To develop carbon-neutral smelting technology
Why do we need carbon neutral smelting technology?
- Ferrous and Nonferrous industries accounts for 8% of global GHG emissions.
- As metal demand and production increase, environmental problems such as air pollution are becoming more important.
- It is necessary to develop a new manufacturing process that is economical and environmentally friendly.
- In the production of major metals, innovative technology development is required to dramatically reduce energy consumption and GHG generation.
Phillp Nuss et.al., PLOS ONE, 9(2014)e101298
| Metal | Process | Energy consumption, kWh/kg | GHG kg(CO2)e/kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | Hall-Heroult | 36.4 | 8.2 |
| Steel | Blast furnace & BOF | 6.4 | 1.5 |
| Titanium | Kroll | 31.9 | 8.1 |
| Zirconium | Kroll | 5.5 | 1.1 |
| Hafnium | Kroll & Van Arkel | 975.0 | 131 |
The reduction processes rare earth metals are also based on GHG emission technologies. The GHG emission of major RE metals are as follows;
- NdPr : Graphite anode (0.6tonCO2, 0.03ton PFC(0.21 ton CO2-e)/tonNd → 0.81tonCO2-e/ton Nd
- DyFe : Graphite anode (0.6tonCO2, 0.12ton PFC(0.85 ton CO2-e)/tonDyFe → 1.45tonCO2-e/ton DyFe
- Dy : Calciothermic reaction : Ca ← (Aluminothermic/CaCl2 electrolysis) → 2.5tonCO2-e/ton Dy
Why pyroprocess?
Pyroprocess refers to a high-temperature metallurgical process, and in the nuclear field, it is used to describe molten salt-based electrolytic reduction and electrorefining processes for recycling spent nuclear fuel in order to differentiate it from wet reprocessing processes.
The concept of pyroprocess is being used to achieve the goal of developing a zero emission smelting process.
To develop advanced or post li ion battery technology
Why do we need advanced battery technology
- Research and development requirements continue to exist in a variety of applications, such as smartphones and electric vehicles, to increase battery capacity, speed of charge and safety, which can be achieved when the material of secondary batteries is innovated.
Key components in advanced information society
- Power sources in laptop PC’s and cellular phones
Realization of a low carbon society
- Power sources in HV and EV for efficient use of energy
- Power storage in smart grids for introduction of the renewable
Limitation for large sized batteries
- Increasing amount of combustible electrolytes
- Lowering heat radiation
Safety issue of Li ion battery
Li ion batteries are widely used in portable electronics because of their high energy densities. However, safety issues still remain unsolved.
- High cell voltage exceeding water-stabilized potential window forbids the use of aqueous electrolytes.
- Organic solvent electrolytes for lithium ion batteries: combustible
e.g.) Galaxy Note series of Samsung & Kona EV of Hyundai