Veolia has announced its first electric vehicle battery recycling facility in the UK, which will have the capacity to process 20% of the UK's end of life electric vehicle batteries by 2024.

IDTechEx have identified a variety of business models adopted by recyclers. Some aim to optimize the transport and collection pathways, via Spoke and Hub or mobile solutions, while others look to license their technologies or sell recycling products.

Silk makes an important biomaterial, because it does not generate an immune response in humans and promotes the growth of cells. It has been used in drug delivery, and because the material is flexible and has favorable technological properties, it is ideal for wearable and implantable health monitoring sensors.

Range and efficiency are set to define the electric era. Exceptional range will make electric cars suitable for every journey and help to increase overall adoption. Reduced battery size and weight will improve efficiency and Mercedes-Benz engineers are working to take range and efficiency to a new level.

More precise, faster, cheaper: Researchers all over the world have been working for years on producing electrical circuits using additive processes such as robotic 3-printing (so-called robocasting) - with great success, but this is now becoming a problem. The metal particles that make such "inks" electrically conductive are exacerbating the problem of electronic waste.

From 2033 on, the future of the Audi brand will be fully electric. The company is continuing to pick up speed along the way: Audi doubled the number of fully electric models in its range in 2021. That means that Audi is putting more electric cars than combustion engines on the market in the current year.

Scientists have developed paper-thin biodegradable zinc batteries that could one day become an environmentally sustainable option for powering flexible and wearable electronic systems. The zinc batteries are made up of electrodes screen-printed on to both sides of a piece of cellulose paper that has been reinforced with hydrogel.

Consumer products made from recycled ocean plastics include everything from sunglasses and T-shirts to running shoes and yarn. Now, Ford is adding to its legacy as a leader in sustainability and is the first automaker to use 100% recycled ocean plastics to produce automotive parts.

Manufacturers rely on rare earth elements, like neodymium, to create strong magnets used in motors for electronics including hybrid cars, aircraft generators, loudspeakers, hard drives and in-ear headphones. But mineral deposits containing neodymium are hard to reach and are found in just a few places on Earth.

With the pandemic still raging, supply chain disruptions, the chip shortage, climate catastrophes, and geopolitical turbulence, it is safe to say 2021 has not been smooth sailing. The materials and chemical sector provides the backbone of every industry and remains under pressure from all these challenges. In this article, IDTechEx highlights the key news from their independent perspective on this crucial industry.

FREYR Battery has become a member of the Fair Cobalt Alliance to underscore FREYR's commitment to developing a sustainable global battery industry.

Northvolt has produced its first battery cell with 100% recycled nickel, manganese and cobalt and now aims towards scale-up of recycling facilities in Sweden.

Tuesday 16 November 2021 - An Array of Choices for Battery and Energy Storage Technology. Pros and cons of solid-state batteries compared with conventional lithium-ion batteries, the current market status, future trends, and pack design consideration; Special form factor enabled by solid-state batteries; and much more.

A digital, urbanised world consumes huge amounts of raw materials that could hardly be called environmentally friendly. One promising solution may be found in renewable raw materials, according to research

Friday 12 November 2021 - covering recent progress with smart cities and what is likely to happen in 2022. It deals with both new cities and existing ones that are radically modernising. Learn how the objectives are now far more ambitious

Single-use plastic waste has been successfully transformed into 3D printing filaments - which will eventually be used by businesses to make sustainable new products - as part of a multi-million pound international research project, led by Manchester Metropolitan University.

Direct recycling involves reactivating the battery material to recover capacity lost during cycling. Unlike pyro- and hydrometallurgical methods, the crystal structure of Li-ion cathodes is prevented from being broken down.

In pursuit of batteries that deliver more power and operate more safely, researchers are working to replace the liquids commonly used in today's lithium ion batteries with solid materials. Now, a research team has developed a new material for use in solid-state batteries that's derived from an unlikely source: trees.

Researchers have developed a new, cost-effective, ecological solution for augmenting the printed page with rich, up-to-date digital content. The development overcomes one of the most significant advantages e-books have over paper books, helping paper maintain its strong position in its competition with electronic media.

Recyclus is on the forefront of both lithium-ion and lead acid battery recycling, and the breaker will add new capabilities for Recyclus with regard to the latter technology. The breaker allows Recyclus to take advantage of the burgeoning demand for lead-acid batteries through the retrieval, recycling and repurposing of used battery stock.