Carbon Chemist

Tag: North America

  • Accelerating Canadian leadership in global Big Science

    Accelerating Canadian leadership in global Big Science

    [ad_1]

    TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre, is putting Canada on the Big Science global stage.

    The 20th century had some of humankind’s most significant scientific achievements. From the mass-produced automobile to the space race and beyond, we continually sought ever-higher mountains to climb.

    In an article published in Science in 1961, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Alvin M Weinberg wrote: “When history looks at the 20th century, she will see science and technology as its theme; she will find in the monuments of Big Science – the huge rockets, the high-energy accelerators, the high-flux research reactors – symbols of our time just as surely as she finds in Notre Dame a symbol of the Middle Ages.”

    Weinberg’s assertion about these ‘monuments’ was, of course, prescient – 60 years later (and well into the 21st century), many of our greatest and most definitive scientific monuments have emerged from experimental physics, nuclear power generation, and space travel. But perhaps more prescient was the coining of ‘Big Science’ as the singular term to describe what has become the world’s largest, most complex, and most collaborative scientific endeavours. Today, Big Science speaks to the magnitude of the apparatus required to drive discovery and innovation; to do excellent science, we need big communities, big laboratories, big machines, and big budgets.

    Such a simple phrase belies the inherent complexity and unity that large-scale research requires, which is the very nature of how we now do science. No longer does the march of progress rely so manifestly on single-point geniuses – the Einsteins, Newtons, or Curies – making ground-breaking discoveries in isolation or within the confines of the ivory tower. Today, international research teams work across borders to tackle scientific inquiries at a scale and scope that would have been unimaginable to our science forebears. Much of the large-scale science performed today requires thousands-strong teams of top talent in the traditional areas of physics, chemistry, and biology and the requisite research and development support areas like engineering, technological support, and administration.

    Unsurprisingly, this co-ordinated and collaborative approach has allowed us to perform better science and expand our understanding of our universe and ourselves in unprecedented ways. Among other achievements, Big Science has brought us the discovery of the Higgs boson, the elusive and long-theorised particle that confers mass to matter; the ability to map the entire human genome for the first time; and, through co-ordinated, multi-messenger arrays of telescopes, increasingly profound glimpses into the darkest abysses of the Universe, deeper than was ever thought possible.

    Canada’s Big Science ambitions

    Despite a historically natural resource-focused economy and a relatively small population, Canada has developed a strong reputation as a global leader in some of the world’s most important large-scale Big Science endeavours. This is in part due to its intentional positioning as an accessible, globally engaged convener and peacemaker, coupled with concerted post-war science funding that seeded a program of national infrastructure development and support for academic institutions. Canada has produced a variety of Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry, and medicine, and retains a high rank in scientific research quality among international scientists. The nation’s science output is supported by a strong base of colleges and universities, many of which consistently rank among the best in the world. Canada’s science leadership is also evident in its major research facilities, which include the deep underground mine SNOLAB, the Canadian Light Source, and the Vancouver-based TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre.

    TRIUMF is one of a handful of subatomic research facilities in the world capable of producing extremely intense beams of rare isotopes; due to both its facilities and the community of particle accelerator experts it convenes today, the Vancouver-based laboratory has become an international hub for scientists and students working in fields like nuclear astrophysics (which sees researchers using rare isotope beams to study the origin and processes of element formation in stellar events) to life sciences (and the production of critical medical isotopes for diagnosing and treating disease) to materials sciences (where beams are useful for characterising materials like superconductors, or designing and testing next-generation batteries) and beyond.

    A radiochemistry technician works within a hot cell
    ©TRIUMF

    In the spirit of Big Science, collaboration and community are at TRIUMF’s core. Unlike its federally operated sister laboratories in the United States, TRIUMF was first envisioned as a joint endeavour between a trio of local universities (the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Victoria) before the organisation’s first board meeting in 1968, a fourth institution (the University of Alberta) had signed on, with many others eagerly joining shortly after. Today, the lab is owned and operated by a consortium of 21 member universities nationwide – a big community! – all of which contribute equally to the laboratory’s mission and science programs.

    And though it’s not as big as the Large Hadron Collider, TRIUMF’s 520 MeV cyclotron is the largest of its kind in the world at 18 metres in diameter, and 4,000 tonnes in mass, and its associated laboratories have come to comprise one of the single largest investments of Canadian science infrastructure in the nation’s history. Empowered by these unique facilities, TRIUMF has established a strong track record of scientific excellence, leading important investigations into the nature of matter, advancing a thriving ecosystem for accelerator-produced medical isotopes, and training tens of thousands of students, scientists and STEM leaders across more than five decades.

    As Canada’s largest university-owned research facility, TRIUMF continues to amplify the impact of Canadian science on the world stage by thinking globally and working collaboratively. For example, through TRIUMF, Canadians have played leading roles in building, installing, and operating the ATLAS detector, one of the two main detectors at the Large Hadron Collider that provided our first glimpse at the Higgs Boson and garnered the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics. Similarly, the lab enables Canadian expertise in physics, accelerator development, and detector technologies to flow out to experiments and facilities, including through collaborations and agreements that support Hyper-K in Japan, VECC in India, the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) in the US, and more. TRIUMF’s Center for Molecular and Materials Science provides globally sought-after capabilities for probing the properties of materials and chemical systems using beams of muons (muon spin rotation, relaxation, and resonance, or muSR). Through TRIUMF, the world’s subatomic physics and innovation communities can access Canadian talent, infrastructure, and innovation.

    The future face of particle accelerator-based research in Canada: ARIEL and IAMI

    Within the confines of the laboratory’s 13-acre site, TRIUMF’s community of researchers, engineers, and designers are now augmenting the lab’s 50-year-old beamlines (which are still prolific in exploring fundamental physics, delivering cutting-edge medical isotopes, and more) with new accelerator technologies and downstream radioisotope production facilities that will only serve to expand TRIUMF as a big laboratory and broaden the impact of its role in international science.

    At TRIUMF’s Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory (ARIEL), a flagship multidisciplinary research facility, an enhanced accelerator apparatus will deliver unprecedented intensities of rare isotope beams, allowing for multiple experiments to be conducted simultaneously with a diverse library of isotopes. A new superconducting electron linear accelerator (the most powerful e-linac for online production of isotopes worldwide) and two additional target stations will soon triple the lab’s output of rare isotopes. Using these new beams, researchers will be able to open new avenues for investigation using TRIUMF’s existing infrastructure and experimental apparatus.

    Complementing this is TRIUMF’s new radiopharmacy facility, the Institute for Advanced Medical Isotopes (IAMI). IAMI is equipped with one of the world’s most technologically advanced medical cyclotrons available (a TR-24 MeV, manufactured by renowned TRIUMF spin-off company-turned-collaborator Advanced Cyclotron Systems Inc.) and a suite of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)-compliant laboratories that will enable TRIUMF to not only fortify the local and national supply of critically-needed diagnostic isotopes but also convene research and industry partners to investigate new, leading-edge radiopharmaceuticals and the development of radiopharmaceuticals for Canadian-based and international applications. One such isotope, actinium-225 (dubbed the Rarest Drug on Earth), has already shown overwhelmingly positive outcomes in clinical trials and is now being produced at isotope production facilities within TRIUMF.

    The twinned impact of TRIUMF’s future-facing facilities and its historical focus on collaboration and global engagement are clear for Canada. TRIUMF’s particle and nuclear physics programmes are renowned; its accelerator expertise is requested for various major global collaborations, and its life sciences programme is at the cutting edge of next-generation radiopharmaceutical development. Through industry collaborations, TRIUMF supplies nearly two million patient doses of medical isotopes per year and ships them worldwide, creates spin-off companies, licences intellectual property, and boasts highly oversubscribed on-site material testing, using particle beams.

    Vancouver’s clean-tech ecosystem, including nuclear power start-ups like General Fusion has significantly benefited from accessing TRIUMF infrastructure, network, and expertise for characterisation and systems development support. And, in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, TRIUMF leveraged expertise in device engineering and gas handling and exchange systems (expertise gained from building dark matter experiments) to prototype, test, and enable the production of a novel, made-in-Canada ventilator for COVID patients.

