TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum

Page created by Allan Lowe
 
CONTINUE READING
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
TOP 10 WMF
     TECHNOLOGIES
        AUGUST 2020

1
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
Dear all,

    We are excited to bring you the 1st list of the annual
    Top 10 WMF Technologies.

    Based on the panel’s research and numerous interviews,
    we think that these technologies can reach industrial
    scale by 2030 and that they can therefore make the WMF
    objective (decouple economic growth from the current
    use of our natural resources while creating value for the
    industry all along the global supply chain) happen sound
    and fast.

    For each of these 10 Technologies you will find:
    1. A summary of the technology with expected impact
        on one or more of WMF decoupling Key performance
        indicators.
    2. The restitution of 3 interviews with a selection of Top
        Corporate (CEO or EVP), Top Academia or Experts (or Big
        Group CTO) as well as representatives from the Start Up
        community (CEO).

    We wish you will enjoy the reading as much as we enjoyed
    performing the interviews.

    PROF. VICTOIRE DE MARGERIE          PROF STÉPHANE MANGIN
    Founder & Vice Chair WMF, France    Université de Lorraine, France

    MATT PRICE                          HIROFUMI KATASE
    President Activate Global, USA      Executive Vice Chaiman
                                        I-Pulse, Japan

2                                                                        3
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
is key, first to identify and develop         variety in the quality of plastic wastes       • a minimum of 55% of plastic packaging
                                                                                   NICK STANAGE
                                                                                   CEO HEXCEL, USA             together the right technologies that          to be treated) and the recycling more             actually recycled (vs 29% today)
                                                                                                               will produce high quality recycled            efficient (meaning a reduction in the          • a minimum of 30% integration of
                                                                                                               materials and second to classify wastes       cost of the recycled raw material).               recycled plastic in packaging, with
                                                                                    Recycling is top on the
                                                                                                               and design the product offering that                                                            food contact compliance (only in
                                                                                    list of our priorities.                                                  The major hurdle towards
                                                                                                               will leverage high volumes of recycling.                                                        beverage packaging today).
                                                                  And we need to do both recycling of                                                        industrialization is that there is (at least
                                                                  carbon fibers and recycling of resins        Today each actor in the field of              as of now) limited – if any - value creation   Citeo is involved in all projects
                                                                  - be thermoset or thermoplastics.            composite materials is very protective        along the recycling chain as the cost          involving French stakeholders all along
                                                                  In both cases we will investigate all        of their technologies. But in the field       of recycled raw material is often above        the supply chain from Total upstream
                                                                  possible technologies - be chemical or       of recycling we should force common           the cost of virgin raw material. Another       to Mars and Nestle downstream.
                                                                  mechanical. Because this might be a          industry standards otherwise we will          issue is that quantity and quality of
                                                                                                                                                                                                            From the technical stand point it
                                                                  different technology to recycle wastes       never supersede a 10% recycling rate.         waste collected is often not sufficient.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            seems that the technology should be
                                                                  of the pre preg process and wastes of
                                                                                                               So our responsibility is to find solutions,   So cooperating with the final industrial       industrial by 2025.
                                                                  finished parts that have been in an
                                                                  aircraft for more than 30 years.             work together and standardize.                customers is key - such as our project
                                                                                                                                                                                                            One major hurdle is the cost of recycled
                                                                                                                                                             with Recycling Technologies, Mars
                                                                                                                                                                                                            raw material that is above price
                                                                  Also we think that we should take time                                                     and Nestlé or our partnership with
                                                                                                                                                                                                            of virgin raw material - and will remain
                                                                  to find the best “pack” of technologies                                                    Pure Cycle and L’Oreal.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            higher even when sizable quantities
                                                                  in order to recycle into high quality
                                                                                                                                                                                                            will be recycled. And a second one
                                                                  products rather than be quick into                             BERNARD                     Schemes such as off take guaranties
                                                                                                                                                                                                            is the « time lag » between short
                                                                  recycling high volumes of low quality                          PINATEL                     or premium prices for recycled
                                                                                                                                                                                                            term expectations of public opinion
                                                                  products.                                                      PRESIDENT                   materials - or penalties if decision not
                                                                                                                                                                                                            and industrial longer term results in
                                                                                                                                 PETROCHEMICALS              to use them - should also be set up at
                                                                  Our objective is that 50 % of used                                                                                                        terms of plastic recycling rate.
                                                                                                                                 TOTAL, FRANCE               least for starting a virtuous process.
                                                                  Carbon fiber composite products be                                                         And one off grants to build the 1st            Cooperation between all actors of the
                                                                  recycled by 2050.                                                                          chemical recycling units should also
                                                                                                               Current recycling technologies so                                                            supply chain from petrochemicals
                                                                  We started working on the various            called “mechanical” only cover 30% of         be considered as these 1st units will          to final industrial customers is key
                                                                  technologies a while ago - both in our       plastic recycling whereas the so-called       need more time to be profitable than           - such as project Pure Cycle with
                                                                  R&D centers or in cooperation with           « chemical recycling » is universal even      the 2nd wave (due to technical scale           L’Oreal, or Recycling Technologies
                                                                  start ups such as Carbon Conversion.         if some pre sorting might be required         up and initial limited volume of waste         with Total, Mars and Nestlé.
                                                                                                               to eliminate some contaminants. The           available).
                                                                  But we first need to collect enough          outcome of the process is heavy grade                                                        Systems to share the burden of
                                                                  wastes of composite products: the                                                          Total as well as all partners of Alliance      recycled materials extra cost still need
Technology #1                                                     1st aircrafts with high proportion
                                                                  of composite parts that will be
                                                                                                               naphta that is then remixed with virgin
                                                                                                               naphta to re start usual polymerization
                                                                                                                                                             to End Plastic Wastes (BASF, SABIC,
                                                                                                                                                             EXXON, SUEZ ...) are very committed to
                                                                                                                                                                                                            to be invented. One possibility to drive
                                                                                                                                                                                                            up the recycled volumes would be
RECYCLING OF
                                                                                                               process. Chemical recycling requires
                                                                  disassembled are the A 380 maybe                                                           finding solutions for plastic end of life.     an obligation to incorporate recycled
                                                                                                               more energy than mechanical
                                                                  in 15/20 years time and the 1st B787                                                                                                      materials in the fabrication of all new
PLASTICS AND CARBON
                                                                                                               recycling (3 times more) but it avoids        And it is also important to remember
                                                                  & A350 in 25/30 years.                       incineration of plastic wastes and it                                                        polymers. To give a tax advantage to
                                                                                                                                                             how much plastics and composites
                                                                                                                                                                                                            polymers produced from recycled
FIBER COMPOSITES
                                                                                                               enables an endless loop that always           contribute to the well being of our
                                                                  Also economics need to work. Subsidies                                                                                                    material could be another way. All
                                                                                                               produces high quality polymer.                citizens (protection of food, supply
                                                                  should only be temporary to kick off                                                                                                      solutions need EU harmonization to
                                                                  until enough volumes be available and                                                      of water, lightweighting of cars and
                                                                                                               The impact of this technology should                                                         avoid competition problems.
                                                                  right qualities be standardized.                                                           aircrafts etc...).
                                                                                                               be assessed on two KPIs:
WMF Objective: end of life recycling rate                         So a good target for industrialization       • 50% of collected plastic wastes should
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Citeo is very committed to facilitating
                                                                                                                                                                                                            efficient win win solutions between
                                                                  would be 2025 for carbon fibers & 2030          be recycled by 2030
                                                                                                                                                                                                            recycling organisations and industrial
Broadly there are two major ways to recycle plastics :            for resins.                                  • 30% of polymers manufactured in
                                                                                                                                                                                                            actors all along the supply chain in
mechanical where the plastic is washed, ground into powders                                                       2030 should be made out of recycled
and molten or extruded and chemical recycling where the
                                                                                                                                                                               JEAN HORNAIN                 order to optimize access to technology
                                                                  As said before quantity and quality of          raw materials.
                                                                                                                                                                               CEO CITEO, FRANCE            and financial resources, accelerate
plastic is brought back into monomers to then form pure           waste collected is yet not sufficient that
polymers again. “Mechanical” covers 30% of plastic recycling                                                   All “majors” (Total, Sabic, Ineos ...) have                                                  circular economy of plastics packaging
                                                                  we can get the recycled material at a
needs due to intrinsic shortcuts: restricted food usage,                                                       industrial chemical recycling projects                             « Chemical recycling      and prove that there are solutions
                                                                  competitive cost and at an acceptable
impossible processing of colors, limited number of further                                                     under development and due to start                                 » is clearly a must on    to combine efficiency of plastic
                                                                  specification for the customer. And
recycling. Whereas « Chemical» is universal except for PVC that                                                by 2024. The technology itself is quite       top of mechanical recycling if we wish         and protection of our planet. The
                                                                  there is no business model today that
requires to be sorted from waste inflow. 360 Mtons of polymers                                                 well known but there is still lots of work    to reach the commitments of many               commitment of polymer producers
                                                                  can create value for all actors along the
were produced in 2018. If the same volumes are manufactured       recycling supply chain.                      going on now both on the process              consumer good companies and the                who have the best knowledge of the
in 2030 and if we reach in 2030 the objective that 30% of                                                      itself and on the catalysts being used        EU targets for 2030 in plastic packaging:      material itself is key if we want to
polymers manufactured are made of recycled raw materials, the     Coperation between all composite             in order to make the technology more          • r ecyclability solutions for 100% of        accelerate circular economy of plastics
production of monomers will then be reduced by 108 Mtons.         manufacturers and their customers            versatile (meaning allowing for greater          plastics (vs 75% today)                     packaging.

