Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Amaero hocks Adelaide assets as part of farewell to Australia

Amaero International has announced that it has finalised the sale of all powder and equipment at its Adelaide facility for approximately $460,000 in cash, “in conjunction with the cessation of operations in Australia”. Amaero — which was spun out of Monash University in 2013 — announced in July that it will locate a planned titanium atomisation powder factory and move its R&D to Tennessee. It followed this in October with news it will end all operations in Australia, including sites in Melbourne and Adelaide. In its statement to the ASX on Monday it explained that, “While [the] Adelaide facility lease is still active, the obligation ends on 23 December 2023.”

End Food Waste Australia brand launched

The Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre (FFWCRC) and Stop Food Waste Australia (SFWA) unveiled a new unified brand: End Food Waste Australia on Friday. The rebrand marked “a pivotal moment in the fight against food waste, solidifying five years of dedication and progress towards Australia’s goal of halving food waste by 2030, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3” the pair said in a statement. “End Food Waste Australia represents the culmination of years of dedication and collaboration. By uniting under one brand, we are forging a powerful force for positive change in the realm of food waste reduction,” said CEO Dr Steven Lapidge.

Element 25 files international patent applications

Element 25 announced on Monday that it has finalised and lodged two key international patent applications in relation to its battery grade, high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) production process. These were lodged “under the Patent Co-Operation Treaty (PCT), claiming priority from Australian Patent Application(s) 2022903576 & 2022903573” and “expected to provide protection for two key manganese processing steps” in the flow sheet, which are critical to reduced energy consumption compared to roast reduction processing and reduced reagent consumption compared to traditional neutralisation. It added that the innovations “will mean that the E25 process can claim industry-leading low carbon intensity and compete on cost in target markets when compared with existing producers.” Element 25 expects its patent applications to be processed in 2024.

Kinaltek seeks Senior Scientist/Engineer

Materials technology developer Kinaltek announced on Monday that it is looking to add a Senior Scientist/Engineer to its team. The company, which describes itself as creating “innovative technologies for the production and processing of inorganic powders, including silicon composites and metal powders”, said it is “looking for a talented individual to join our team and help us push the boundaries of this exciting industry.” Kinaltek announced a $15 million Series A round in May, and this month was announced as participant in an ARC Linkage-funded project with UTS, aiming “to develop low-cost high-performance silicon-based anode materials for next generation high-energy lithium-ion batteries.” The job ad can be viewed here.

Solar and wind generation outstrip household energy demands

Solar and wind energy supply exceeded household electricity use for the first time ever in 2021-22, according to new data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Luisa Ryan, ABS head of environment statistics, said: “Continued growth in solar and wind production means that, for the first time, the output of electricity from these sectors was greater than total household demand in the same period of time,” said Luisa Ryan, ABS head of environment statistics. Ryan added there was the emerging behaviours. “Less energy use in manufacturing continues a longer-term pattern of reduced energy consumption. Meanwhile household energy has continued to fall since its peak in 2016-17. In 2021-22 Household energy use dropped due to lower petrol and diesel consumption” said Ryan. The transport industry saw the largest increase of any industry as air travel continued its resumption after the withdrawal of COVID-19 restrictions. Energy exports of black coal fell 1.3 per cent in 2021-22, and liquified natural gas exports rose 7.5 per cent.

TMRRW award winners announced

Winners for the TMRRW Awards AU/NZ 2023 have been announced. Social housing furnishing company ReLovewon Change Maker Of The Year 2023. Other winners from the event include Goodbye Gas who won the Breakthrough Award, Nutri V who won the Disruptor Award, SaltGrass the Community Champion Award, Zymedyne Therapeutics the Challenger Award, and Special Achievement Award Cross Laminated Offsite Solutions. The TMRRW Awards recognise “the local businesses, organisations, and projects making a positive environmental or social impact.” according to their organisers, and were originally launched in 2021 as The Circle Awards.

Voting to close on Friday for rover naming competition

Voting will end in four days, at 11.59 pm AEDT on Friday (December 1), in the competition to name the first Australian-made Moon rover. The Australian Space Agency launched the competition back in September to name the rover, which will be sent to the Moon on a future NASA mission, and said on Monday that it has received “more than 8,000 entries from across Australia before reducing that to a shortlist of four.” That shortlist was unveiled Monday last week, and thousands more Aussies have voted on their favourite via the agency’s website. The shortlisted four names are Coolamon, Kakirra, Mateship, and Roo-ver. You can lodge your vote here.

Picture: credit Kinaltek