    Through TRIUMF – in partnership with various national research entities like the Canadian Light Source, SNOLAB, and others – Canadian research and innovation continues to be catapulted to the global stage. In 2024, Canada will gain access to Horizon Europe, a multibillion-dollar funding initiative that connects research and industry partners within and without the European Union. The agreement reflects the strong positive perspective on Canadian science within global science institutions and opens new pathways for Canadian researchers to access international funding sources.

    Supercharging Canada’s science – for now and for the future

    Through these large-scale research facilities, Canada has contributed world-leading, made-in-Canada scientific research to the global ecosystem. To supercharge Canadian science and maximise the nation’s contributions to critical endeavours like climate change response, clean energy, and quantum computing, the Canadian government will need to ensure appropriate mechanisms are in place to support large-scale research platforms, a key component of the research ecosystem. Without a thoughtful reconfiguration of how we fund Canadian science and significant research facilities like TRIUMF, Canada may imperil its leadership and contributions within global Big Science.

    Funded appropriately, Canada’s research community and the national science infrastructure on which Canadian and global researchers rely will be able to continue supporting the country’s status as a partner of choice in research and innovation. Ensuring these elements remain strong, robust, and connected through consistent access to resources will be essential to Canada’s continued leadership in global Big Science.

    Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • US and allied nations progressing rare earth recovery

    US and allied nations progressing rare earth recovery

    [ad_1]

    Rare Element Resources is working to establish US-based rare earth production using innovative recovery and separation technology.

    Forty years ago, China understood something long before the rest of the world – rare earths were going to drive the future of technology. This realisation led to a calculated strategy to establish control of the up-and-coming rare earth market – from mines to magnets. This critical mineral monopoly, with over 85% of the processing and separation and 92% of the rare earth magnet production, has given China unfettered political and economic power, not to mention access to intellectual property and emerging technology from companies who had no choice but to relocate manufacturing to China to ensure a reliable supply of rare earths.

    This provides China with increased control of pricing and market supply, providing a stronghold that creates economic and strategic advantages and prevents market entry by the competition. Their control has allowed them to weaponise the export of products throughout the supply chain to force political priorities – as they did to Japan in 2010 after a fishing boat conflict near the contested Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands – undermine diplomatic channels, control economic diversification, and threaten the national security of other nations.

    Rare earth applications are everywhere

    To appreciate the effects of China’s dominance, one must appreciate how prevalent rare earths are in our everyday lives.

    Every computer, every cellular phone and most of the controls for the systems in your car, as well as your home and office equipment, depend on rare earths. That is just the beginning.

    Defence applications include laser weapons, satellite communications, sonar and guidance systems, and stealth technology.

    On a broader basis, they are used in medical imaging technology, catalytic converters, petroleum refining and nuclear control systems and are crucial in the evolving green technologies that are essential to reaching global carbon reduction goals, such as electric cars and direct-drive wind turbines.

    Rare earths’ unique characteristics enhance the performance of other metals, allowing products to be smaller and more efficient. The quantity of rare earths used in high-tech products is, in fact, very small but is almost always critical to the unit’s performance.

    A typical smartphone uses seven rare earth elements for functions ranging from the coloured screen to its speakers to the miniaturisation of the phone’s circuitry.

    While each of the 17 rare earth elements has important applications in everyday life, the most important elements necessary to reach decarbonisation goals and those required for defence applications are found in a permanent magnet motor. Neodymium/iron/boron (NdFeB) magnets are used in electric synchronous traction motors, which are key components for both electric vehicles (EVs) and direct-drive wind turbines.

    These magnets have the best power-to-weight ratio of all magnets, allowing the motors to be lighter and more compact. They are also corrosion-resistant, can operate at high temperatures and resist demagnetisation. They are the strongest type of permanent magnet available commercially. The magnetic energy value is approximately 12 times greater than ‘ordinary’ ferrite magnets by mass. Dysprosium (Dy), praseodymium (Pr), and terbium (Tb) can also be added to NdFeB to change the performance properties of the magnets.

    Rare Element Resources can help to reduce the risk

    Rare Element Resources (RER) has two important things it brings to the table. First is an innovative rare earth recovery and separation technology that has successfully produced separated rare earth oxides, demonstrating economic and environmental improvements over traditional recovery methods.

    The second is the Bear Lodge Rare Earth project in northeast Wyoming – one of the most advanced and significant rare earth deposits in North America. Bear Lodge is rich in rare earths critical for the high-strength, permanent magnets that drive a majority of new technology applications.

    Innovative rare earth recovery technology – working with outstanding partners

    RER’s technological advancements are a direct result of its collaboration with General Atomics (GA), a private defence and diversified technology industry leader. GA has assembled a team of some of the best scientists and engineers in the industry to advance what was a novel concept into a working reality.

    Fig. 1: Source: U.S. DOE, Critical Materials Assessment 2023, July 2023

    Today, the GA-led team, which includes financial participation from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Wyoming Energy Authority, is constructing a $44m rare earth recovery and separation demonstration plant in Upton, WY. This plant will process already stockpiled materials from the company’s Bear Lodge project. It will allow the scaleup of the technology, providing an opportunity for additional testing and refinement while generating the design and economic data for commercial-scale production.

    GA’s involvement in RER has allowed the company to move forward more expediently than it could have achieved alone. Acutely aware of the importance of rare earths in defence and commercial applications, GA understood early on how critical it was going to be to develop secure, domestic sources of rare earths.

    In support of that, they took an equity position in the company in 2017. Since then, GA has increased awareness of the company and the Bear Lodge project and ensured alignment with the strategic interests in the key industries of defence and energy.

    As allied nations pursue multiple avenues to address the economic, environmental, and security risks identified as critical in the global rare earth supply chain, RER and GA continue to make major advancements in modernising recovery technology.

    Innovative rare earth recovery technology – a new approach long overdue

    Traditional rare earth recovery methods have long been criticised for the quantity of water required and the amount of waste generated. China’s rise was supported by its willingness to trade environmental protection for commercial dominance. With the robust regulatory requirements of operating in the US and other allied countries, it was clear a different approach would be required.

    The four-step recovery and separation technology, initiated by RER and advanced by the GA-led team, is a closed system and is designed to be a zero-discharge process. This means that a majority of the water and chemicals used in the process are recycled through the system, which is expected to result in both environmental and economic benefits. The team has also augmented the process with advanced control systems for discrete optimisation of each stage of the process.

    Two pilot plant tests were completed in Germany in 2022 at a GA affiliate. The focus was on producing a commercial-grade separated neodymium/praseodymium (Nd/Pr) product – an essential component of high-strength, permanent magnets and the elements expected to experience the highest demand growth over the next 30 years as countries move to reduce their carbon footprint.

    The work resulted in not only a >99.5% pure Nd/Pr product but also demonstrated the ability to separate other rare earth elements, including lanthanum (La). Additionally, two concentrates were produced, one that included samarium (Sm), europium (Eu) and gadolinium (Gd), or SEG, and one that included the heavy rare earths, or HREEs.

    Construction underway on $44m demonstration plant in Upton, WY

    The success of this work resulted in the decision to proceed to a demonstration-scale plant, which is currently under construction in Wyoming. Scaling up the technology will allow for additional refinement of the process, create the framework for commercial production, and provide the opportunity for further innovation. GA, with its strong history of bringing new technology to commercialisation, is leading the way.

    On a parallel track, the company is pursuing the development of the Bear Lodge project, which will be an excellent long-term, secure source of key rare earth magnet materials.

    Bear Lodge project – rich in magnet materials

    Over the last decade, RER has assembled an extensive body of geological data that confirms the Bear Lodge project is one of the richest rare earth mineral deposits in North America when looking at the essential magnet materials. This not only includes Nd/Pr but Dy and Tb, both of which have specialised magnet uses. With over 500 drill holes completed, resulting in over 285,000 feet of core, the deposit is well-delineated with additional drill targets already identified. This work positions the Bear Lodge project to be well ahead of other proposed mining operations.

    Equally advantageous to the Bear Lodge project is its location in Northeast Wyoming. Wyoming is well experienced in resource development, and its present-day ‘all of the above’ energy strategy lends support to multiple critical industries like ours. The Bear Lodge project is located with easy access to important infrastructure such as rail, power, roads, and natural gas. The State is pro-business, has a readily available and highly skilled workforce and a business-friendly tax structure.