4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            5
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
SHIGERU OI                                  PETER                                      PRESTON                  So bringing the MSX technology to
                                                                                     CHAIRMAN                                    CARLSSON                                   BRYANT                   battery materials manufacturers,
                                                                                     JX NMM, JAPAN                               CEO NORTHVOLT,                             CEO MOMENTUM             batteries manufacturers & battery
                                                                                                                                 SWEDEN                                     TECHNOLOGY, USA          recyclers will be key.
                                                                                      JX NMM has developed
                                                                                                                                                                                                     Also competitive cost will depend
                                                                    and patented an hydrometallurgical           Northvolt has developed and patented      The goal of the US DoE is 90%
                                                                                                                                                                                                     on processed quantities. So public
                                                                    recycling technology that offers high        an hydrometallurgical recycling           recycling of all lithium ion batteries
                                                                                                                                                                                                     support such this of DOE is essential to
                                                                    recovery rate and low CO2 footprint. The     technology with Chalmers University       in 2030 - from 5% in 2019. After
                                                                                                                                                                                                     start a virtuous circle. As well as WMF
                                                                    impact should be assessed on two KPIs:       in Sweden and Oulu University in          discussions with industry partners, we
                                                                                                                                                                                                     support to call attention to this new
                                                                    • 80% of used batteries should be           Finland.                                  at Momentum believe that a 50% rate
                                                                                                                                                                                                     technology.
                                                                       recycled by 2030                                                                    is achievable by 2030.
                                                                    • 100% of recycled material should be       The impact should be assessed on two
                                                                                                                                                                                                     We see international cooperation with
                                                                       used to manufacture new batteries         KPIs:                                     Our technology (Membrane Solvent          all actors along the battery supply
                                                                       once there are enough waste               • 8
                                                                                                                    0% of used batteries should be        Extraction or MSX) is capable of          chain as a must for sound and fast
                                                                       batteries to cover the in flow needed       recycled by 2030                        recycling Rare Earth magnets or           development of our technology.
                                                                       in 2040                                   • 5
                                                                                                                    0% of recycled material should be     Lithium Ion batteries. For batteries it
                                                                                                                   used to manufacture new batteries       is a 2 step technology that provides
                                                                    Energy savings and reduction of                in 2030                                 99,9% purity in oxyde form and make
                                                                    CO2 emissions should also be closely                                                   all 4 elements available in separated
                                                                    monitored throughout the process.            We will soon be starting the
                                                                                                                                                           form: Li, Mn, Co and Ni.
                                                                                                                 150-200 M € fund raising in order
                                                                    We aim to industrialize our technology       to build our recycling plant that we      MSX can also be used to recycle the 3
                                                                    in 2030 when a large enough amount           expect to be fully operational in 2022.   to 10% waste generated at each step
                                                                    of waste batteries will be generated.                                                  of the battery manufacturing process
                                                                                                                 The main hurdle on the road to
                                                                                                                                                           so that it can also contribute to
                                                                    When the system will be mature               industrialization is to get enough
                                                                                                                                                           improving the full recycling cost and
                                                                    in 2040, the recycling rates of the          processed quantities in order to
                                                                                                                                                           the Buy to Use of batteries themselves
                                                                    different battery materials should be        deleiver a competitive cost. So as
                                                                                                                                                           (material weight in the final product
                                                                    as follows: Cobalt and Nickel each 90%,      minimum process quantities means
                                                                                                                                                           vs material used throughout the
                                                                    Lithium 70%.                                 enough used batteries collected, we
                                                                                                                                                           production process).
                                                                                                                 just created Hydrovolt (Battery Return
                                                                    As of now, the major hurles on the           NGO) with Norwegian Aluminum              We will have our prototype unit
Technology #2                                                       road towards industrialization are
                                                                    illegal dumping and inconsistency of
                                                                                                                 Group Norse Hydro and the plan is to
                                                                                                                 sign up OEMs such as Bosch into the
                                                                                                                                                           running in 8 months with a capacity of
                                                                                                                                                           150T/y plant.

RECYCLING
                                                                    production safety standards as well as       loop.
                                                                    local regulations. And not to forget the                                               Once in operation, we will ramp up to

OF EV BATTERIES
                                                                    possible variations in natural resources     Also recycling high voltage batteries     a 1000T/y capacity by end of 2021 in
                                                                    prices vs. recycling costs.                  can be dangerous especially the initial   order to meet the demand of our 1st
                                                                                                                 process part of discharging before        industrial partner - and the ramp up
                                                                    So we really need to set up a system         the crush. Securing a safe discharging    will cost between 7 and 10M$.
                                                                    in which all beneficiaries bear the          process means automation of this part
WMF Objective: end of life recycling rate                           recycling costs.                             of the process so a cooperation is on     All companies we speak with
                                                                                                                 going with ABB Robotics hereto.           are familiar with smelting and
                                                                    AT JXNMM, our technology is based
When the 1M electric vehicles that were sold in 2017 will                                                                                                  hydrometallurgical process but not
                                                                    on the closed loop system and our            We see this recycling project as one
come to end of life, it could result in 250,000 tons of discarded                                                                                          with Membrane Solvent Extraction so
                                                                    objective is to realize a system non         more brick to the current Northvolt
battery packs. A huge challenge as batteries are not easy to                                                                                               a change of mindset is required.
disassemble but also a huge opportunity to recover Li, Mn,          dependent of natural resources.              Batteries project in order to create a
Co and Ni that are critical raw materials. The main stream                                                       fully integrated circular economy of EV   Also reaching a competitive cost will
                                                                    But recycling units are not always located
technologies being developed are hydrometallurgical and bring                                                    batteries.                                be the usual challenge.
                                                                    where the batteries are produced or
high recovery rate while a new one called membrane solvent
                                                                    utilized so that a global recycling scheme   In the end a customer should be able      Otherwise we see no major
extraction offers high purity and makes all 4 elements available
                                                                    should be created that would bring           to buy a new battery with a discount      technical hurdles on the road to
in separated form: Li, Mn, Co and Ni. If 50% of recycled material
                                                                    together the contribution of industry,       on the price if he brings backs an old    industrialization. Currently 50% of
is used to manufacture new batteries in 2030 (100% in 2040),
                                                                    academia and governments.                    one to be recycled.                       recycling costs are logistics.
this will strongly reduce the use of these natural resources.

