Environment

Mint Innovation raises $20m to build gold biorefineries

Precious metals refiner Mint Innovation will start mining in Sydney next year. Then the New Zealand cleantech company has its sights on building a second biorefinery in North West England. Mint Innovation has raised NZ$20 million to help build those plants, which are based on its proprietary biometallurgical process and scalable platform. During successful trials at its first biorefinery in Auckland, Mint Innovation recovered significant amounts of gold and copper from crushed and powdered electronic waste. Dr Will Barker, Mint Innovation’s CEO, says the Series B capital raise was led by New Zealand technology investor Movac, with strong support from around the globe, including Blackbird Ventures and major long term investor Icehouse Ventures. “This raise gives us the capital we need to deploy our technology, starting with the Greater Sydney biorefinery in early 2021,” Dr Barker says. “Once commissioned, the plant will be able to process up to 3,500 tonnes of electronic waste each year. “That’s enough capacity to turn all the waste circuit boards in New South Wales into precious metals, including gold and copper. Ideally those metals will be sold back to local businesses, such as jewellers and manufacturers, creating a truly circular economy.” Movac partner David Beard says the future for Mint Innovation lies in its plant design and technology being licensed for biorefineries to be built in cities around the world. “With the disposal of e-waste a growing issue, as countries like Mainland China close their doors to importing waste, a disruptive cleantech company like Mint Innovation has the potential to establish a global footprint quite quickly,” he says. Dr Barker says the second plant is expected to start being built later next year. The North West of England has a heritage in chemical process innovation and Mint Innovation wants to bring clean tech to an […]

Manufacturing in the solar industry flourishing

The Australian solar industry is one of the few industries that hasn’t had to rely on overseas products. Despite the impact of Covid-19 on imports, manufacturing in the solar industry has been flourishing. Solar Mounting company Clenergy and local manufacturer Capral Aluminum recently partnered to produce a locally manufactured aluminum solar mounting rail known as the ‘Cutter Rail’. The following Q&A for Australian Manufacturing News www.australianmanufacturingnews.com has been answered by Sean Guzzi, National Channel Manager at Clenergy and Peter Darvell, General Manager South West Region at Capral Aluminium. What’s the current state of the solar industry and how do you see this growing in the future? Sean Guzzi: “Solar panels are getting larger and more efficient every day. From 2010, the dimensions of a solar panel were 1580 x 808mm (1.28m²), and today in 2020 it is about 1956 x 992mm (1.94m²), which is almost double in size. “As solar panels grow, the rails to mount the panel also have to grow. Just like a frame is to a painting, solar mounting equipment is to the solar panel. The mounting equipment aids to fasten the solar to the roof or the ground, using either the roof battens (which is the main structure of the house), concrete, or even ground screws, and provides enhanced aesthetics to the final solar project. ” As the solar panels adapt to the market with the desire for bigger solar systems, we at Clenergy adjust and grow to fit this new environment.” How does manufacturing locally help the industry? Sean Guzzi: “Clenergy was founded in 2007, and back then we predicted to be competitive within the market, we had to manufacture our products overseas. “Today, thirteen years later, we offer a locally made mounting structure, which is a first for the Australian solar industry. This helps […]

ASM produces heavy rare earth metal Dysprosium in Korea

Australian Strategic Materials through its partner Ziron Technology Corporation (Ziron Tech), has successfully produced 7.5 kg of a high purity dysprosium metal at its commercial pilot plant in South Korea. After producing 0.76 kg of the heavy rare earth metal last month, this second run confirms that it can be done at scale, marking the completion of the final key permanent magnet metals to be produced at the Ziron Tech facility. ASM has now produced neodymium, praseodymium, neodymium praseodymium alloy and dysprosium all key for permanent magnets through the commercial pilot plant using its innovative metallisation process. Work has commenced on the production of ferro-dysprosium zirconium metal. These are anticipated to be the final products metallised from material sourced from the Dubbo Project in central west NSW. ASM Managing Director, David Woodall said: “ASM is progressing further in its development to become an integrated mine to metal business, with the successful production of the heavy rare earth metal, dysprosium. With the production of these key permanent magnets metals and metal alloys, and the development of zirconium metal production, ASM is one step closer to converting all products from the Dubbo Project into value adding metals.” “Our focus is now on commencing the design and construction of a 250 kg per day continuous metal plant in Korea. This is the first phase of our strategy to develop a 3,000-5,000 tonne per year plant designed to meet some of the demand for critical materials in the Korean manufacturing sector. ASM continues to advance discussions for a potential partner in the metal business,” Mr Woodall said.