    Furthering its commitment to job creation and economic diversity, Wyoming has been active in support of RER, including a financial commitment of $4.4m towards the construction and operation of the demonstration plant.

    Moving forward on two fronts – right technology, right project

    Construction is underway on the demonstration plant, located in Upton, Wyoming, near the Bear Lodge project. The DOE is involved and has committed $21.9m towards the project to date. The purpose of the demonstration plant is to advance the design and economics towards the commercialisation of the innovative separation and recovery technology. Site construction is expected to be completed in mid-2024. Plant equipment is currently being assembled offsite parallel with the upgrading and remodelling of an existing industrial site to expedite the commencement of operations.

    Fig. 2: Bear Lodge Map

    Team members from across the globe will be onsite to test, refine, and enhance the separation and recovery technology. Mineralised material from the Bear Lodge project will be used as feed for the plant, which is expected to operate for eight to ten months. The 700-ton (635-tonne) sample is expected to produce approximately 15 tons (13.6 tonnes) of 99.5% pure Nd/Pr at the desired recovery of 92 – 97%.

    RER is currently advancing an updated resource model for the Bear Lodge project with a clear focus on critical magnet materials. Discussions will continue with stakeholders regarding the planned resumption of Bear Lodge permitting activities. And when available, the economic data generated from the demonstration plant will be used to complete feasibility work and establish a pathway for commercialisation.

    Recent progress has been significant, but there is still much work to be done. Beginning construction on the demonstration plant was in part a reflection of a growing awareness of the necessity for developing secure, alternative rare earth supply sources, but also evidence of what can be accomplished when industry and government partner together and work towards a common goal.

    Addressing the issue together

    Leaders from agencies across the governments in allied nations, as well as the private sector, continue to join forces to address the challenges and opportunities within the rare earth supply chain. In the US, stalwarts from the military sector and officials from the Departments of Defense, Commerce and Energy are working to develop a framework to support a nascent but critical industry essential to reduce dependence on China.

    With the acknowledged advantages Chinese firms hold in terms of tax and trade, coupled with their access to lower costs in labour and energy, it is important that each step in the process be thoroughly evaluated to ensure that supports are in place to build a stable, long-term, secure supply chain.

    Development of the Bear Lodge project and commercialisation of the company’s innovative recovery and separation technology are clear steps in supporting the goal of both independence and security.

    Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • US invests $63m into manufacturing domestic electric heat pumps

    US invests $63m into manufacturing domestic electric heat pumps

    [ad_1]

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled a significant move to accelerate the growth of domestic manufacturing of electric heat pumps.

    The DOE announced the availability of $63m funding aimed at ramping up the production of residential heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and other related systems and components.

    This investment, facilitated through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, utilises the authority granted by the Defense Production Act (DPA) to address climate change and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

    It’s estimated that electric heat pumps could produce more than half of current heating emissions, a major step in the US’ journey to net zero emissions.

    The announcement is the latest in an array of clean energy projects, with the DOE recently announcing sizeable funding for geothermal energy.

    Building on prior success

    This funding opportunity builds upon the momentum of a previous investment round in November 2023, which saw $169m allocated to manufacturers of heat pumps and related components.

    Electric heat pumps, which play a pivotal role in reducing energy costs for households, decreasing reliance on fossil fuels, enhancing national security, and combatting the climate crisis, are at the forefront of this initiative.

    What are the environmental benefits of electric heat pumps?

    Heat pumps offer efficient heating and cooling solutions while significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

    By transferring heat rather than generating it, these systems provide comfortable indoor temperatures across diverse climates, particularly in well-insulated homes.

    Electric heat pumps are poised to reduce emissions by up to 50% compared to the most efficient gas boilers, with the potential for a 75% reduction by 2030.

    Furthermore, heat pump water heaters exhibit two to three times greater energy efficiency than conventional electric water heaters, promising substantial energy savings for consumers.

    Creating skilled jobs

    Recognising the need to support the clean energy workforce, the funding opportunity encourages proposals aimed at developing the necessary workforce to meet the demands of expanding manufacturing facilities.

    Moreover, this initiative aligns with the US’ Justice40 Initiative, which prioritises directing benefits from federal climate and clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by pollution and underinvestment.

    Jennifer Granholm, the US Secretary of Energy, commented: “As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis, these Defense Production Act dollars will further amp up domestic heat pump manufacturing to meet increasing consumer excitement, reduce emissions, and create clean energy jobs across the country.

    “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is working – it’s not only making heating and cooling technology more accessible, but it’s also growing high-quality job options for workers in underserved communities and helping supercharge America’s clean energy economy.”

    With this latest investment, the administration reaffirms its dedication to combating climate change, fostering economic resilience, and promoting equity across communities.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Discovering high-grade copper and gold in North America

    Discovering high-grade copper and gold in North America

    [ad_1]

    Aston Bay is advancing high-grade copper in Nunavut and gold in Virginia.

    Aston Bay (TSX.V: BAY, OTCQB: ATBHF) is an exploration company focused on discovering high-grade copper, zinc, cobalt, and gold in North America. Aston Bay makes the energy metal discoveries that the mining industry then takes to the next stage.

    Aston Bay is exploring two very different geographical regions, Nunavut in Canada and the state of Virginia in the US. Both are Tier 1 jurisdictions, and Aston Bay has made exciting discoveries in both areas.

    Storm Copper: High-grade copper advancing toward production

    At the Storm Copper project in Nunavut, Aston Bay has partnered with ASX-listed American West Metals (ASX: AW1) and has undertaken an aggressive reverse circulation (RC) drilling to delineate high-grade near-surface copper resources to support the potential development of a low-impact, small-footprint ore-sorting type of mining operation.

    A significant exploration programme, incorporating 10,000m of RC drilling, has been completed this past spring/summer. Several intersections demonstrate the extensive and high-grade nature of the mineralisation, such as 41m length of core running 4.18% copper from 38m depth.

    A maiden ore resource report is anticipated for Q1 2024, as well as beneficiation studies on the mineralisation and a scoping study for the development plans. Mineralisation commences at, or very close to, surface level and can potentially be accessed with open-pit mining. This near-surface mineralisation is open in all directions; a significant drilling programme is planned for 2024 to significantly expand the maiden resource and drill for new near-surface discoveries in this belt-scale opportunity. Planning for a potential open-pit operation is underway.

    Storm Copper: Deeper potential for ‘Congo-style’ copper in Canada

    In addition to this ongoing development work at Storm, Aston Bay geologists have predicted that the near-surface mineralisation delineated in the copper resource may indicate a potentially significant amount of copper hidden in the rocks at depth. This geologic model is the same as that of the very large and high-grade copper deposits of Central Africa, such as Kamoa-Kakula.

    Gravity and electromagnetic geophysics have yielded several compelling drilling targets that corresponded well to the geological model, a very prospective combination. Deep diamond drilling this past summer confirmed the presence of the predicted copper mineralisation at depth in widely spaced drill holes, amplifying the prospects of discovering a significant, deeper, regional-scale copper system.

    Thomas Ullrich, CEO of Aston Bay, says the discovery has been some time in the making: “We’ve known about copper at the surface at Storm since the work conducted by Cominco and Teck in the late nineties, and we are rapidly advancing plans to extract that copper with a low-cost mine. That alone will add significant value to Aston Bay. Even more exciting, however, is that our geological model has predicted the presence of copper hidden deeper in the subsurface – the discovery of this past summer proves it. The copper is there.”

    These are exciting days for the Storm project, with additional geophysics and deep drilling planned for this coming season.

    Virginia: High-grade gold and copper-cobalt potential

    The company has made two recent discoveries in Virginia: a high-grade gold vein and SEDEX-style zinc-copper-cobalt mineralisation. The high-grade gold (e.g., 24.73 g/t gold over 3.57m core length) vein is unusual for Virginia, more typical of a ‘Kirkland Lake’ style quartz vein, with mineralisation remaining open at depth and along over 1.6km strike length.

    The discovery of cobalt mineralisation is also new and unusual for Virginia, providing the potential for a significant discovery of energy metals in the US. Drill programmes for both the gold and base metals projects are planned for 2024.