6                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    7
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
ILHAM KADRI              mentioned regulatory frame is crucial.      win mode that will allow to combine          is on going for both the cathode,
                                                                                     CEO SOLVAY,                                                          the start ups’ agility/ability to innovate   the anode and the elctrolyte – with
                                                                                     BELGIUM                  And so is the necessary commitment          and the big groups’ financial strength/      the usual scale up challenges as any
                                                                                                              of public entities (be at national or       expertise in efficient manufacturing in      change in the battery design in one
                                                                                                              regional level) to invest quickly into      order to improve battery performance         area can cause problems in the other
                                                                                      By 2030 (and maybe
                                                                                                              building charging infrastructures:          faster.                                      areas.
                                                                     earlier) we need to reach an optimum
                                                                                                              without such infrastructures, there will
                                                                     of performance (gravimetric and
                                                                                                              be no uptake of EV sales, and without       Major performance improvements if            As to solid state, the « world » objective
                                                                     volumetric energy density), safety and
                                                                                                              volumes, there will be no reduction of      the past years resulted from expensive       is to make it industrial by 2030. But
                                                                     cost for the automotive industry.
                                                                                                              battery cost.                               work on the cathodes done by big             there are 4 technical issues to be
                                                                     Solvay is and will remain « agnostic »                                               groups. We now see future battery            adressed : stable chemical interfaces
                                                                     to the choice of technology - be                                                     performance improvement to come              between electrolyte and electrodes,
                                                                     continuous improvement of current                                                    in a more balanced manner from               effective tools for characterization,
                                                                     ion-lithium chemistry, be the                                                        cathode and anode/electrolyte as well        sustainable manufacturing processes
                                                                     solid state project or be the other                                                  as from big groups and start ups.            and design for recyclability.
                                                                                                                               RICHARD WANG
                                                                     breakthrough options such as sulfur or
                                                                                                                               CEO CUBERG, USA            Also we should always watch early signs      So we must find solutions to address
                                                                     sodium based.
                                                                                                                                                          of battery innovation and performance        all 4 issues at the same time. Which
                                                                     Our focus will be on developing and                       By 2030 we need to         to come from adjacent markets                means finding both talented and
                                                                     up scaling the right materials (such                      reach a gravimetric        (unmanned drones for cargo delivery,         experimented people specialized in
                                                                     as PVDF) and solutions (such as          energy density above 400 Wh/kg (we          small electric aircrafts…) before they       each of the key 4 areas and convincing
                                                                     membranes and new electrolytes)          are at 250 Wh/kg now). And we also          make it into large volume/automotive         them to use collective intelligence
                                                                     required by our customers for            need to reach 1000 Wh/L volumetric          applications.                                and develop their solutions in a time
                                                                     reaching the above mentioned             energy density- this is just as important                                                consistent manner.
                                                                                                                                                          And Safety is and should remain a top
                                                                     optimum.                                 or more important for large volume/
                                                                                                                                                          priority above any consideration of          Which also means getting
                                                                                                              automotive applications. The 1000
                                                                     The battery is now at nearly 50% of                                                  performance improvement.                     MultiNational Groups, States,
                                                                                                              Wh/L is why sulfur will never make
                                                                     the cost of an EV and the current                                                                                                 Universities, Start Ups and Non
                                                                                                              it commercially for automotive
                                                                     ion lithium chemistry will be really                                                                                              Governmental Organizations to work
                                                                                                              applications, even if it ends up working
                                                                     « industrial » when it reaches 25%.                                                                                               better and faster together on a Win
                                                                                                              for other uses.
                                                                     Presumably in 2025 when enough                                                                                                    Win mode.
                                                                     volumes will be manufactured and the     Industrializing continuous
                                                                                                                                                                           PROF. VICTOIRE              Our overall objective at World
                                                                     production process will have reached     improvement of the ion lithium design
                                                                                                                                                                           DE MARGERIE                 Materials Forum is to decouple
                                                                     an acceptable efficiency.                requires top level production experts
Technology #3                                                        Lack of harmonisation is clearly an
                                                                                                              who can continuously upgrade
                                                                                                              existing production units with limited
                                                                                                                                                                           FOUNDER & VICE
                                                                                                                                                                           CHAIR WMF, FRANCE
                                                                                                                                                                                                       economic growth from the use of our
                                                                                                                                                                                                       natural resources while ensuring the

EV BATTERY CHEMISTRY :                                               issue as too much money is being
                                                                     spent on a variety of R&D programs
                                                                                                              capex in order to deliver further
                                                                                                              improved battery performance at
                                                                                                                                                          Issues common to battery
                                                                                                                                                                                                       needs of our citizens in terms of food,
                                                                                                                                                                                                       housing, mobility and connectivity.

CONTINOUS                                                            without clear results.                   competitive cost.
                                                                                                                                                          technologies are fire safety, energy
                                                                                                                                                          density (both gravimetric and                Electrification of vehicles will strongly

IMPROVMENT                                                           And there cannot be a focus on                                                       volumetric), durability and recyclability.   contribute to this decoupling objective
                                                                                                              And Scale up of any change in the                                                        only if every step of the supply chain
                                                                     industrialization until « standard»
                                                                                                              battery design is even more so THE
OR BRAND NEW ?                                                       technologies are being identified and                                                Both industry and academia are               (from sustainable mining of critical
                                                                                                              question as even incremental changes        heavily involved on « beyond lithium         materials to end of life battery
                                                                     highlighted.
                                                                                                              in one area can cause problems in the       ion batteries » whether solid state          recycling) is managed towards a
                                                                     So we need to get major actors           other areas. This is why Cuberg cell        batteries or more long term designs          consistent objective of improving
                                                                     all along the supply chain (from         design is now ok for small lots and will    that allow to access largely available       batteries energy density, durability and
WMF Objective: better performance                                    producers of metals and polymers to      be «industrial» by around 2024 when we      resources such as sulfur or sodium.          recyclability while always prioritizing
(charging time & range) to weight                                    battery producers, car makers and        will have completed proper scale up.                                                     safe solutions.
                                                                     recycling groups) to work together                                                   But there is also concerted effort
                                                                     and produce a regulatory frame that      The main challenge towards                  to continously improve the current
The race is ongoing between 3 options : 1. Continuous
                                                                     will allow stronger, faster and more     industrialization is putting together       lithium ion chemistry.
improvment of the current ion lithium design with the cathode
being the limiting factor and safety the key attribute from          efficient development of Electric        the right teams and upgrading
the elctrolyte, 2. The solid state project which features solid      Vehicles. We also need further support   them at the right pace in order to          Common objective for all is by 2025
electrolytes rather than the liquids and gels used in current        from States or European Union            deliver cost-effective production scale-    to reach minimum 80% charge in
ion lithium designs and 3. The technologies based on largely         beyond regulation.                       up and demonstrate true maturity            15 minutes, 400Wh/kg gravimetric
available resources such as sodium or sulfur but that are still at                                            and reliability in a wide range of          density and 1000 Wh/L volumetric
very early stage. Better performance (charging time & range) to      The necessary involvement of all         operating conditions. To overcome           energy density. The ion lithium design
weight is the objective and even more so a better performance        major actors of the EV supply chain      this challenge, we need major groups        is already industrial and continuous
to volume when it comes to mobility applications.                    worldwide to establish the above         and start ups to work together in a win     improvment to improve performance