Preventure new product features to help employers with remote safety

Australian wearable technology startup Preventure has today announced the launch of a range of new product features, including free services for Australian businesses hit hard by the financial impact of Covid-19, which will help employers who are struggling to provide their workforce with enough health, safety and HR support remotely. The newest addition to the Preventure.Live smartphone app uses AI technology to automate the delivery of safety training, helping to prevent injuries in the workplace. Development of this feature was accelerated when Covid-19 hit, to provide existing Preventure customers with an alternative to face-to-face training. It completes Preventure’s risk identification/behavioural change loop, whereby wearable sensors record worker movement patterns, live feedback is provided around injury risk, and now, customised training modules are delivered in response to that risk. In addition, core Sports-themed injury prevention modules are accessible to businesses, and the team is generously offering a free version of the app, that includes these modules, to any business and their workers during these challenging times. Off the back of the lockdown which has seen most of Australia working from home for the last 6 months, the team at Preventure also built and launched a posture-monitoring product, aptly named ‘Office Coach’, that utilses a single back sensor (for manual handling, an arm sensor is also used). This is the team’s first foray into the corporate wellness space and the product can be described as a B2B wellness app, and a consumer posture product, rolled into one! Businesses who are concerned about employee home workstation setups, or looking to engage their remote teams, can purchase an account, sensors and monthly app subscriptions. The app provides slouch alerts, and stretch alerts, to reduce the risks associated with sustained posture, and also tracks steps, to encourage movement at a time where our incidental activity […]

SwitchDin chosen by EVO Power

EVO Power, an Australian energy storage system manufacturer, has chosen SwitchDin, an Australian energy management software company, to provide monitoring, management and advanced grid support functions for its PRIME energy storage systems, which are commercially available now. Developed for a wide range of grid-connect & off-grid applications, EVO Power’s PRIME series uses inverters from Australian manufacturer, Selectronic and battery technology supplied by LG Chem. Available in single and three phase solutions, the PRIME energy storage system is designed for high-end residential properties, regional properties that are prone to blackouts, off-grid residential and small scale commercial developments with energy storage capacities from 24kWh to 240kWh. Every EVO Power PRIME system comes with a SwitchDin Droplet allowing energy monitoring and management for all PRIME Power battery systems. SwitchDin’s Droplets also provides advanced data logging for warranty support and enables virtual power plant functionality. With EVO Power, SwitchDin demonstrates how manufacturers and their customers get the most out of their behind-the-meter assets by making them smart and visible to energy service companies. SwitchDin is delighted to welcome EVO Power to their ecosystem of more than 30 manufacturers from around the globe who rely on SwitchDin to manage and integrate their distributed energy assets on the vendor-agnostic technology platform. SwitchDin’s solar and battery vendor-agnostic platform supports product integrations with major manufacturers and integrators and connects them with many leading distribution networks and electricity retailers.

Corporate dysfunction on Indigenous affairs: Why heads rolled at Rio Tinto

Outraged investors have forced the board of Rio Tinto to sack its chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques along with two of the senior executives partially responsible for the destruction of the Juukan Gorge caves in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, which contained evidence of human habitation 46,000 years ago. Why did the company commit this egregious act? There are several layers to the answer. First, Rio Tinto’s iron ore division was under extreme production pressure. The iron ore in the vicinity of the caves was very high grade and the company needed as much of it as possible to mix with other grades so as to supply the market with its trademark Pilbara blend. Its reputation as a reliable supplier depended on it. Rio Tinto was siloed It was authorised under West Australian law to mine the area, even though this would destroy the caves, and it intended to exercise this legal right, regardless of any opposition. Second, Rio has a segmented organisational structure. It’s product divisions – iron ore, aluminium, copper and diamonds, minerals and energy – operate as autonomous business units with relatively little control from the corporate centre. When things go well, such an organisational structure is highly profitable for the corporation as a whole, because it leaves each product division free to take advantage of whatever opportunities there are in its particular market. But there is a downside. It leaves the corporation vulnerable to poor decision making by any one of its product divisions, decisions that may have disastrous human and environmental consequences that threaten the social license of the whole corporation. That is what has happened in the Juukan Gorge case. Organisational weakness Of course, Rio was aware of this downside of its organisational structure and had taken steps to deal with it. It had various functional lines – chains of command […]

Rio Tinto Executive Committee changes

Following the publication on 24 August 2020 of the Board Review of Cultural Heritage Management (the Board Review), undertaken in response to the destruction of the Juukan rockshelters in May 2020, the Board of Rio Tinto has engaged extensively with shareholders, Traditional Owners, Indigenous leaders and other stakeholders. While there is general recognition of the transparency of the Board Review and support for the changes recommended, significant stakeholders have expressed concerns about executive accountability for the failings identified. By mutual agreement, J-S Jacques will step down from his role as an executive director and Chief Executive of the Group. A process to identify his successor is underway. J-S will remain in his role until the appointment of his successor or 31 March 2021, whichever is earlier. This will ensure business continuity to maintain the strong performance of the Group’s global operations during Covid-19. Chris Salisbury will step down as Chief Executive, Iron Ore with immediate effect and will leave Rio Tinto on 31 December 2020. Ivan Vella, currently Managing Director for Rail, Port & Core Services within Rio Tinto Iron Ore, will replace him on an interim basis, following a handover period with Chris. Simone Niven will step down as Group Executive, Corporate Relations, and will leave the Group on 31 December 2020 after completing an orderly transition of her responsibilities. As previously announced, Rio Tinto is establishing a new Social Performance assurance function, reporting to Mark Davies, Group Executive, HSE, Technical and Projects, to strengthen oversight of communities and heritage practices and performance within the operations. In order to enhance Board engagement in Australia, Simon McKeon, non-executive director, is appointed Senior Independent Director, Rio Tinto Limited with immediate effect. This newly created Board role will complement the existing Senior Independent Director role, which will continue to be performed […]