    For more information, please visit the Aston Bay website: www.astonbayholdings.com

    Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ELEMISSION’s core scanner for accurate real-time detection and analysis of critical minerals

    ELEMISSION’s core scanner for accurate real-time detection and analysis of critical minerals

    [ad_1]

    ELEMISSION’s ECORE core scanner offers new opportunities by delivering real-time quantitative automated mineralogy using LA-AES (LIBS).

    Critical minerals are essential for the global transition towards a greener future. They are required to develop many new technologies, including low-greenhouse gas energy sources, and are the backbone of the current electric vehicle revolution. The Government of Canada has identified 31 critical minerals and metals that are instrumental for sustainable economic prosperity and growth within Canada and its trading partners.

    Many of these minerals, including lithium (Li), aluminium (Al), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and rare earth elements (REEs), are currently mined and actively being explored nationwide. Demand for critical minerals is rapidly increasing around the world. Therefore, the optimisation of their exploration and processing is crucial for propelling society toward a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future.

    core scanner
    Fig. 1: ECORE LIBS core scanner manufactured by ELEMISSION Inc.

    Conventional core scanning technologies

    In an attempt to optimise the exploration and production of critical minerals, many exploration and mining companies have turned to the digitisation of drill cores. This generally permits faster logging and interpretation when compared to traditional methods, while facilitating geological modelling and the archival of information.

    This has resulted in a rise in the popularity of core scanners. In general, they are meant to streamline and maximise efficiency when core logging while providing textural and mineralogical data that a core logging geologist could otherwise miss. The most commonly used core scanners rely on infrared hyperspectral imaging (IR-HSI) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF).

    IR-HSI drill core scanners are able to provide large amounts of textural and mineralogical information rapidly and at a relatively affordable price, while XRF scanners are able to provide chemical composition and elemental information.

    In the case of HSI, metal oxides and sulphide minerals are not spectrally active and therefore cannot be identified. This is troublesome for the analysis of critical metals, as they are often hosted in sulphide or oxide minerals. XRF technology cannot detect light elements (Z<13). Mg (Z = 12) and Na (Z = 11) can be detected but require longer dwell times that are not conducive to rapid core scanning.

    Furthermore, XRF is not capable of identifying mineralogy, only elemental information. Because of this, it is impossible to distinguish between minerals that have similar compositions, and it is difficult to extract important elemental deportment information crucial for fully understanding a deposit.

    critical minerals
    Fig. 2: Periodic table of elements demonstrating which elements can be detected using LIBS technology (red) and critical elements (blue outline)

    The limitations of these methods can result in the loss of critical information that can greatly impact decision-making and thus require additional techniques to complement and enhance their information, which adds more time to the overall analysis. The shortfalls of these methods, combined with the growing demand for critical minerals, create room for an emerging technology that can provide rapid and accurate results without these same restrictions.

    ECORE scanner

    ECORE, manufactured by ELEMISSION Inc. (Fig. 1), is a fully automated, high-speed laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) commercial drill core scanner that is capable of detecting almost every element on the periodic table (Fig. 2), which includes every element involved in Canada’s list of critical minerals.

    ECORE is able to provide rapid (less than five minutes per core box, more than 300m per day) chemical and mineralogical information, along with invaluable textural information at high resolution. The following case studies demonstrate the application of ECORE to the analysis of critical minerals while simultaneously highlighting the importance of having access to mineralogical and full chemical information.

    Case study one: Lithium pegmatite

    Over 120 mineral species contain lithium as an essential constituent, and 44% of them can be found within lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites, the most important economic source of lithium globally. Lithium reserves in pegmatites mostly occur in the form of lithium-silicate minerals. These most commonly include spodumene (LiAlSi2O6), petalite (LiAlSi4O10), and lepidolite (KLi2Al(Al,Si)3O10(F,OH)2.

    Differentiating between different lithium-bearing minerals is extremely important in the context of understanding the economic potential of a deposit, especially given the great diversity of possible lithium species.

    The extraction and processing methods can vary depending on the main host mineral since mining and processing procedures need to be adjusted based on the physical properties of the specific mineral. As a result, understanding the contribution of lithium from each mineral present in the deposit is crucial for an accurate estimation of mining and processing costs.

    ECORE is able to easily differentiate between lithium-bearing minerals, even those that vary only slightly in composition, such as spodumene and petalite.

    core scanner, critical minerals
    Fig. 3: A photo, an RGB (Li, Al, Si) map, mono-elemental maps for Rb, Be, and Li, and a mineralogical map generated by ELEMISSION’s Smart Automated Mineralogy (SAM) software of a section of drill core from a lithium pegmatite deposit

    This is demonstrated in Fig. 3, where, using RGB mapping, spodumene and petalite are easily distinguished from one another within the same core sample. Feature mapping like this has proven to be very useful not only for discriminating between mineral phases but also for highlighting compositional variations within the same mineral.

    Mono-elemental mapping provides the advantage of being able to understand the context in which mineralisation is hosted, along with providing important elemental deportment information. This information can then be represented in the form of a mineralogical map using ELEMISSION’s proprietary Smart Automated Mineralogy (SAM) learning algorithm.

    Using ECORE technology, predicted and true chemical assays are able to be provided in real-time. Fig. 4 shows ECORE chemical assays taken at one-metre intervals over 1500m of drill core from a lithium pegmatite deposit compared to assays obtained by a standard laboratory method (ICP-AES, four acids). The R² value (0.98) and the slope of the curve (0.99) reveal a very strong correlation between these two methods and demonstrate that the ECORE core scanner is equally effective and reliable when compared to traditional laboratory methods.

    core scanner
    Fig. 4: Lithium concentration detected by ECORE compared to laboratory (ICP-AES) analysis for 1500 m of lithium pegmatite drill core at one-metre intervals

    Access to instantaneous quantitative chemical data that can easily be generated as a function of depth at intervals of the user’s choice is invaluable, as it facilitates rapid decision-making and eliminates the week- or month-long delay that is typically associated with waiting for traditional lab assay results.

    Case study two: Porphyry copper

    Understanding the mineralogy of a deposit is not only important for optimising production and planning for future extraction but also for understanding controls on mineralisation to facilitate exploration. In porphyry copper deposits, hydrothermal fluids concentrate metallic elements and produce extensive alteration haloes around an intrusion.

    This results in mineral zonations that form approximately concentric patterns whose changes in mineralogy can serve as a vector towards mineralised centres.

    In practice, these patterns are often difficult to recognise by eye due to commonly occurring later-stage overprinting and alteration events and therefore require the expertise of a skilled geologist aided by petrographic thin section analysis and the use of more complex, expensive, and time-consuming instruments such as electron probe micro-analysers (EPMA) or X-ray diffractometers (XRD) to comprehend.

    With ELEMISSION’s core scanner, automated and precise mineralogical maps can be created to consistently recognise lithological units and their distinctive mineralogy. Sulphide and oxide mineral species can easily be identified and differentiated, which allows for simple visualisation of mineralisation behaviour within the core.

    Fig. 5 shows a high-resolution SAM image of a section of core from the ore zone of a porphyry copper deposit. The image clearly shows two different copper-bearing sulphide minerals (bornite and chalcopyrite) hosted within an anhydrite-quartz vein. Within both the vein and the host rock, metal oxide (magnetite, delafossite, ilmenite, and cuprite) and oxyhydroxide (goethite) species can be distinguished from each other.

    core scanner, critical minerals
    Fig. 5: A photograph, mono-elemental maps for Cu, S, and La, an RGB (Cu, Fe, S) image, and a SAM image of a section of drill core from the ore zone of a porphyry copper deposit

    Additionally, elements that occur in trace amounts throughout the core (e.g., lanthanum) can also be identified while preserving spatial information, so associations between minerals and these elements can be made.

    Conclusion

    ECORE revolutionises the extraction and discovery of critical minerals by providing large amounts of information rapidly, thereby allowing for faster and more precise interpretations to be made during the exploration, extraction, and production stages. Within minutes, users can access mono-elemental and RGB maps, automated mineralogical images, and full chemical assays.