8                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        9
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
with a massive new market for
                                                                                       BERNARD                                      HIROFUMI                                     DR. MIANYAN                  batteries will bring about investment
                                                                                       SALHA                                        KATASE                                       HUANG                        in vanadium production, and lower
                                                                                       CTO EDF, FRANCE                              EXECUTIVE VICE                               CEO VRB ENERGY,              overall costs. Second hurdle is the
                                                                                                                                    CHAIMAN I-PULSE,                             CHINA                        pre-mature supply chain support for
                                                                                                                                    JAPAN                                                                     volume scale up. It will take some time
                                                                                       For us at EDF the
                                                                      objective is to deal with peaks of                                                        The VRB system life time is longer            for the suppliers to scale up their own
                                                                      energy consumption and energy                The world needs a gigantic volume of         than 25 years. The electrolyte is fully       production to match the volumes
                                                                      storage is one solution among                large scale storage at low cost as solar     recyclable and most of the non                required.
                                                                      others. There are many other ways to         and wind power will play a bigger role       electrolyte part will be easily recyclable.
                                                                                                                   in power supply. In order to minimize        Based on our Roadmap, and scale-              VRB Energy, with the help of
                                                                      deal with it, such as demand
                                                                                                                   its impact, the storage needs to have        up, we will have a lower cost battery         our parent HPX is unlocking
                                                                      management or achieving a
                                                                                                                   a life time of at least 25 years and to      compared to LiB by 2024 for 4-hour            vanadium sources. For supply chain
                                                                      balanced power supply mix
                                                                                                                   be fully recyclable. It also needs to        systems (just the battery) At the same        support for volume up, the good way
                                                                      of solar, wind and nuclear.
                                                                                                                   be very safe. Pump hydro is a well           cost as LiB we have about a 15% LCOE          is to let the key supplier involved in
                                                                      And whatever the share of energy             established and low cost technology          advantage vs LiB (this assumes 80%            the big size project development so
                                                                      storage, as we need to reduce carbon         that meets these criteria but have a         usable DoD, replacement in year 10            they can be aware the fast growing of
                                                                      emission, the life time of battery is very   geographical constraint. Thus new            at 50% of current costs for LiB). For         market size and can make decision to
                                                                      important. The longer the lifetime the       technologies such as redox flow              8-hour systems we will be almost              favor their volume up production and
                                                                      better with the objective to overcome        battery, compressed air storage and          30% lower cost, and 40% better LCOE.          R&D facility investment.
                                                                      20 years.                                    fly wheel are being researched and           LCOE is a tremendous advantage for
                                                                                                                                                                                                              VRB Energy is scaling up to serve
                                                                                                                   developed. Among these, vanadium             project developers and owners. Our
                                                                      How much storage will play the role                                                                                                     multiple 100MW-class projects in
                                                                                                                   redox flow battery is already deployed       system response time is very short
                                                                      will depend on its cost. As a minimum,                                                                                                  China, which is the ramp for us
                                                                                                                   commercially and fully meets these           with unlimited number of charging-
                                                                      storage will play a big role in ancillary                                                                                               to achieve scale and lower costs.
                                                                                                                   criteria.                                    discharging cycles. It can be used
                                                                      services such as frequency regulation                                                                                                   Bloomberg predicts that renewables
                                                                                                                                                                for ancillary applications such as
                                                                      that requires rapid response. If the         Securing a stable and low cost supply                                                      will be 90% of $11.1 trillion to be
                                                                                                                                                                frequency regulation. This will make
                                                                      storage cost gets very low it could play     of Vanadium will be very important to                                                      invested by 2050, and our technology
                                                                                                                                                                our system even more attractive as our
                                                                      a much bigger role.                          secure industrialization of the redox                                                      is perfect for integrating wind and
                                                                                                                                                                system can serve multiple applications
                                                                                                                   flow battery technology. Vanadium is                                                       solar on the grid including for ancillary
                                                                      For EVs for example, half of the battery                                                  at the same time and and this will
                                                                                                                   an abundant resource. However,as                                                           applications. An estimated 800GWh
                                                                      cost today is the cost of materials. If                                                   improve the economics of the projects
                                                                                                                   the current use of Vanadium is mainly                                                      storage needed by 2030. Robust, non-
                                                                      this percentage of 50% can be brought                                                     even further.
                                                                                                                   for steel industry, it is necessary to                                                     degrading, safe.
                                                                      down to 25%, there can be a huge
                                                                                                                   increase the production to meet a            We are ready to deliver 100MW
                                                                      development of volumes sold.
Technology #4                                                         If a battery can function both as peak
                                                                                                                   large demand for batteries.

                                                                                                                   And it is a chicken and egg situation,
                                                                                                                                                                projects in China next year. With the
                                                                                                                                                                release of our Gen3 product in 2021,

STORAGE                                                               management and ancillary services                                                         we will be able to service multiple
                                                                                                                   where vanadium producer cannot               100MW-class projects globally. We also
                                                                      for example, cost will be improved.
                                                                                                                   increase vanadium production as
OF RENEWABLE                                                          One battery will play more than one                                                       have plans for localized manufacturing
                                                                                                                   there is no certainty of demand from         in global locations - e.g. US, Australia,
                                                                      role in the future. So if a battery can
                                                                                                                   battery company and vice versa. In
ENERGY AT LOWER COST                                                  function both as peak management                                                          South Africa - we do not need a
                                                                                                                   such a situation, when vanadium              gigafactory as we have a simple,
                                                                      and for ancillary services, cost will be
                                                                                                                   redox flow battery in early stage, it will   flexible, capital-light manufacturing
                                                                      improved.
                                                                                                                   be necessary for battery producers to        requirement, and our capital costs
                                                                      Also cost will decrease as overall           invest in producing vanadium.                for a manufacturing plant are about
WMF Objective: storage duration (beyond                               volumes increase so the target should                                                     1/10th that of Tesla for the same
                                                                                                                   Altogether and at least for now and
12 hours and more than 25 years life cycle)                           be to develop volumes simultaneously
                                                                                                                   the coming 10 years, I see vanadium          capacity for example.
                                                                      on the 3 market segments: EVs, home
                                                                                                                   redox flow battery as the only storage       The 1st hurdle on the road to
Energy storage technologies offer significant benefits : improved     storage or grid usage.
                                                                                                                   system which is long life, low cost, fully   industrializing our technology is
stability of power quality, reliability of supply etc… As solar and                                                recyclable and very safe.
wind power need to play a major role for decarbonization of           Finally acting to decrease energy                                                         vertical integration of vanadium
electricity, development of large scale storage at low cost will      consumption in the whole supply                                                           supply. There are almost unlimited
be even more critical. Given the size of global demand for such       chain of battery production, including                                                    sources of vanadium in this planet.
storage, long life of more than 25 years and high recyclability       mining, is very important.                                                                Traditionally the steel industry has
will be necessary to minimize the impact on environment.                                                                                                        been 70% producer of vanadium
                                                                      In the end, we will support any
Lithium ion battery will not be able to meet these criteria.                                                                                                    (contained in their slag), and 90%
                                                                      technology that can secure a long
Many technologies are under research and development. Pump                                                                                                      consumer of vanadium (for alloying
hydro and vanadium redox flow battery are the most promising          lifetime, low CO2 footprint and an
                                                                                                                                                                steel). Breaking this “closed” market
towards achieving competitive cost.                                   acceptable cost.

10                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             11
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
CODY FREISEN                              SAM RIGGALL                              MATT PRICE
                                                                                  CEO ZERO MASS                             CEO CLEAN TEQ,                           PRESIDENT ACTIVATE
                                                                                  WATER, USA                                AUSTRALIA                                GLOBAL, USA

                                                                                   The energy intensity                      CleanTeq has                                At Activate we see
                                                                  of producing and delivering water         developed a number of technologies        several promising technologies to
                                                                  is challenging to define because          that aim at reducing the energy           help reduce the energy intensity of
                                                                  it varies depending on geography          intensity of providing clean water.       creating potable water. We have seen
                                                                  and the various technologies that         One technology specifically aimed         the development of wave energy
                                                                  municipalities use to treat and           at reducing the energy cost of            converters desiged for robust and
                                                                  transport water.                          potable water is the graphene oxide       cost effective submerged operations
                                                                                                            (GO) membrane technology that             that can provide a significant amount
                                                                  For Zero Mass Water the solar powered     significantly increases the flux of       of pressure needed for desalination
                                                                  panels create potable drinking water      water passing through the membrane        systems. Traditional desalinisation
                                                                  on site by dehumidifying the air while    while also achieving a higher level of    plants can consume 10-15 kWh for
                                                                  using solar power and ambient air as      selectivity. Compared to traditional      every thousand gallons of treated
                                                                  the only inputs.                          membranes the GO ones are                 water. These wave energy converters
                                                                                                            demonstrating a 85% reduction in          could eliminate most of that energy
                                                                  The process is entirely infrastructure-
                                                                                                            energy consumption.                       cost. The newest generation of wave
                                                                  free and the result is high quality
                                                                                                                                                      energy converters are going through
                                                                  drinking water produced independent       When it comes to scale up,                pilot scale trials now and could be
                                                                  of the factors that must be considered    membranes are needed in the               scaled up to first commercial systems
                                                                  when dealing with surface or              millions of square meters to meet         in 5 years.
                                                                  subsurface water.                         the water treatment demand. Clean
                                                                                                            Teq has produced membranes on             We have also seen the developement
                                                                  Many surface waters are indeed
                                                                                                            a commercial coating machines             of a new class of highly porous and
                                                                  polluted and deep real-time
                                                                                                            in the hundreds of square meters          active materials called metal-organic-
                                                                  knowledge of contaminants is
Technology #5                                                     necessary to ensure that truly potable
                                                                  water is being delivered, and often
                                                                                                            quantity which are able to deliver
                                                                                                            the low energy outcome. The aim is
                                                                                                                                                      frameworks or MOFs. Different
                                                                                                                                                      chemical formulations of MOFs have

LOW ENERGY                                                        the consumer has no transparency to
                                                                  inconsistency in potability.
                                                                                                            to have commercial quantities of GO
                                                                                                            membranes available for use in spiral
                                                                                                                                                      been in developement in academia for
                                                                                                                                                      many years and now we are seeing a

ACCESS TO POTABLE                                                 On the other end of the cost
                                                                                                            wound modules by 2021.

