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On a sunny morning in late spring, I discovered myself rigorously analyzing an array of considerably unassuming-looking rocks on the American Museum of Pure Historical past.
I’ve gotten to see some cutting-edge applied sciences as a reporter, from high-tech water therapy crops to check nuclear reactors. Peering at samples of dusty reddish monazite and speckled bastnäsite, I noticed the potential for innovation there, too. That’s as a result of all of the minerals unfold out throughout the desk include neodymium, a uncommon earth steel that’s used at the moment in all kinds of gadgets, from audio system to wind generators. And it’s doubtless going to turn into much more essential sooner or later.
By the point I got here to the museum to see some neodymium for myself, I’d been pondering (or maybe obsessing) in regards to the steel for months—mainly since I’d began reporting a narrative for our upcoming print subject that’s lastly out on-line. The story takes a have a look at what challenges we’ll face with supplies for the following century, and neodymium is middle stage. Let’s check out why I spent so lengthy eager about this obscure steel, and why I feel it reveals a lot about the way forward for expertise.
Within the new subject of our print journal, MIT Expertise Overview is celebrating its a hundred and twenty fifth anniversary. However relatively than look again to our 1899 founding, the workforce determined to look ahead to the following 125 years.
I’ve been fascinated with matters like mining, recycling, and different applied sciences since I’ve been reporting on local weather. So once I began eager about the distant future, my thoughts instantly went to supplies. What sort of stuff will we’d like? Will there be sufficient of it? How does tech development change the image?
Zooming out to the 2100s and past modified the stakes and altered how I considered among the acquainted matters I’ve been reporting on for years.
For instance, we’ve got sufficient of the stuff we have to energy our world with renewables. However in idea, there’s some future level at which we may burn by means of our present assets. What occurs then? Because it seems, there’s extra uncertainty in regards to the quantity of assets out there than you may think. And we are able to study loads from earlier efforts to undertaking when the provision of fossil fuels will start to expire, an idea often known as peak oil.
We will arrange techniques to reuse and recycle the metals which can be most necessary for our future. These amenities may finally assist us mine much less and make materials provide steadier and even cheaper. However what occurs when the expertise these amenities are designed to recycle inevitably adjustments, presumably rendering outdated setups out of date? Predicting what supplies might be necessary, and adjusting efforts to make and reuse them, is difficult to say the least.
To attempt to reply these large questions, I took a cautious have a look at one specific steel: neodymium. It’s a silvery-white uncommon earth steel, central to highly effective magnets which can be on the coronary heart of many alternative applied sciences, each within the power sector and past.
Neodymium can stand in for most of the challenges and alternatives we face with supplies within the coming century. We’re going to wish much more of it within the close to future, and we may run into some provide constraints as we race to mine sufficient to satisfy our wants. It’s doable to recycle the steel to chop down on the extraction wanted sooner or later, and a few firms are already making an attempt to arrange the infrastructure to take action.
The world is properly on its option to adapting to situations which can be much more neodymium-centric. However on the similar time, efforts are already underway to construct applied sciences that wouldn’t want neodymium in any respect. If firms are capable of work out an alternate, it may completely flip all our issues, in addition to efforts to unravel them, the wrong way up.
Advances in expertise can shift the supplies we’d like, and our materials calls for can push expertise to develop in flip. It’s a loop, one which we have to try to know and untangle as we transfer ahead. I hope you’ll learn my try to begin doing that in my function story right here.
Now learn the remainder of The Spark
Associated studying
For a extra quick have a look at the race to supply uncommon earth metals, try this function story by Mureji Fatunde from January.
I began pondering extra deeply about materials demand once I was reporting tales about recycling, together with this 2023 function on the battery recycling firm Redwood Supplies.
For one instance of how firms try to develop new applied sciences that’ll change the supplies we’d like sooner or later, try this story about rare-earth-free magnets from earlier this yr.
One other factor
“If we depend on hope, we quit company. And which may be seductive, but it surely’s additionally give up.”
So writes Lydia Millet, writer of over a dozen books, in a brand new essay in regards to the feelings behind combating for a future past local weather change. It was simply revealed on-line this week. It’s additionally featured in our upcoming print subject, and I’d extremely suggest it.
Maintaining with local weather
For a glance inside what it’s actually prefer to drive a hydrogen automotive, this reporter rented one and took it on a highway journey, talking to drivers alongside the best way. (The Verge)
→ Right here’s why electrical autos are beating out hydrogen-powered ones within the race to wash up transportation. (MIT Expertise Overview)
As temperatures climb, we’ve acquired a sizzling metal downside on our arms. Warmth may cause metal, in addition to different supplies like concrete, to increase or warp, which may trigger issues from slowing down trains to lowering the quantity of electrical energy that energy traces can carry. (The Atlantic)
Oakland is the primary metropolis within the US working all-electric college buses. And the autos aren’t solely ferrying children round; they’re additionally in a position to make use of their batteries to assist the grid when it’s wanted. (Electrek)
Kind Vitality plans to construct the biggest battery set up on this planet in Maine. The system, which can use the corporate’s novel iron-air chemistry, might be able to storing 8,500 megawatt-hours’ price of power. (Canary Media)
→ We named Kind one in all our 15 Local weather Tech firms to look at in 2023. (MIT Expertise Overview)
In one of many extra fascinating makes use of I’ve seen for electrical autos, Brussels has changed horse-drawn carriages with battery-powered ones. They appear a bit of like old-timey vehicles, and operators say enterprise hasn’t slowed down because the change. (New York Occasions)
Householders are cashing in on billions of {dollars} in tax credit within the US. The cash, which rewards use of applied sciences that assist make houses extra power environment friendly and lower emissions, is disproportionately going to wealthier households. (E&E Information)
Airways are making large guarantees about utilizing new jet fuels that may assist lower emissions. A lot of the business goals to succeed in 10% different gas use by the tip of the last decade. Precise charges hit 0.17% in 2023. (Bloomberg)
Photo voltaic farms can’t get sufficient sheep—they’re nice landscaping companions. Quickly, 6,000 sheep might be serving to maintain the grass in examine between panels in what would be the largest photo voltaic grazing undertaking within the US. (Canary Media)