    The capability of ECORE to detect almost any element on the periodic table means that there are no limitations in the types of core that can be analysed and also minimises the amount of additional analytical methods required for geologists to make their interpretations.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • McGill University and EU collaboration

    McGill University and EU collaboration

    [ad_1]

    With Canada’s inclusion in the EU’s Horizon Europe Programme, McGill University discusses their work and what the future of research looks like with this new tie between the EU and Canada.

    In 2024, Horizon Europe is officially extending its funding to Canadian researchers. As the biggest funding for scientific research and engineering in the world, this will be a boost for many Canadian institutes and facilities. We asked one such institute, McGill University, some questions about what this will mean moving forward.

    In what ways does research at McGill University adopt an international focus? How has this affected your global rankings?

    World-leading universities like McGill must engage globally to attract researchers from across the world to support synergies in research, and to accelerate innovation. That is why international partnerships are an integral part of McGill’s DNA.

    For example, among the international partnerships forged by McGill is the Helmholtz International BigBrain Analytics and Learning Laboratory (HIBALL), which unites McGill with the Helmholtz Forschungszentrum Jülich as one of nine prestigious Helmholtz International Labs. Funded jointly by the Helmholtz Association and by Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL) (a marquee, McGill-led research initiative funded by Canada’s most prestigious research grant programme, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund – CFREF), HIBALL explores big data applications, notably AI, in neuroscience. HIBALL is, therefore, combining brain data to build an ultra-high-resolution atlas of the brain’s anatomy; in other words, its ‘wiring’ and its functional organisation.

    In terms of the impact of such a partnership on McGill’s standings in global academic rankings, I would argue that in recent years, organisations that produce these academic rankings, such as Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), have tuned in to the importance of international research partnerships.

    For example, in 2023, QS introduced three new metrics: sustainability, employment outcomes, and international research network – and McGill ranked among the top 30 global universities. McGill was also ranked 13th in the world in the QS Sustainability Index, which considers our environmental and social impact, including the impact of the research aligned to specific UN Sustainable Development Goals. McGill performed well in the Environmental Impact Indicator (eighth in the world), the Environmental Education Indicator (third in the world), and the Impact of Education Indicator (11th in the world).

    In Canada, McGill has consistently come out on top, rated as Canada’s best medical doctoral university by Maclean’s Magazine for nineteen years running. The strength of the university’s reputation for excellence is therefore recognised at home and abroad.

    Can you share some of the success stories that have resulted from McGill University’s international collaborations in science and innovation?

    The city of Montreal has been McGill’s home for over 200 years, and is a burgeoning Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub which has attracted major investments from government and business for the past several years. There are an estimated 27,000 workers in AI-related technologies and over 14,000 post-secondary students enrolled in AI-related study programmes. McGill researchers and students are key players in this AI ecosystem.

    Recently, a consortium of research organisations has formed a new International Research Laboratory (IRL) focused on AI in Montreal, comprised of McGill University, Quebec’s École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Mila – Quebec’s AI Institute, France’s Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Saclay, and the École CentraleSupélec.

    The ILLS is focused on five main themes of research: Fundamental aspects of Artificial Intelligence, sequential (real-time) Machine Learning (ML), robust autonomous systems, natural language and speech processing, and applications to computer vision, signals, and information processing. In addition, the new centre emphasises interdisciplinary collaborations with an aim to develop new methodologies and integrate these techniques into learning systems.

    I think it is important to underline that such international collaborations do not materialise out of thin air. It takes commitment and sustained engagement on the part of the researchers, as well as the tangible support of their academic institutions, to get these collaborations off the ground. While it may seem trivial, researchers must be willing to work across time zones, and that means taking calls late at night and early in the morning! Beyond that, it takes vision, and the ability to set bold research aspirations.

    Another great example of international innovation-in-action is McGill’s relationship with industry partner Moderna, which has led to two research projects in the burgeoning field of lipid nanoparticles. McGill was also the first Canadian university to join Moderna’s mRNA Access program during its international rollout. The program is accelerating innovation and enabling new vaccines and medicines for emerging and neglected infectious diseases through collaborative research and preclinical development.

    Finally, I want to point to an initiative that is in the works, the upcoming Tokyo Symposium & Workshop on Genomic Medicine, which will take place on 8-10 April 2024 in Tokyo. The symposium will bring together academic and industry representatives from Japan, South-East Asia, Europe, and North America to discuss the future of biomedicine, and to promote international collaboration and partnership. Organised in partnership with the RIKEN Center of Integrated Medical Sciences, and McGill’s Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, as well as with the newly founded Pasteur Institute-Japan and the UK Biobank, this symposium will be a fantastic opportunity for international collaborations to deepen and take flight.

    mcgill university, horizon europe

    Students from McGill University’s joint PhD in Genomic Medicine with Kyoto University, which is supported by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology’s Top Global University Programme, and the Fonds de Recherche du Québec, will also participate, further enhancing their training in international collaboration.

    What are the global challenges the university intends to address through the opportunity presented by the Horizon Europe programme?

    The news that Canada is now an associate country participant in Horizon Europe (the EU’s and world’s largest research and innovation funding programme) was met with great excitement at McGill. We are already working across the themes defined by Pillar 2, which include health and inclusivity, climate, energy, and mobility, as well as advancement in digital technologies, industry development, and space.

    As I have discussed, McGill’s biomedical and health researchers, including those in global health, are among the world’s best. We are also a research hub in Arctic and polar research and a growing force of research excellence in sustainability and climate science.

    One of the global challenges our researchers seek to overcome are barriers to electrification. A key player in this mission is the  McGill Centre for Innovation in Storage and Conversion of Energy (McISCE). Established in 2021, the McISCE brings together some 50 researchers and more than 150 graduate students to explore solutions related to large-scale energy storage, both for electricity grids and large industrial processes. Roughly a third of the researchers at McISCE are investigating new materials to make anodes and cathodes and to develop solid electrolytes, which would have the advantage of not being flammable. McGill’s researchers are also exploring different ways to store and convert energy.

    McGill University is also home to the secretariat of the Group on Earth Observations – Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), a global research network, and community of practice dedicated to monitoring Earth’s biodiversity. GEO BON’s mission is to prevent unsustainable biodiversity loss and to support international and national actions to meet biodiversity targets and Sustainable Development Goals. McGill is proud of this international effort, which is jointly chaired by McGill’s Andy Gonzalez and Maria Cecilia Londoño of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute in Bogota.

    What is the impact of the Horizon Europe programme for researchers in Canada and the EU? How can they leverage the programme to advance their work?

    Canada and the EU are like-minded partners, dating to the 1996 Canada-EU Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation. And while academic institutions have benefitted from the flow of information and expertise across borders, there have been no dedicated funds for large-scale, collaborative research endeavours between the EU and Canada.

    Horizon Europe is a game changer in that regard, and McGill has been hard at work educating our research community about how to engage in this opportunity. We seek to build on what we’ve learned through participation in Horizon 2020. McGill participated in 38 Horizon 2020 projects, making us the top collaborator in Canada, together with the University of Toronto.

    I hope that by participating in the Horizon Europe Programme, Canadian research will be on the European map and Canada will begin leading on the international stage, showcasing its national strengths in research, science, and innovation, thus doing even more to address global challenges.

    At McGill, I anticipate that our involvement will open new avenues for collaboration, new research initiatives, joint publications, cross-fertilisation between research labs in Canada and Europe, and attract students and researchers from the EU and Canada.

    McGill University also has ambitious research goals in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, RNA and Genomics. What impact has the alignment with Horizon Pillar Two had on the University’s research in these areas?

    McGill is home to some of the world’s leading AI experts in ML and reinforcement learning (RL), as well as natural language processing (NLP), including experts such as Canada CIFAR AI chairholder, Professor Joëlle Pineau, who is a core academic member of Mila, Quebec’s AI institute, as well as the Vice-President of AI research at Meta. As I mentioned, McGill is a key player in the exciting AI ecosystem in the city of Montreal, and we are involved in all phases of the innovation process, from academic research to early-stage projects, to start-ups, and companies that commercialise their applications or products.

    For the development of novel RNA therapeutics, McGill has long been a world-leading research institution. Our researchers have been uncovering the mechanisms and potential of RNA for over 50 years. And in the social sciences, our researchers are working to ensure that developments in RNA medicine benefit all communities, including the vulnerable and medically underserved.

