The metals industry has experienced transformational moments before: the Bessemer process, flash smelting, electric arc furnaces, and modern continuous casting all changed what was possible.

Yet, for more than a century, most extraction processes rely on techniques and pathways that would be familiar to metallurgists from generations ago. Processes have become larger and control systems smarter, but the fundamental science behind separating metals from ores has changed less than many realize.

Today’s materials challenges are different from those of the 20th century, but why are critical metals still produced using largely the same scientific foundations?

EvoMaterials, a technology platform developed by Outokumpu—the global leader in sustainable stainless steel and the producer of ferrochrome with 67% lower carbon footprint than the industry average—is exploring that question by rethinking how metals can be extracted:

“We decided to go beyond the current constraints and look fundamentally at what’s the best way to do this with the benefit of the scientific engineering knowledge and hindsight that we have today,” says Caspar Stinn, technical director for extractive metallurgy at Outokumpu. “We’re looking at how we can reimagine metals production.”

As economies expand and the world becomes increasingly electrified, data and scientific models point to rising demand for many minerals, driven by technologies ranging from data centers to aerospace, water treatment, energy systems, and defence. According to Antoine Allanore, professor of metallurgy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) this coincides with many Western economies having reduced their domestic processing capacity for the very metals those industries depend on.

Source link