TFI Network+ Archives

Blue Skies, Greener Future: A Global Renaissance of Metallurgy

Blue Skies, Greener Future: A Global Renaissance of Metallurgy

Blue Skies, Greener Future: A Global Renaissance of Metallurgy: The Birth of Metallurgy 2.0 Speaker: Professor Zhongyun Fan Metals are the backbone of global manufacturing and the fuel for economic growth. However, extraction and processing of metals are highly energy intensive and cause severe environmental damage: metal extraction accounts for 12% of global primary energy demand and 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The global grand challenge is to decouple economic growth from environmental damage. The worldwide sustainability crisis has led to a complete rethink of how we source, formulate and deploy metallic materials in the future, triggering a global renaissance of metallurgy and giving birth to Metallurgy 2.0. In this context, we have developed a vision for full metal circulation (FMC), under which the global demand for metallic materials will be met by a full circulation of secondary metals without the need for either mining or metal extraction. [...]

Joanna Johnson2024-03-25T14:06:48+00:00March 25th, 2024|

TFI Network+ Conference

TFI Network+ Conference

This in-person conference will bring together the Foundation Industries community to discuss the latest innovations and developments. There will be many chances to network throughout the event, as well as poster sessions, Q+A and a conference dinner.

Joanna Johnson2023-12-01T11:37:07+00:00December 1st, 2023|

TFI Network+ Brochure

TFI Network+ Brochure

The TFI Network+, partners of TransFIRe, have just published the first edition of their brochure, summarising the results and impact of 28 completed small projects. These projects, including projects worked on by TransFIRe team members, cover innovations in the key themes required to create sustainable foundation industries, including energy efficiency, resource efficiency, policy, advocacy and equality, diversity and inclusion. They have been co-created by academia and industry and many of the outputs are already embedded within the collaborating companies. Recipients of small project funding are working in universities throughout the UK, in collaboration with companies from the cements, ceramics, glass, metals, paper or chemicals sectors. A second edition will be made available once the final set of small projects has been completed. You can download the TFI Network+ Brochure here

Joanna Johnson2023-12-01T11:16:42+00:00December 1st, 2023|

Resource efficiency and energy efficiency in the Portuguese ceramic industry

Resource efficiency and energy efficiency in the Portuguese ceramic industry

TFI Network+ News The Portuguese ceramic industry constitutes 0.5% of Gross Domestic Product in Portugal, far higher than most other European nations, and thus it is essential this sector is decarbonised, cost-effectively to preserve jobs and national revenue. Moreover, the small size of the country and the co-location of ceramic factories dominantly in northern Portugal lowers the logistical barriers to act collectively to form networks and engage in collective strategies to push towards net zero carbon production. This article considers Portugal as an ideal case study for strategic and collective action to develop and facilitate carbon mitigation strategies. The article focuses mainly on current and future resource efficiency and energy efficiency strategies but additionally assesses the role of fuel switching (H2 vs electrification) and low energy densification technologies. Ian Reaney, Ben Walsh and Paula Vilarinho, Open Ceramics, Vol 15, 2023 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666539523000627

Joanna Johnson2023-12-11T12:52:24+00:00July 31st, 2023|