    The University launched the McGill Centre for RNA Sciences (MCRS) in 2022 to pursue these research focuses in tandem. In 2023, McGill was awarded $165m from the Canada Research Excellence Fund to launch DNA to RNA: An Inclusive Canadian Approach to Genomic-based RNA Therapeutics (D2R), a first-of-its-kind global research effort specialising in the development and delivery of more inclusive genomic-based RNA therapeutics that are relevant to the health needs of medically underserved groups, including Canada’s Indigenous communities and the elderly. D2R is bolstered by $191m from industry, academic, government, community, and non-profit partners on four continents.

    mcgill university, canada and europe

    McGill University has also recently inaugurated the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, which is leading breakthrough research aimed at developing novel diagnostic tools, targeted treatments, and new pharmaceuticals, as well as vaccines, and the data-sharing policy tools and frameworks to implement these innovations. Genomics research is an area of incredible promise, not only in combatting viruses but also in rare diseases, cancer, chronic inflammatory diseases, and infection.

    In 2025, McGill will launch its new Strategic Research Plan, at which time we may identify additional opportunities to align our priorities with international partners and the Horizon Europe programme. McGill has demonstrated excellent co-operation in all these research strength areas, and with the prospect of partnerships under the Horizon Europe programme, the future for impactful international collaborations looks very bright indeed.

    Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Research excellence at the Université de Sherbrooke

    Research excellence at the Université de Sherbrooke

    [ad_1]

    Innovative programmes, partnerships, and scholarships are driving advances in research at the Université de Sherbrooke, a leading Canadian institution renowned for its commitment to excellence and discovery.

    The Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS), located in the heart of Québec, is a research and innovation powerhouse. Its diverse range of research programmes are nationally recognised and have significant global impact. The university is dedicated to creating the next generation of researchers and has established itself as an international hub for academic excellence.

    To discuss the university’s dynamic research environment, variety of expertise and commitment to scientific excellence, Dr Jean-Pierre Perreault, Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies, at the Université de Sherbrooke spoke with The Innovation Platform.

    Can you provide a brief overview of Université de Sherbrooke and the opportunities you have to offer?

    A university community at the service of society, the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS) is dedicated to learning, critical knowledge-seeking and the quest for new insights through teaching, research, creation and social engagement. UdeS is a French-language university located in Québec, Canada. It welcomes 31,170 students to its three campuses, including 3,000 international students from 104 countries.

    UdeS is the only university in the province of Québec located outside a metropolitan area offering a complete range of training programmes, from medicine and engineering to law, science, humanities, arts, social sciences and management.

    Because the next generation of researchers is at the heart of our research enterprise, UdeS has set up an ambitious institutional scholarship programme to support excellence in research, awarding Master’s scholarships worth up to $50,000 for two years and doctoral scholarships worth up to $105,000 for three years. One hundred new scholarships are awarded annually to students enrolled at UdeS, including international applicants.

    Our recognised research expertise lies in a variety of disciplines including: Quantum sciences, sustainable health, outdoor education, green chemistry, and integrative ecology. At UdeS, research is structured around six multidisciplinary unifying themes. The university boasts 19 research centres, over one hundred research chairs, six interdisciplinary institutes and two CNRS International Research Laboratories: The Nanotechnologies and Nanosystems Laboratory (LN2) and the Quantum Frontiers Laboratory.

    By combining our disciplinary strengths, we explore emerging scientific fields and enable promising innovations that shed new light on societal challenges. Across each theme, researchers develop new methodologies, multiply the angles from which they analyse complex issues, and find innovative ways to improve systems thinking in research.

    Where does the Université de Sherbrooke research stand compared to other Canadian institutions, and what is its ranking in the international GreenMetric ranking system?

    Across all disciplines, the UdeS is transforming society through discoveries and analyses, each more relevant than the last. As of 2023, this dynamism propelled UdeS to an unprecedented tenth place among Canada’s most research-intensive universities, as measured by research income, according to Research InfoSource. Over the past 20 years, Université de Sherbrooke has posted the highest growth in research revenues among Canadian universities.

    Research revenues are a reliable indicator of quality university research, testifying to the confidence partners and funding agencies have in the university’s research teams and their readiness to train the next generation of highly specialised researchers in priority areas.

    Sustainable development

    For the past 11 years, UdeS has ranked first among Canadian universities and among the top 20 universities globally in sustainable development, according to the GreenMetric international ranking.

    Achieving carbon neutrality in June 2022 – eight years earlier than planned – is one of the contributing factors to our continual improvement. This result is even more impressive considering that UdeS has more than doubled its campus infrastructure since the 1990s, and student enrolment has jumped by almost 60% since 2002.

    These results are driven by a 64% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 2002, propelled most notably by installing a geothermal system, transitioning to hydroelectricity from steam heating, and purchasing renewable natural gas.

    Further, our solar park, the largest such park dedicated to applied research in Canada, also ensures savings of some 6850m³ of natural gas annually.

    How does the Université de Sherbrooke utilise its partnerships to foster innovation within organisations, particularly regarding scientific excellence and knowledge transfer?

    UdeS has developed an effective and innovative model for university-business partnerships. We focus on entrepreneurship, collaboration and knowledge sharing across all disciplines and various public and private partners.

    We have also seen notable successes in technology transfer: From 2017-2022, the commercialisation rate for inventions resulting from UdeS research activities was 46%, among the highest in North America.

    UdeS’s signature Integrated Innovation Chain is a driving force for innovation in Québec and Canada, supporting organisations in Artificial Intelligence, quantum technologies, digital technology, and innovative manufacturing. Since 2010, it has benefited from over a billion dollars in investments, of which 60% is from private sector partners.

    Anchored at the junction between university research and the development of new industrial products, the Integrated Innovation Chain drives innovation from basic research at Institut Quantique through advanced development at the Interdisciplinary Institute for Technological Innovation (3IT) and through to pre-commercial testing at MiQro Innovation Collaborative Centre (C2MI).

    The UdeS is a founding partner in the first two designated Québec Innovation Zones. DistriQ is a quantum innovation zone dedicated to quantum sciences and technological applications. Technum Québec specialises in digital technologies. These zones, supported by public, private, and international investments, are designed to increase the commercialisation of innovation, generate exports and stimulate local and foreign investment in all regions of Québec.

    From the University’s perspective, they will significantly impact teaching and research while attracting and retaining talent, generating multiple, high-value-added spin-offs and creating hundreds of high-quality jobs.

    UdeS is home to a wealth of knowledge; can you elaborate on some of your fields of expertise?

    While UdeS has many fields of expertise, our research in the high Arctic illustrates our commitment to multi-disciplinarity, collaboration with communities and impacting the problems that matter to society.

    At present, the Arctic is the fastest-warming region on the planet. Université de Sherbrooke professor, Dr Alexandre Langlois, a geographer by training and a specialist in Earth evolution, is the instigator, in partnership with colleagues from three other Canadian universities, of the Multidisciplinary Observatory for Monitoring Climate Change and Extreme Events in the Arctic (MOACC).

    The main objective of this project is to develop a permanent multidisciplinary scientific infrastructure that will enable long-term observations of climate change in the Arctic by bringing together experts from a wide range of backgrounds and institutions. The innovative aspect of MOACC lies in its multidisciplinary approach, enabling long-term measurements of the Arctic in several disciplines: Atmosphere, permafrost, remote sensing, etc.

    The observatory is located at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. The team aims to make the site one of the largest instrumented observatories in the High Arctic, dedicated to monitoring key indicators that determine climate change. The site has created and strengthened partnerships with Canadian research centres, organisations, the Inuit community, and international research partners and networks.

    Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Ontario’s economic growth depends on Long-Duration Energy Storage

    Ontario’s economic growth depends on Long-Duration Energy Storage

    [ad_1]

    Justin Rangooni, Executive Director of Energy Storage Canada, discusses Long-Duration Energy Storage, and how it is a necessity for a sustainable future that not only has the technology to create it, but the energy to power it.

    After years of consistency, in the next three decades, Ontario’s energy sector and its electricity grid are expected to undergo a substantial transformation, which, of course, leaves a lot of room for innovation. While all types and technologies of energy storage are seeing substantial innovation in their composition and application, long-duration energy storage (LDES) is perhaps seeing more than others because there are far fewer instances of LDES assets having been deployed or connected to major grids, apart from pumped hydro.