Invention could save old coal stations by running them on zero-emissions ‘Lego’ blocks

As climate change worsens, the future of fossil fuel jobs and infrastructure is uncertain. But a new energy storage technology invented in Australia could enable coal-fired power stations to run entirely emissions-free. The novel material, called miscibility gap alloy (MGA), stores energy in the form of heat. MGA is housed in small blocks of blended metals, which receive energy generated by renewables such as solar and wind. The energy can then be used as an alternative to coal to run steam turbines at coal-fired power stations, without producing emissions. Stackable like Lego, MGA blocks can be added or removed, scaling electricity generation up or down to meet demand. MGA blocks are a fraction of the cost of a rival energy storage technology, lithium-ion batteries. Our invention has been proven in the lab – now we are moving to the next phase of proving it in the real world. Why energy storage is important Major renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power are “intermittent”. In other words, they only produce energy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. Sometimes they produce more energy than is needed, and other times, less. So moving to 100% renewable electricity requires the energy to be “dispatchable” – stored and delivered on demand. Some forms of storage, such as lithium-ion batteries, are relatively expensive and can only store energy for short periods. Others, such as hydro-electric power, can store energy for longer periods, but are site-dependent and can’t just be built anywhere. If our electricity grid is to become emissions-free, we need an energy storage option that’s both affordable and versatile enough to be rolled out at massive scale – providing six to eight hours of dispatchable power every night. MGAs store energy for a day to a week. This fills a “middle” time frame between […]

The Millennium Droughts and Australian Agriculture

Climate change has its effects on countries all over the world. For Australia, its effects begin at the depletion of the ozone layer which in turn is making ground and soil dryer over time. The 2019-2020 deadly wildfires were fueled by extreme heat and prolonged drought. This lead to over 2 million acres falling victim to the brush fires. But what other ways will agriculture feel the effects of droughts? In the new article “The Millennium Droughts and Australian Agricultural Productivity Performance: A Nonparametric Analysis” in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, authors, Yu Sheng from CCAP-PKU, Robert Chambers from the University of Maryland, and Simone Pieralli from Massey University New Zealand, dive in deeper on what role climatic factors played in affecting the observed slowdown in Australian agricultural total factor productivity growth at the turn of the 21st century. The results show that the productivity slowdown was not associated with a slowdown in technological innovation but with possibly climate-related changes in the diffusion of technological advances. Sheng says, “Our analysis incorporates climate-related factors directly into the productivity accounting exercise that allows us to decompose productivity growth changes into four components: technological advance, scale effects, efficiency (diffusion) effects, and weather-related effects… Successful adaptation to climate change will require improved diffusion of available technological advances and innovations. The drought-relief policies should focus more on improving farmers’ ability to adopt technological innovations in the regions struggling the most to adapt to.”

Hyster 4-wheel lift trucks tough and cost-efficient

The UT series of 4-wheel electric forklifts, in capacities from 1 to 3.5 tonnes complements the broader UT series range for customers seeking Hyster toughness, quality and strong service backing. It also brings the performance of electric forklifts to a new market sector seeking optimum cost-efficiency for their needs. Features of the new machines, which provide an ideal solution to meet users’ needs for less frequent usage, include an ergonomically designed operator compartment laid out to help operators work comfortably across a range of applications, including food and beverage, frozen produce, manufacturing, distribution and truck and transport centres. Power options including wet cell batteries with single point watering or maintenance- free Lithium-Ion technology. Smooth, progressive high performance is provided by AC traction and hydraulic motors with electronic control. European designed AC controllers are coupled with AC traction and hydraulic motors to allow for precise controllability. A small steering wheel facilitates fine control, with eight degrees of adjustment and low steering effort for operation in confined spaces. The low steering effort without kick-back facilitates precise positioning. Further features include: High strength profiled steel overhead guard for added protection coupled with low step height for easy access. The secure overhead guard has passed CE drop test and safety standards. Wide view mast to enhance operators’ forward view field. The high-vis mast provides soft landing technology as standard to absorb shocks. Controlled mast lowering speeds help to avoid damage. LED lighting is standard. Full suspension seat that reduces driver fatigue, which, like the steering wheel, is adjustable to suit a wide variety of operators. Safety features also include an Operator Presence System. Performance features include simple and clear display of speed, power, error code and working hours to keep operators fully informed. Colour displays integrated with functions such as performance selection to configure […]

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