                                                                                                            The biggest hurdle for new
                                                                                                                                                      handful of companies tackle the scale
                                                                                                                                                      up challenges associated with making

WATER                                                             spectrum, bottled water serves as a
                                                                  lifeline for many across the emerging
                                                                                                            technologies like this to get deployed
                                                                                                            is dealing with the fact that water is
                                                                                                                                                      MOFs using industrial processes
                                                                                                                                                      while maintaining the large surface
                                                                  markets with failing or nonexistent                                                 areas which give them their unique
                                                                                                            a subsidized product in most parts of     performance including the ability
                                                                  infrastructure and can take 5 – 10
                                                                                                            the world and the conservative and        to absorb large volumes of liquids
WMF Objective: performance (H2 cost and                           million joules of energy per liter of
                                                                  bottled water (in the US). Worldwide
                                                                                                            complex nature of the water supply        and be easily regenerated. Industrial
% of renewable energy) to stack weight                            consumption of bottled water is
                                                                                                            chain. Municipalities are conservative    pilots using MOFs are underway and
                                                                                                            as are the large engineering firms that   if successful industrialization of the
                                                                  over 200 billion liters so there is an
The treatment and transportation of water is incredibly energy                                              act as gate keepers to what solutions     technology could be achieved in the
                                                                  enormous amount of energy savings
intesive. The amount of energy needed to provide clean                                                      get deployed.                             next 5 to 10 years.
                                                                  and waste offset potential.
drinking water varies depdending on regions, technology
and infrastructure. In the US alone it is estimated that 4% of                                              The approach often taken to overcome
                                                                  Our Hydropanels are commercialized
the US’s energy consumption goes towards providing clean                                                    these hurdles is to partner with the
                                                                  today with units operating in over 40
drinking water and that is in a region with available ground                                                large system integrators and get
                                                                  countries across many hundreds of
water and significant infrastructure in place. New technologies                                             components adopted into their
                                                                  types of installations from schools, to
in electrochemistry, membranes, and material science are                                                    systems. Other approaches include
                                                                  homes, to hotels, and communities.
significantly reducing the energy intensity of drinking water                                               marketing directly to the end users
treatment systems and opening up new forms of distributed                                                   and using them to help influence the
water generation applications. These technologies can play a                                                gate keepers at the large engineering
key role in addressing the WMF objetive of Using Less Energy.                                               firms.

12                                                                                                                                                                                             13
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
PROF. HIDEO                                 PROF.                        should drive this development and          global electricity consumption in 2020.
                                                                                      OHNO                                        ANDREW KENT                  industry purchases. It is expected to      This energy consumption is growing
                                                                                      PRESIDENT TOHOKU                            FOUNDER SPIN                 have widespread embedded STT –             rapidly with the increasing demand
                                                                                      UNIVERSITY, JAPAN                           MEMORY, USA                  MRAM on the market by 2027.                related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Internet of Things (IOT). In this context
                                                                                                                                                               A main hurdle on the rod to                Spintronics devices are considered as
                                                                     Spintronics allows one to dramatically      It is important to note that Spintronics
                                                                                                                                                               industrialization is the availability      one of the best candidates for next-
                                                                     reduce power consumption of                 has provided the first new embedded
                                                                                                                                                               of manufacturing sites and tools.          generation electronics to complement
                                                                     information technology. This is because     memory technology since Flash
                                                                                                                                                               However, even more important is an         CMOS technology.
                                                                     it offers a high-performance nonvolatile    memories, technology known as
                                                                                                                                                               educated workforce that can advance
                                                                     working memory option not available         magnetic random access memory
                                                                                                                                                               and sustain this technology.               For instance, spintronics logic
                                                                     in current technology dominated             (MRAM). Embedded means that the
                                                                                                                                                                                                          is promising for ultralow power
                                                                     by power hungry “volatile” DRAM             memory can be integrated closely              Basic research drives innovation and       electronics due to the low intrinsic
                                                                     and SRAM. One of the many fronts            with the semiconductor components             trains people in the field, particularly   energy needed to manipulate
                                                                     Spintronics has its potential impact        on a chip. This reduces the «von              in technology leadership and               nanomagnets. Spintronics devices
                                                                     is AI chips for autonomous driving. It      Neumann bottleneck,» the separation           problem solving that is essential to       are attractive for future energy-
                                                                     requires 1000 TOPS (trillion operations     of memory and computation on a                progress. The advances in MRAM             efficient neuromorphic computing
                                                                     per second) or more to safely guide the     chip that leads to delays and energy          came from fundamental research,            systems, as they behave like neurons
                                                                     automobile in level 5 but the current       associated with the transfer of data.         starting with the discovery of Giant       and synapses in the human brain. In
                                                                     technology requires 1000 W to achieve                                                     Magnetoresistance (GMR) in France
                                                                                                                 A key characteristic of this memory is                                                   this case, a reduction of the energy
                                                                     this; a power consumption far beyond a                                                    and Germany (which was awarded
                                                                                                                 that it is persistent (or non-volatile); no                                              consumption of 90 % is possible.
                                                                     car can carry. Performance of prototype                                                   the Physics Nobel Prize in 2007). There
                                                                     AI chip using spintronics technology        energy is needed to retain information.
                                                                                                                                                               continue to be discoveries that can        Neuromorphic computing with
                                                                     made at Tohoku University suggests          Energy is only used for reading and
                                                                                                                                                               lead to important societal benefits        small spintronics systems already
                                                                     that it is appropriate to set KPI for the   writing data. MRAM is also a very high-
                                                                                                                                                               and investments in university research,    demonstrated energy efficient novel
                                                                     application as 10 W by 2030 and 1 W by      density memory. It uses just 1/4 of the
                                                                                                                                                               start-up companies and education are       computing. For face recognition,
                                                                     2040.                                       space of SRAM. MRAM’s write speed is
                                                                                                                                                               essential to continuing this cycle.        several research teams have shown
                                                                                                                 10 to 50 times faster than embedded
                                                                                                                                                               To overcome these hurles, multiple         that spintronics approaches could
                                                                     The main hurdles on the road to             NOR (eNOR) Flash memory and has
                                                                                                                                                               concerted action to support the            reduce the energy consumption by a
                                                                     industrialization are capital investment    much lower write power that eNOR
                                                                                                                                                               development of energy efficient            factor of one hundred. Depending on
                                                                     and integration of talent. To develop       (100 to 1000s lower). And prototype
                                                                                                                                                               information technology are needed,         the investment made we can expect
                                                                     a new AI chip technology requires           devices show that the technology can
                                                                                                                                                               from mobile systems to                     the technology to be on the market in
                                                                     not just designing circuits but also        scale to sizes below 20 nm, making it a
                                                                                                                                                               supercomputing. Sustained government       10 years.
Technology #6                                                        developing manufacturing and
                                                                     design tools, creating testing and
                                                                                                                 potential DRAM replacement is likely
                                                                                                                 within the next 15 years.
                                                                                                                                                               and industry funding and visionary
                                                                                                                                                               investments that can reduce energy         There exist several hurdles in scaling