    LDES for the future

    Yet, long-duration storage technologies are poised to be one of the critical technologies supporting the changes to Ontario’s grid as the province, like many regions, prepares to secure two or three times its current generating capacity and meet its ambitious decarbonisation goals. Changing the blend of resources supplying energy to the province, with an emphasis on non-emitting resources – including renewables like wind, solar, and hydro, new grid-scale and small modular nuclear assets, and emerging resources like hydrogen and geothermal – is going to be a major challenge. As we electrify heating and transportation, the frequently simultaneous demand for charging EVs or powering heat pumps is going to drive unprecedented levels of peak electricity demand that will compound the strain on our power grids.

    As Ontario brings on more generation capacity and electricity demand reaches new levels, the province will require a greater variety of energy storage resources to ensure Ontario has the power it needs, when it needs it. Long-duration assets – broadly defined as assets capable of discharging energy for a period of ten or more hours – will be a key component of this mix. In fact, a recent report commissioned by Energy Storage Canada (ESC), and prepared by Dunsky Energy & Climate Advisors, identifies a minimum of six gigawatts (GW) of +10-hour duration energy storage starting in 2032, could mitigate potential supply, planning and deployment risks and achieve savings between $11bn–$20bn compared to Ontario’s current transition plans.

    Policies to back it up

    Fortunately, in recent years the Government of Ontario worked closely with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to adopt an ambitious approach to regulatory and market reforms to enable the deployment of energy storage resources (ESRs). The province achieved a major milestone last summer with the IESO’s procurement of over 880 MW of energy storage capacity, the largest in Canada – and as the initial stage of an ultimately 2,500 MW addition, one of the most ambitious such initiatives anywhere in North America. A 2022 report commissioned by ESC indicates the province could need as much as four to six gigawatts (GW) of short-duration storage – generally defined as assets capable of discharging energy for six hours or less – as part of Ontario’s path to net zero.

    long-duration energy storage
    © shutterstock/RytisG
    Pumped hydro is an example of Long-Duration Energy Storage

    Energy storage resources (ESRs) are important for Ontario’s future grid because they can all, regardless of duration, intake power during times of high generation, store it, and then discharge that power to the grid at periods of high demand. This alleviates stress on the system and reduces costs. ESRs comprise a wide range of technologies, durations, and lifespans, from familiar hydroelectric dams to lithium-ion batteries and a wide array of emerging designs like compressed air and molten salt. These assets will be essential in reducing incidences of surplus baseload generation (SBG) – moments when the province’s power resources are generating more than can be consumed or economically exported – ensuring that electricity can be used to power the province’s growing, energy-intensive industrial and natural resources sectors. These grid-scale batteries will also act as ‘Non-Wires Alternatives’ (NWAs), relieving transmission constraints at a fraction of the cost – and time – of constructing traditional poles and wires expansions.

    Collectively, batteries and other energy storage resources are helping reduce the need for natural gas-fired generation capacity and accelerating the pace at which the province can achieve an emissions-free power system. Most energy storage resources are also capable of supporting the provincial grid during extreme weather events, including ‘black-start’ functionality that can bring the lights back on in the event of a system-wide power outage. However, as Ontario brings on more non-emitting generation, particularly intermittent resources (such as wind or solar), and peak demand reaches new levels, the province will need a more substantial inventory of LDES resources to ensure its grid continues to be reliable when the wind isn’t blowing, and the sun isn’t shining.

    Energy Storage Canada’s report is the first to go beyond speculating the potential use cases for LDES technologies to research the potential scope of investment for Ontario as the province decarbonises, with new modelling from Dunsky Energy & Climate Advisors, which illustrates the specific advantages that investment in LDES assets can provide.

    Challenges ahead

    Using the IESO’s Pathways to Decarbonization (P2D) study from December 2022 as a baseline, Dunsky analysed the likeliest risks in those scenarios, quantifying the cost of falling short in our planning, procurement, construction, and import objectives compared to the alternative cost of procuring LDES assets. Evaluating the technical readiness and value proposition of LDES as a ‘guardrail’ for Ontario’s economic growth and decarbonisation journey, Dunsky found that a minimum of six GW of LDES capacity would be economically beneficial starting in 2032.

    However, compared to most short-duration energy storage technologies procured in Ontario to date, LDES technologies generally have long lead times for development, meaning that to ensure the assets are available when we need them, we need to start planning now. Again, Ontario is making progress ahead of many other regions in acknowledging the importance of looking ahead if the province is to capitalise on LDES technologies. Last month, the province’s Minister of Energy, Todd Smith, issued a letter to the IESO instructing them to continue working with proponents of the province’s most advanced LDES initiatives, the pumped hydro 1,400 MW Meaford and 400 MW Marmora projects.

    long-duration energy storage
    © shutterstock/Maria Avvakumova
    Salt caverns can be used to store energy in the form of gas, such as hydrogen

    As Dunsky’s report makes clear, the development of these two projects should just be the start of a much larger capacity addition over the next decade. As the province’s grid undergoes a massive transformation and modernisation in the coming decades to meet its energy needs, integrating new assets in new ways, the importance of pursuing innovative solutions and technologies, such as long-duration energy storage, will become increasingly important. While 2032 is eight years away, the time to act is now.

    What needs to be done

    To that end, Energy Storage Canada is calling on the IESO to make a formal commitment this year to initiating a procurement process in 2025, with a six GW target. Critical factors such as the availability of Canada’s Clean Technology Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) for projects completed prior to 2032, the extensive lead time necessary for prospective proponents to develop positive relationships with Ontario municipalities, to develop equitable and beneficial partnerships with the province’s First Nations communities, and secure supply chain commitments in a competitive global market, all demonstrate the need to begin the process now.

    Energy Storage Canada and our members look forward to continuing the work with the Ministry of Energy and the IESO to further develop the innovative research related to long duration energy storage, and all storage technologies. The integration of LDES has the potential to build on Ontario’s energy storage advantage, ensuring the province continues to have a reliable, sustainable, and flexible energy supply in the decades to come.

    Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • DOE injects $15.5M into cutting-edge marine energy projects

    DOE injects $15.5M into cutting-edge marine energy projects

    [ad_1]

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced it will fund $15.5m towards two innovative marine energy projects.

    With an emphasis on developing tidal and river current energy resources, these projects aim to contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable future for the US by leveraging the nation’s marine energy potential.

    Tides and currents provide a predictable source of energy that the DOE says can help balance other renewable sources to establish a fully decarbonised energy grid.

    US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm emphasised the importance of marine energy in providing clean, reliable power to rural and remote communities: “With marine energy, we can sustainably harness the power of the ocean and rivers, providing rural and remote communities with clean, reliable power.

    “The projects announced today are part of the largest investment by the federal government to advance the technology to capture energy from ocean tides and river currents while helping decarbonise hard-to-reach coastal communities across the country and increasing their energy independence and resilience by increasing use of locally generated energy.”

    Plans to advance US tidal energy

    The announcement included details of the first phase of a $35m investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dedicated to supporting tidal energy projects.

    This phase aims to transition from single device testing to array testing, a crucial step toward commercial viability. Two projects were selected, and they will receive a combined $6m to develop tidal energy research, development, and demonstration pilot sites.

    OPALCO’s tidal energy turbine

    Led by Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO) in Washington State, this project plans to deploy a tidal energy turbine in Rosario Strait.

    Expected to produce about two megawatts of power, OPALCO aims to establish a reliable and resilient local power supply for San Juan Islanders.

    ORPC’s tidal energy devices

    Based in Portland, Maine, ORPC aims to deploy two tidal energy devices off the coast of the remote area of East Foreland in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.

    These devices, with a power production capacity ranging from one to five megawatts, aim to demonstrate the feasibility of tidal energy projects in the region.

    Throughout the initial competitive phase anticipated to span one year, both projects will assess potential sites and develop comprehensive strategies encompassing licensing, environmental surveillance, site safety, commercialisation plans, stakeholder involvement, community advantages, procurement strategies, and technology vetting and validation.

