other composite materials, as opposed to the traditional 100pc aluminium. As a result, they use 30pc less fuel than a standard alternative.

Read more at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/03/28/planes-will-made-wonder-material-graphene-10-years/

According to the government’s statement, the investment from Enirgi to create an advanced materials division in #Argentina will help the company increase its production to more than 50,000 tonnes of #Lithium carbonate annually.

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-argentina-lithium-idUSKBN16V00F

Professor Ravinder Dahiya, an electrical engineer at the #UniversityOfGlasgow, says his first-of-its-kind sensor is a step towards more lightweight prosthetic limbs for people, as well as more natural-feeling robots covered in soft-skinned bodies. His new bot skin, which is made of a single atomic layer of #Graphene, is basically a touch sensor. It needs 20 nanowatts of power per square centimeter to operate. For that, Dahiya turned to the sun:

“Whatever light is available, 98 percent is going and hitting the solar cell,” he says, explaining that a solar panel is located just under the surface of the clear graphene skin. “it is generating power that can be used to get the sensitivity, the tactile feeling.”

Read more at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hilarybrueck/2017/03/22/solarrobotskin/#770c19933484

As more environmentally conscious #Americans do their bit to help clear the air by paying up for an eco-friendly #Prius or a sporty #Tesla, a damaging form of polluted rain is falling in #China.

The link is #Graphite, a vital component in batteries used in Tesla’s Model S, #Toyota’s plug-in Prius and other electric cars, as well as in electronic gadgets including #iPhones. It’s mostly mined and processed in China where graphite pollution has fouled air and water, damaged crops and raised health concerns. Now, in response, #Chinese authorities are closing dozens of graphite mines and processors in a bid for cleaner air even as global demand for the commodity is surging.

Read more at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-03-14/teslas-in-california-help-bring-dirty-rain-to-china

The #Stockholm-based company wants to raise 1 billion euros by 2018, when it plans to break ground on a factory during the second half of the year, according to founder Peter Carlsson, who was #Tesla’s former head of sourcing and supply chains. #NorthVolt will announce a shortlist of possible #Swedish manufacturing sites in about a month.

Read more at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-13/to-take-on-tesla-sweden-s-northvolt-seeks-1-billion-next-year

With electric car and battery costs falling towards mass-market prices, and demand rising for #Lithium use in off-grid power storage, the market faces a global shortage. According to one estimate by Morningstar, the supply shortfall will grow to 100,000 tonnes by 2025 and demand for lithium will increase by 16 percent each year until then.

Read more at: https://www.ft.com/content/a1166a2c-f9bb-11e6-bd4e-68d53499ed71