SPINTRONICS
                                                                     verifying technology, understanding                                                                                                  up spintronics systems for useful
                                                                                                                 Thus the most immediate impact of             consumption in mobile, IoT and AI.
                                                                     of physics and materials that are                                                                                                    pattern recognition. Moving toward
                                                                     new to the semiconductor industry,          MRAM will be in IoT, AI and mobile
                                                                                                                                                               Investment in basic science and            beyond CMOS technologies requires
                                                                     and capability of prototyping such          devices. MRAM will enhance IoT and AI,
                                                                                                                                                               emerging technologies can lead             great advances in experimental
                                                                     an AI chip along with the capability        allowing higher memory capacity with
                                                                                                                                                               to important societal benefits.            and theoretical understanding of
WMF Objective: lower energy consumption                              to field-test the prototype. Showing        lower energy consumption. The main
                                                                                                                                                               Spintronics is a demonstration of          the materials, devices and circuits.
                                                                     successfully the integration of broad       advantage in IoT and AI will be smarter
                                                                                                                                                               this. It is clear that a decade from       Moreover the huge CMOS technology
Technology summary : Cisco predicts that “The number of              spectrum of technologies is the only        devices with lower energy usage. A
                                                                                                                                                               now autonomous systems, IoT and            platform have to be redesigned which
devices connected to IP networks will be more than 3 times the       way to convince the industry that           big saving in energy will be in mobile
                                                                                                                                                               mobile devices will have increased         will generate important financial
global population by 2023”, driven in particular by the advent       this is where the future is, which is       systems with a greater than 50%
                                                                                                                                                               functionality with lower energy            investment.
of IoT, AI and the related increase in machine-to-machine            certainly an extremely demanding            energy reduction expected by 2030.
                                                                                                                                                               usage because of advances in the
connections. Thus, “devices and connections are growing faster       task that one has to overcome.                                                                                                       Spintronics is a new technology.
                                                                                                                 Semiconductor companies (Intel,               applications of spintronics.
-10 % Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) than both the                                                                                                                                                  Fundamental understanding of the
population - 1 % CAGR - and the Internet users - 6 % CAGR”.          I believe that the combination of           Global Foundries and others) have
                                                                                                                                                                                                          basic mechanism is still needed to
The biggest issue with this development is its overall impact on     a university environment that can           low density MRAM (less than 1Gb
                                                                                                                                                                                                          improve the performance of
the environment, both on the critical materials needed to build      bring many talents of different fields      memories) already integrated
                                                                                                                                                                                                          spintronic technology.
the various devices, but even more so on energy consumption.         together plus successful industry-          into specialized chips. Delivering
                                                                                                                                                                                                          I would then recommend strong
Spintronic or Spin Electronic differs from traditional electronics   university collaboration plus an            sizable quantities at a competitive                           PROF STÉPHANE
                                                                                                                                                                                                          collaborations between scientific
in that, in addition to charge state, electron spins are exploited   appropriate level of public funding         cost requires several things to                               MANGIN
                                                                                                                                                                               UNIVERSITÉ DE              research centers and industries.
as a further degree of freedom, with implications in the             can overcome these hurdles and              happen. First, semiconductor tool
energy efficiency of data storage and transfer. Consequently,                                                    manufacturer need to develop                                  LORRAINE, FRANCE
                                                                     “integrate” all the required technology.
this technology can strongly impact power consumption in             Tohoku University’s Center for              systems that allow high capacity
computing and data storage applications. Depending on each                                                       wafer processing (greater wafers/hour         The energy consumption of the ICT
                                                                     Innovative Integrated Electronics
sub application, spintronics could improve the energy efficiency                                                 provides less cost/chip). Initial demand      (information & communication) sector
                                                                     Systems is exactly doing this.
by 10% to 10,000%.                                                                                               for AI, IoT and other specialized chips       is predicted to represent 11% of the

14                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          15
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
PHILIPPE VARIN             besubsidized by the public authorities.       free. To achieve this ambitious goal,        products will have better performance
                                                                                  CHAIRMAN WMF,                                                            we have assembled a world-class              characteristics than the previous product
                                                                                  FRANCE                     We need to establish a global coalition       team, top-tier investors, and industry-      generation, customers are often hesitant
                                                                                                             of bigplayers to reduce the cost              leading partners to ensure that we can       to accept higher prices. Clients adopt
                                                                                                             drastically in a mannersuch as was            successfully bring the MOE technology        new cements only if mainly the costs
                                                                                 There are are two
                                                                                                             seen as Moore’s law in semiconductor.         to market in just a few years’ time.         and only in secondary order also the
                                                                 main routes for bulk materials to
                                                                 decrease CO2 emissions: one is on                                                                                                      performance is the same as with the
                                                                 energy saving for current processes                                                                                                    existing cement. I am convinced we can
                                                                 and the other are new processes that                                                                                                   achieve our 2030 CO2 reduction target
                                                                 can deliver no emission from the start.                                                                                                with our new product lines at a similar
                                                                                                                              TADEU                                         ENRICO                      or even better “price to performance
                                                                                                                              CARNEIRO                                      BORGARELLO                  ratio” than with the existing products.
                                                                 It should be relatively simpler for
                                                                                                                              CHAIRMAN AND CEO,                             GLOBAL PRODUCT
                                                                 the chemical sector as it just needs                                                                                                   Another key hurdle are many outdated
                                                                                                                              BOSTON METAL, USA                             INNOVATION
                                                                 to replace oil & gas with electricity                                                                      DIRECTOR HEIDEL-            construction codes and standards, which
                                                                 as source of heat. In France, 90 % of                                                                      BERGCEMENT, ITALY           make it rather difficult to place new and
                                                                 electricity is already produced from        Steel production is the largest                                                            innovative products. We are therefore
                                                                 nuclear or renewable.                       industrial source of CO2 – responsible                                                     working closely with authorities and law
                                                                                                                                                           Cement production is responsible for
                                                                                                             for 9% of global CO2 emissions. In                                                         makers to replace those regulations with
                                                                 As for aluminium, achieving no CO2                                                        5 to 7 % of total global CO2 emissions.
                                                                                                             addition, steel production is set to                                                       appropriate new ones.
                                                                 production in processing recycled                                                         Our goal is to reduce our emissions
                                                                                                             increase over the coming decades.
                                                                 alminium is not a big problem. For                                                        from clinker production (Scope 1) by         Our preferred solution would be to
                                                                                                             Boston Metal is developing the molten
                                                                 production of primary alminium, it is                                                     30% until 2030 compared to 1990 and          have a globally unified carbon price at
                                                                                                             oxide electrolysis (MOE) process that,
                                                                 necessary to replace carbon anodes                                                        to be able to provide all our customers      a level that allows producers like us to
                                                                                                             when powered by clean electricity, will
                                                                 with inert anodes. Alcoa and Rio                                                          with carbon neutral concrete latest          realize the ambitious goal of providing all
                                                                                                             produce high-volume, liquid steel with
                                                                 Tinto Alcan are building an industrial                                                    by 2050. This means, our clinker             customers with carbon neutral concrete.
                                                                                                             zero CO2 emissions.
                                                                 pilot plant in Canada. They plan to                                                       production would then have to reach a        But this still seems to be not feasible
                                                                 industrialize at prototype level in the     We have already developed an inert            net zero carbon emissions level.             quickly, therefore we propose for short
                                                                 next 10 years.                              anode which is the key enabler of                                                          term to keep the emission trade system
                                                                                                             emissions-free production, and we have        At the same time, we are working
                                                                                                                                                                                                        like the one here in Europe in the way
                                                                 It is more challenging for steel            successfully demonstrated the full MOE        with customers to reduce the
                                                                                                                                                                                                        as it is now designed for Phase 4. On
                                                                 and cement. One option would be             process at semi-industrial scale. We          downstream related CO2 emission
                                                                                                                                                                                                        a medium term, along with a further
                                                                 carbon capture and storage (CCS)            are currently building industrial scale       at the construction site, for example
                                                                                                                                                                                                        reduction of the CO2 emissions allowed,
                                                                 but it may not be profitable. Major         cells and plan to pilot the technology        in reducing construction time thanks
                                                                                                                                                                                                        a new system has to be implemented to
                                                                 steel companies are working on              for high-volume steel production in           to new cement grades allowing for
                                                                                                                                                                                                        ensure, that advanced markets like here
                                                                 development of deoxidazation process        2023. As the technology is modular,           more precast or modular construction.
                                                                                                                                                                                                        in Europe, are protected against unfair
                                                                 using hydrogen but it is still in R&D       a successful pilot test will allow us to      Another innovative technology is the
                                                                                                                                                                                                        imports of products, which do not meet
                                                                 stage. A development of electrolysis        quickly deploy demonstration plants by        use of 3 D concrete printing, which
                                                                                                                                                                                                        the same ambitious emission limits. We
                                                                 and other extraction processes for steel    utilizing multiple cells.                     offers the potential to reduce the
                                                                                                                                                                                                        hope that latest by 2050, comparable
                                                                 are also being conducted. Developing                                                      material intensity up to 50 %.
                                                                                                                                                                                                        national standards will be in place to
                                                                 anode resisting high temperature as         Obtaining a stable and economic
                                                                                                                                                                                                        allow all producers to produce carbon
                                                                 high as 2000 celsius will be key.           supply of zero-emission electricity, such     In order to achieve our 30% reduction
                                                                                                                                                                                                        net zero products.
                                                                                                             as hydro, nuclear, geothermal, and solar      goal by 2030, we need to use
Technology #7                                                    Also for the electrolysis process, stable
                                                                 supply of electricity is important.
                                                                                                             or wind combined with battery storage,
                                                                                                             is key for realizing truly emissions-free
                                                                                                                                                           alternative fuels to an extend of at least
                                                                                                                                                           30% worldwide (current rate worldwide:
                                                                                                                                                                                                        Concrete is already a construction
                                                                                                                                                                                                        material of superior sustainability
NO CO2                                                           Nuclear energy shouldplay an
                                                                 important role. PV and wind power
                                                                                                             steel production from our MOE process.        23%), reduce the content of clinker in
                                                                                                                                                           cement production from 74% down
                                                                                                                                                                                                        characteristics and will become the
                                                                                                                                                                                                        most sustainable building material,
PRODUCTION                                                       need to be combined with batteries to
                                                                 offer the requiredstability.
                                                                                                             In areas such as Canada or Brazil, where
                                                                                                             hydro powered electricity is very cheap
                                                                                                                                                           to 70% by using more supplementary
                                                                                                                                                           cementitious materials like slag and
                                                                                                                                                                                                        latest after we have implemented our
                                                                                                                                                                                                        ambitious decarbonation strategy.
OF BULK MATERIAL                                                 Finally developing the Hydrogen
                                                                                                             and abundant, our technology will
                                                                                                             have a natural cost advantage over the
                                                                                                                                                           fly ashes and also further improve the
                                                                                                                                                           efficiency of our production sites by        HeidelbergCement will deliver the
                                                                 supply chain is a highly strategic          conventional process. In areas where          installing new, high efficiency plant        reduction of our carbon footprint by min.
                                                                 matter for our planet. Carbonpricing        emissions-free electricity is not so cheap,   equipment, as done in recent years in        30% until 2030 and be able to provide all
Technology summary : Due to the volumes involved, Bulk           can be effective but current price of       certain measures such as a carbon tax         Germany as well as in Italy.                 our customers worldwide with carbon
materials such as steel (1,900 Mt produced in 2019), cement      about 25 euro/ton in europe is too          may be necessary to fill the cost gap                                                      net zero concrete latest by 2050.
(4,100 Mt produced in 2019) or chemicals (520 Mt produced        low to trigger the investment. A level      versus the conventional process.              The main hurdle on the raod to
in 2019) are essential to tackle climate change problem.         above 60 euro/ton seemsnecessary,           Steel production has been associated          industrialization is the market              We see recycling of construction
Introduction of decarbonized electolysis process, use of         but it will take some time before           with high CO2 emissions since the             acceptance of new, more sustainable          materials in combination with innovative
hydrogen for source of heat /reduction element, carbon capture   ithappens because of social and             Iron Age. By the middle of this decade,       and therefore often also more expensive      carbon capture und use technologies as
and storage are the key technologies being developed in each     political reasons. In the meantime,         Boston Metal intends to demonstrate           products by our customers. Even              the most promising pathway into a more
sector.                                                          developments will have to                   that the future of steel is emissions-        if we can guarantee that the new             sustainable future for our industry.