    The culmination of this phase will involve the submission of requisite license and permit applications to regulatory bodies. Upon completion of the initial phase, the DOE will designate one project to advance through the subsequent four phases, with the potential to secure up to an additional $29m in funding.

    These subsequent phases will encompass testing and operational deployment of the tidal energy technology.

    Empowering local communities through river energy

    The DOE also announced a $9.5m investment in a community-led river current energy project.

    This initiative, led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Alaska Center for Energy and Power, focuses on accelerating the development of current marine energy technologies in the Yukon River and Alaska Native communities.

    The project aims to identify and develop technology appropriate for these communities, removing barriers to the development of river-based hydrokinetic energy projects.

    The funding allocated by the DOE represents a significant step towards achieving the US’ goal of a 100% clean energy grid.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Go2Lithium is upgrading its lithium extraction methods to help deliver a sustainable future

    Go2Lithium is upgrading its lithium extraction methods to help deliver a sustainable future

    [ad_1]

    With an ever-increasing demand for lithium batteries, Go2Lithium is harnessing connections and new extraction technology to help fulfil demands and bring a sustainable future closer than ever.

    Go2Lithium Inc. (G2L) is a 50/50 joint venture between two companies with complementary technical skills, Clean TeQ Water Pty Ltd (ASX:CNQ) and Computational Geosciences Inc., a subsidiary of Ivanhoe Electric Inc (TSX:IE). Clean TeQ has operated in the metals recovery sector for over 25 years, utilising its proprietary continuous ion exchange technologies. The technology has been proven to deliver superior outcomes that support its use in recovering energy metals. Computational Geosciences is a cutting-edge technology company that harnesses the power of computational methods to advance geoscience, seamlessly integrating computer science, data analytics, and geophysical principles to provide unparalleled solutions for understanding and navigating the complexities of the Earth’s subsurface. This unique multi-disciplinary venture is perfectly designed to aid in discovering and recovering lithium from subsurface brines.

    G2L’s work

    Lithium extraction from brines is vital in lithium production, an essential element in rechargeable batteries that power various electronic devices and electric vehicles. Brine deposits, often located in salt flats or salars, represent a substantial lithium source because of their elevated lithium content. Geopolitical dynamics are driving a shift towards recovering lithium from North American brines, despite their comparatively lower lithium concentrations.

    Lithium holds a crucial status both in North America and worldwide, being classified as a critical material. It is vital in the composition of lithium batteries utilised in electric vehicles, powering our computers and smartphones and increasingly in energy storage systems and electric grid reliability technologies.

    As mentioned earlier, the escalating demand for lithium is intrinsic to fostering technological progress. Tapping into the lithium reserves in the Canadian region is pivotal for securing a sustainable supply for the Northern American states. This endeavour fortifies the local and national economy by generating employment opportunities, supporting domestic manufacturing, and enhancing national security.

    Lithium extraction from brines is more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than extracting lithium from hard rock minerals. However, challenges such as brine chemistry variations and environmental concerns related to water usage and brine disposal need to be carefully addressed to ensure sustainable lithium production. Advances in technology and ongoing research aim to optimise the efficiency of lithium extraction from brines and support the growth of these challenging brines. G2L utilises Clean TeQ’s and Computational Geosciences’ extensive practical experience to produce an attractive outcome.

    Key hurdles

    DLE represents a relatively novel technology that necessitates successful demonstration and scaling. G2L leverages the vast expertise of Clean TeQ to address numerous associated challenges. The principles of continuous ion exchange and adsorption, validated over decades in industries like uranium and gold, underpin our approach. By drawing upon this wealth of knowledge, the application of DLE within this process can be substantially de-risked.

    When it comes to brines, challenges with direct lithium extraction (DLE) from salar and unconventional brines are common. The key objective is to extract lithium in an environmentally sustainable manner, minimising disruption to the natural environment while reducing both energy consumption and freshwater usage.

    lithium extraction, G2L
    © shutterstock/JLStock

    The nature of the brine is also a challenge. Challenges may be physical or chemical, depending on the region and source of the brine. Unconventional brines are hot and contain a complex mixture of dissolved salts and petroleum products. These highly salty brines, which are generally more than five times saltier than seawater, have been trapped in the aquifers for hundreds of years in an environment without oxygen, so the chemistries are quite unpredictable. The extraction of 70mg/L lithium in a concentrated salt mixture containing over 200,000mg/L of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium chloride is challenging.

    Before the lithium extraction step, the brines must be pre-treated to remove most suspended materials, including particulates and free and emulsified oils. G2L uses continuous direct lithium extraction (cDLE®) to capture the lithium from the brine.

    The DLE process is only one of several steps in the extraction and refinery stage. Still, it is the one that upgrades and purifies the lithium, so both pretreatment and refining must be tuned to work optimally.

    The importance of lithium

    The demand for lithium batteries is pivotal in the journey towards decarbonisation as we transition to renewable energy sources and electrification. Consequently, lithium production needs to prioritise sustainability principles, incorporating benchmarks for carbon dioxide emissions and water usage per tonne of lithium produced as primary considerations.

    DLE serves as a crucial step towards realising these principles. The setup of the DLE process plays a significant role in achieving optimal results. Integrating the DLE sorbent with the process is vital for achieving a reduced carbon footprint and freshwater consumption.

    G2L employs continuous counter-current processing technology to optimise lithium recovery, enhance sorbent lithium capacity, and minimise impurity carryover, chemistry expenses, and freshwater consumption. These process advantages collectively result in the most economical lifecycle costs and the most negligible environmental impact.

    We aim to be the most economical and environmentally sustainable approach to global lithium production from brine resources. We know that this can only be achieved through an integrated process flowsheet.

    Key successes and overcoming adversity

    The first project for G2L is in partnership with LithiumBank (TSX:LBNK) at their Boardwalk project in Alberta and is proving to be very successful. The Boardwalk property is in west-central Alberta, Canada. The Boardwalk property comprises 30 Alberta Metallic and Industrial Mineral Permits that collectively form a contiguous package of land that totals 231,028 hectares. LithiumBank has 100% ownership of the mineral rights at the Boardwalk property. The mineral resource estimations predict indicated LCE resources of 395,000 tonnes LCE at 71.6 mg/L lithium and inferred LCE resources of 5.734 million tonnes LCE at 68.0% mg/L Li.

    The updated Preliminary Economic Assessment by Hatch Inc. for the Boardwalk Lithium Brine Project, dated January 2024, shows a significant difference from the initial PEA released in May 2023. The difference was due to the incorporation of newly licensed continuous Direct Lithium Extraction (cDLE®) technology from G2L. The G2L technology has numerous advantages over the direct lithium extraction process applied in the original PEA, including:

    •    Increased lithium recovery by 98% using the G2L’s cDLE® technology;
    •    A significant reduction of 34% in operational expenditures to $4,588 per tonne LHM;
    •    Reduction in the payback period from 4.1 years to 3.5 years on a pre-tax basis;
    •    Production of high-grade lithium sulphate (Li2SO4) eluate at a concentration of 3,238 mg/L Li (3.24 g/L Li);
    •    Lower cost and commercially available reagents used
    in the cDLE® process;
    •    Majority of acid is recovered in the downstream processing and reused in the elution stage; and
    •    Reduction in freshwater usage using the G2L cDLE®.

    The future of G2L

    The future of G2L appears promising as it continues to innovate within the lithium extraction industry. With its continuous counter-current processing technology, G2L stands at the forefront of maximising lithium recovery while minimising environmental impact. As the demand for lithium continues to surge in tandem with the global shift towards renewable energy and electrification, G2L’s commitment to sustainability and efficiency positions it as a key player in meeting these evolving needs.

    In the coming years, advancements in G2L’s processes and technologies will lead to even greater efficiencies, reduced costs, and improved environmental performance. By staying at the forefront of research and development, G2L can anticipate and adapt to changes in the market, regulatory landscape, and technological innovations, ensuring its continued success and contribution to the sustainable future of lithium extraction.

    As the world seeks cleaner energy solutions, G2L’s innovative approach will likely play a crucial role in supporting the transition towards a more sustainable energy ecosystem.

    Please note, this article will also appear in the seventeenth edition of our quarterly publication.

    [ad_2]

    Source link