"D-CRBN, an Antwerp-based company, has developed a technology that uses plasma to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide. Using renewable electricity, the plasma is used to break the carbon-oxygen bond, thereby converting CO2 into carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide can be used as a reductant in the steelmaking process - replacing part of the coke or metallurgical coal used in the blast furnace - or as a basic ingredient in Gent's Steelanol plant, for chemicals or alternative fuel production."

"The Generation 3 tech is able to capture twice the CO2 per module compared with its predecessor while cutting its energy consumption and associated costs in half, according to the startup."

"The project is perhaps the first to directly power a large industrial facility using solar-plus-storage technology. Developers say they hope the setup can serve as a model for future manufacturing plants — especially as the United States ramps up domestic production of electric cars, solar panels, batteries, and the steel, aluminum, and other essential materials used to make them."

"Other solutions to obtain more of these metals are retrieving them from discarded devices and shifting sourcing to friendly nations and away from geopolitical rivals or unstable countries, analysts say. For now, there is only a handful of critical or rare earth mineral mines in the United States, although many more are being proposed."

"The team used a 3M solution of LiPF6 electrolyte dissolved in a 1,3-dioxane and dimethoxyethane solution mixed with a volumetric ratio of 1:3. The unique chemical formulation helps form a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) that holds together silicon particles, even when they are fractured during charge-discharge cycles. This aids in maintaining the ionic conduction and keeping unnecessary reactions to a minimum."