16                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         17
TOP 10 WMF TECHNOLOGIES AUGUST 2020 - World Materials Forum
SHUNICHI                                  JELENA                                       PATRICK KOLLER            amounts to be invested are high but
                                                                                   MIYANAGA                                  STOJADINOVIC                                 CEO FAURECIA,             also because the Capex choices need
                                                                                   CHAIRMAN                                  CEO MEMBRASENZ,                              FRANCE                    to be right the 1st time.
                                                                                   MITSUBISHI HEAVY                          SWITZERLAND
                                                                                   INDUSTRIES, JAPAN                                                                                                Hence the importance of designing
                                                                                                                                                                         Our contribution to
                                                                                                                                                                                                    coordinated product standards as well
                                                                                                                                                         the H2 value chain is, together with
                                                                  Our contribution to the H2 value chain     For me the key green technology on                                                     as involving the financial investors
                                                                                                                                                         Michelin, to develop fuel cell high
                                                                  is the Gas Turbine technology and we       the hydrogen value chain is water                                                      community in parallel to developing
                                                                                                                                                         performance products.
                                                                  already use hydrogen as a combustion       electrolysis and we will “make it”                                                     the right technologies.
                                                                  fuel partially (30%).                      when we will have increased two             On top of safety, our key objective is
                                                                                                             parameters:                                 power density:
                                                                  We are involved in a project at a 440      1. the share of hydrogen from               • by volume: 4,2 kW/l vs 3,1 kW/l today
                                                                  MW power plant in the Netherlands          renewables at 70%                           • by weight: 2,6 kW/kg vs 2 kW/kg
                                                                  where our F Class (1.400 °C) is expected   2. the electrolysis efficiency above 80%    today
                                                                  to reach 100% H2 combustion by 2025.
                                                                  Our J Class (1.600 °C) should reach 100%   I see Scandinavia, Germany and              For mobility applications, power
                                                                  H2 combustion by 2040.                     maybe France, Switzerland and Japan         density by volume might be even
                                                                                                             to be there in 2025, and the rest of the    more important than by weight.
                                                                  We see transportation of hydrogen          world in 2030.
                                                                  to be the most difficult hurdle on the                                                 The Hydrogen Council is forecasting
                                                                  road to industrial scale. Ensuring safe    Upscaling membrane solutions, while         the cost of hydrogen to decrease by
                                                                  transportation is clearly feasible but     keeping the quality - meaning               up to 50% by 2030 for a wide range
                                                                  it will cost a lot to cover compression    gas tightness – will be the toughest        of applications making it competitive
                                                                  or liquefaction plus transportation        challenge. Capex reduction of               with other low carbon alternatives.
                                                                  itself (including loading and off          electrolysis systems is also a key
                                                                                                             challenge as we are at 1200 euros/          For light commercial vehicles we
                                                                  loading) plus final usage preparation
                                                                                                             kWh today and we need to divide this        anticipate the TCO (Total Cost of
                                                                  (regassification etc..).
                                                                                                             amount by 2 by 2030.                        Ownership) of the Fuel Cell EV to be
                                                                  Also stable power supply is key to                                                     lower than the TCO of Battery EV
                                                                  water electrolysis efficiency - and        Our contribution to improving               before 2030.
                                                                  therefore lower cost - but this will be    alkaline electrolysers’ efficiency is to
                                                                                                             increase ion conductivity that directly     The availability of green H2 at
                                                                  difficult with renewable energy only.
                                                                                                             impacts water splitting (with 250 mS/cm     acceptable cost will be the main
                                                                  We should always try to make               we are already at the double from what      challenge on the road to industrial
                                                                  short the distance between the H2          is commercially available) and to be able   scale as well as the adoption of
                                                                  production site and the H2 usage           to keep this performance at industrial      coordinated product standards
                                                                  site. For example always install water     scale - we should be there in 2023.         at Regional level. The installation

Technology #8                                                     electrolysis close to existing or new
                                                                  power plant and connect it to the          To reach this objective, besides
                                                                                                                                                         of proper infrastructures will also
                                                                                                                                                         take time even if countries like

LOWER COST HYDROGEN                                               power grid with enough grid capacity.      collaborating with different
                                                                                                             partners, we are also considering to
                                                                                                                                                         Japan, Korea, Germany, France or
                                                                                                                                                         Switzerland have already announced

BASED ON RENEWABLE
                                                                  And we should always consider              design and build in house a machine         major investments in the field of
                                                                  nuclear energy in combination with         capable of producing our membrane           infrastructures.

