Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, October 21 – October 25, 2024

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading.

5) Licella, Shell partner to pursue biomass-to-aviation fuel processing

Recycling technology company Licella has announced a new partnership with the decarbonisation division of Shell, applying the two companies’ collective expertise to biofuels, particularly sustainable aviation fuels (SAF.)

In a statement on Monday, Licella described the news as a “global upgrading collaboration” combining its proprietary hydrothermal liquefaction process, known as Cat-HTR, with partner Shell Catalysts & Technologies’s hydroprocessing technology.

Cat-HTR was developed by University of Sydney chemistry researchers and is able to turn biomass into renewable biocrude. (The process is also used by Licella and its partners to recycle post-consumer plastics back into crude oil and other chemicals.)

4) HPA processing, ‘4D digital twins’ and breakthrough hydrogen storage among newly-funded CRC-P projects

Round 16 Cooperative Research Centres Project (CRC-P) grants totalling approximately $55 million have been awarded to 23 projects, involving companies including junior mining explorer Impact Minerals, medical test maker ZiP Diagnostics, drone mapping specialist Emesent, and hydrogen storage company Rux Energy.

In a statement on Tuesday, industry minister Ed Husic said one grant for almost $3 million went to a project involving CPC Engineering, supporting development of a new membrane technology for metals separation that could “transform Australia’s processing of critical minerals”.

“CPC Engineering’s pioneering work filtering critical minerals has the potential to cut costs for business and also significantly reduce environmental waste,” said Husic.

3) Government says Australian R&D is strong – it is not

The federal government has issued an Australian Innovation Statistics (AIS) dashboard showing, according to the headline on the government’s media release, ‘Govt R&D up, overall R&D needs uplift’.

The problem with this convenient analysis is that it belies the reality established in @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – of a national innovation effort in freefall since 2012.

And despite this federal government’s statements on the benefits of innovation – the picture of decline has not changed markedly since the days of the coalition government.

2) Gupta says Whyalla blast furnace will start – again

Steelmaker GFG Alliance’s executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta put on a brave face in South Australia this week, vowing the company’s troubled Whyalla blast furnace would produce again and that the site had a future making green steel.

Gupta travelled to Whyalla in South Australia to inspect repair work on the blast furnace which has been out of action for much of the time since March when an uncontrolled iron breakout damaged the furnaces outer shell.

He also met with South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas who raised concerns about unpaid royalties and the plight of contractors in Whyalla who have had little work with the blast furnace idle.

1) No buyers for Quickstep MRO business, will close

Aerospace composites manufacturer Quickstep has been unable to find a buyer for its loss making Quickstep Aerospace Services maintenance business at Tullamarine in Melbourne, and will close the operation.

The Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) operation was originally purchased from Boeing Australia, with Quickstep investing $4 million and expanding the operation in 2021.

QAS works on Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier civilian aircraft, as well as F/A-18 Classic and Super Hornets, C-130J Hercules and CH-47 Chinooks.

Picture: credit Quickstep