December 2023 Metallurgy Blog
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December 7, 2023
The U.S Looks to Become Self-Sufficient in the EV Battery Supply Chain
The U.S Looks to Become Self-Sufficient in the EV Battery Supply Chain
The U.S looks to become self -sufficient in the EV battery supply chain thanks to large lithium deposits discovered at the Salton Sea in California. It is believed that the country with the largest supply of lithium and the knowledge on how to best make use of it will likely shape the future of the EV sector. The U.S government hopes that the newfound reserves will help the country obtain a favorable position in the EV industry. The U.S. Department of Energy had noted that the lake at Salton had “a potential domestic U.S. resource of lithium due to the brine-hosted lithium in the deep subsurface geothermal reservoir.” The known reserves could support the production of 3,400 kilotons of refined metal, an amount that could be used to produce batteries for an estimated 375 million EVs. The discovery of the lithium reserves could not have come at a better time as currently the U.S.’s Inflation Reduction Act places priority on domestic sources of rare earth metals. Additionally, California plans to drastically reduce gas car purchases over the next decade, which will also drive the demand for lithium and other minerals. Several companies are looking to take advantage of this resource including San Diego based EnergySource Minerals and even Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy which owns most of the geothermal power plants near the Salton lake. Learn more about this topic here.
December 16, 2023
Wildfires in California May Release Metallic Compounds That Cause Cancer
Wildfires in California May Release Metallic Compounds That Cause Cancer
Scientists have recently brought to light that wildfires can convert benign chromium-3 into toxic cancer-causing chromium-6. Research published only days ago in the journal Nature Communications discusses this topic at length. The toxic material was discovered in high amounts at burn sites in California. Chromium-6 or hexavalent chromium is highly toxic, and it has been shown that inhaling or ingesting the compound can raise the risk of cancer. The Researchers noted that the hazardous compound was not present before the fires, suggesting that the fires were the catalyst that produced the compound. When considering the toxicity of wildfire smoke heavy metals are often overlooked,’ This fact was discussed by senior author of the study Scott Fendorf, professor at Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability, Fendorf mentioned that “In the complex mixture of gasses and particles that wildfires spew out as smoke and leave behind as dust, heavy metals such as chromium have largely been overlooked.” Apparently, Chromium -3 is naturally occurring in soils and plants and is harmless, however if it is oxidized it can turn into chromium-6. The conversion process is very slow at low temperatures and thus it essentially does not take place. But if chromium-3 is heated up in a wildfire it can transform into the more toxic chromium- 6. Learn more about this topic here.
December 31, 2023
Proliferation of Nuclear Reactors Will Cause Uranium Supply Crunch
Proliferation of Nuclear Reactors Will Cause Uranium Supply Crunch
Uranium is expected to come under a supply crunch as dozens of nuclear reactors around the world are set to become operational. Britain is working on its Hinkley Point C reactors which are set to come online in 2027. The reactors at Hinkley Point account for only two of the over 60 nuclear reactors that are currently being built globally. And reportedly there are plans to build hundreds more in the coming years. With such a high demand for the radioactive metal, many are uncertain if the global uranium supply chain will be able to keep up. Uncertainty to meet demand has caused the prices of uranium to skyrocket to amounts not seen in over a decade. Interestingly, the price of uranium increased to $85.75 per pound on the exact day the Hinkley reactor was crowned. Morgan Stanley analysts expect the price to increase further to $95 in the first half of 2024, while others in the industry predict that it will easily surpass that amount. This year demand is expected to reach 180 million pounds while production is expected to reach only 130 million pounds. An analyst at Ocean Wall mentioned that reopening old Uranium mines would be of little help as they are unlikely to produce much uranium. Further, he noted that opening new uranium mines can take over a decade and thus the supply response will be very slow. Read more on this topic here.
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