ENERGY FOR FUEL CELL
                                                                  renewable energy power supply. On          at the right specs.
                                                                  top of renewable energy, nuclear                                                       Cooperation will be therefore be
                                                                                                             And we also think that AI will be           key between countries, industrial
APPLICATIONS
                                                                  energy is an essential power supply to
                                                                  expand the usage of green H2 globally.     needed to reduce the consumption            actors, financial investors, shipping
                                                                                                             of raw materials when it comes              companies and ports in order to
                                                                  Also in the transition phase, low cost     to industrialization.                       invest in the right projects (be green
                                                                  “non green” electric power for H2                                                      H2 production, infrastructures or
WMF Objective: lower energy consumption                           production could be used as soon as it     I think that we should also bring H2        direct mobility Capex) that will deliver
                                                                  allows to speed up the adoption of H2      closer to general audience and provide      the most efficient solutions at an
                                                                  with a resulting reduced CO2 impact        information in a simple way about           acceptable cost in the best delays. This
Making hydrogen a safe and cost efficient solution for
electromobility is the objective of a set of technologies (gas    over the full supply chain. For example    the possibilities offered by H2 (also       is the major objective of the Hydrogen
turbine, water electrolysis, high performance fuel cells) all     in existing coal fired plants, half of     for residential/domestic applications)      Council with more than 100 members
along the H2 supply chain. Making all these technologies evolve   existing boilers and turbines could        and the very limited risks contrary         worldwide at CEO level.
at a consistent pace will be the challenge of the 10 years to     be stopped and water electrolysis          to what people usually think (for
come in order to get the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of the     could be installed instead: huge CO2       example on safety of hydrogen tank          Hydrogen based on renewables is
Fuel Cell light commercial vehicles below the TCO of Battery EV   reduction impact to be expected at         stations). End users could have a huge      probably THE energy of tomorrow but
before 2030.                                                      low capital expenditure.                   impact on early adoption of H2.             it will take time not only because the

18                                                                                                                                                                                                                                19
THIERRY                   of supporting data. But this is now           that it is a viable option. That will take   domain, so every kilogram counts.
                                                                                    LE HÉNAFF                 progressing fast, thanks to industry          some time but will inevitably happen,
                                                                                    CEO ARKÉMA,               leaders such as Boeing and Airbus,            as we have seen with the adoption            Reaching industrial scale, meaning
                                                                                    FRANCE                    and the effective collaborations they         of other technologies in competitive         delivering quantities at a competitive
                                                                                                              encourage through the value chain.            environments.                                cost depends strongly on the type
                                                                                                                                                                                                         of raw materials. In our case, we
                                                                    3D manufacturing offers many
                                                                                                              We think that 3D Manufacturing is             The second hurdle is software.               will be working with our industry
                                                                    benefits. The ability to deliver higher
                                                                                                              still in its infancy. There is still a long   Companies need digital warehouses            partners to prototype parts and to
                                                                    specific performance per unit weight
                                                                                                              road in front of us even if the start is      of 3D print files. Do we have                trial components by end of this year.
                                                                    is one of the key features, thanks to a
                                                                                                              promising.                                    software supporting integration              We will be working with a range of
                                                                    combination of optimized design, and
                                                                                                                                                            with company’s workflow? Is it               newly developed materials that will
                                                                    smarter materials.                        And we can accelerate its development         completely safe to use? Can we do            be fit for purpose. One of the benefits
                                                                                                              and adoption by continuing                    remote management of printers?               of the Fill Multilayer process is that it
                                                                    3D printing allows to design parts
                                                                                                              innovating in materials, design and           Can software support in optimizing           enables digitalization and the use of
                                                                    with reinforcement localized precisely
                                                                                                              printing technologies through strong          designs for 3D printing?                     hybrid materials. This facilitates the
                                                                    where it is required to sustain the
                                                                                                              partnerships along the value chain.                                                        optimization of part performance and
                                                                    load, and with empty space or lighter
                                                                                                              So, the key here is really partnerships.      So we need top management to                 cost with the ability to manufacture
                                                                    material where it is not needed. This
                                                                                                                                                            embrace 3D printing, deploying it            at a very fast rate (up to one part per
                                                                    topology cannot be produced by
                                                                                                                                                            and supporting it, we need great             minute). The next key challenge is to
                                                                    injection or tooling alone. Combined
                                                                                                                                                            managers to support our technologies         increase the volume of parts and the
                                                                    with the use of materials like high
                                                                                                                                                            and we need to open the door for             size of the components. This challenge
                                                                    performance polymers, composites
                                                                                                                                                            young talent using 3D printing and
                                                                    or hybrids, we should expect to reach                        JOS BURGER                                                              will be met in the next 5-10 years.
                                                                                                                                                            proving that it can work in all kinds
                                                                    by 2030 an overall KPI gain of at least                      CEO ULTIMAKER, NL
                                                                                                                                                            of different use cases in different          I think the way to scale up faster is
                                                                    40% on specific performance such as
                                                                                                                                                            industries.                                  to incentivize more partnerships
                                                                    strength or stiffness per unit weight.                       We expect 3D printing                                                   between research and industry
                                                                                                                                 to be at a stage of        As a summary, talent management              globally. And also to recruit bright,
                                                                    To some extent, although not in every
                                                                                                              much broader adoption in a period of          will be key to be successful. And so         enthusiastic PhD students who
                                                                    sector, 3D Manufacturing is already
                                                                                                              3 to 4 years. It will affect in a positive    will be the ability to create efficient      are able to focus their research on
                                                                    industrial, in the sense of sizable
                                                                                                              way a wide range of industries. We            partnerships between various                 meeting industry needs and also have
                                                                    quantities at competitive cost.
                                                                                                              expect that the combination of                industries and between industry and          the freedom to think deeply and to
                                                                    10 years ago, 90% of 3D printing          software, right material choices and          academia. We need organisations like         pursue some of their ideas. This will
                                                                    applications were in prototyping vs.      printers (including design, software          WMF to promote our case.                     provide industry with a pipeline of

Technology #9                                                       10% in manufacturing. Today, we are at    and intel strategy) will lead to weight                                                    talent bringing fresh ideas to solve
                                                                    70:30. This proportion will be reversed   reductions, depending on the material                                                      complex problems in multidisciplinary
                                                                                                              between 20 and 70%
3D MANUFACTURING                                                    by the end of the decade: by 2030
                                                                    more than 70% of 3D-printing activity
                                                                                                              3D printing is already effective in the
                                                                                                                                                                                                         teams.

                                                                                                                                                                                                         I have personally witnessed the
OF PLASTICS                                                         will be manufacturing. We expect
                                                                    that polymer parts manufactured by
                                                                                                              traditional domains of prototyping but
                                                                                                              also very effective in the domain of
                                                                                                                                                                             PROF.
                                                                                                                                                                             BRONWYN FOX
                                                                                                                                                                                                         benefits of global partnerships, and
                                                                                                                                                                                                         the unique outcomes that arise when
AND CARBON                                                          3D-printing will grow into a $40bn
                                                                    opportunity by 2030.
                                                                                                              manufacturing aids and replacement
                                                                                                              parts.
                                                                                                                                                                             SWINBURNE
                                                                                                                                                                             UNIVERSITY,
                                                                                                                                                                                                         we bring different cultures together.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         Teams with a diversity of backgrounds,
FIBER COMPOSITES                                                    The challenges which have been
                                                                    limiting the rate of adoption of 3D       For large quantities, it will take a little
                                                                                                                                                                             AUSTRALIA
                                                                                                                                                                                                         culture and thought can find solutions
                                                                                                                                                                                                         that we didn’t’ realize were possible.
                                                                                                              bit more time but what we do see              At Swinburne, our 3D Manufacturing
                                                                    manufacturing have long been                                                                                                         Partnerships between industry
                                                                                                              is that 3D printing is very effective         technology is focused on a range of
                                                                    identified: primarily printing speed,                                                                                                engaged universities can promote
WMF Objective: performance to weight                                limitations in materials properties,      in producing smaller series of                industry applications including space
                                                                                                                                                                                                         business to business relationships
                                                                                                              products that are very much geared            and satellites as well as logistics. Our
                                                                    production cost and reliability in                                                                                                   between industry partners leading
                                                                                                              toward specific needs of individual           technology will allow to increase the
Technology summary : Additive manufacturing has evolved             quality.                                                                                                                             to the commercialization of new
                                                                                                              customers. For these customers, 3D            performance and reduce the cost of
very quickly during the last few years towards production                                                                                                                                                technologies.
of industrial parts made in an extanded range of printable          The most severe of these hurdles          printing is absolutely superior and way       manufacturing. We can reduce the
materials and new fields of application have emerged.               is definitely reliability. Consistent     ahead of the traditional production           weight of trucks and drones which
Significant progress has been achieved and will still be achieved   production quality is a primary           technologies.                                 mean you can carry more cargo,
in the 10 years to come to further improve speed of production,     requirement in the aerospace, medical                                                   we can lightweight electric cars
material performance, cost and reliability. 3D printing should      and automotive sectors, especially for    We see two major hurdles on the road          and electric planes which means
heavily contribute to reduce not only final part weight (WMF        structural parts. 3D manufacturing        to industrialization: one is that the         they have a longer range. We can
KPI: Performance to Weight) but also the full amount of wastes      has the ability to produce high quality   driving forces accelerating adoption          also lightweight space and satellite
generated on the full production process towards the final part     parts, but it has been suffering from     is people and we need people                  technology. To launch a kilogram
(WMF KPI: Buy to Use).                                              a lack of consistency and from a lack     embracing 3D printing and proving             into space it cost 10 000$, so in this

20                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        21
You can also read