REWAS 2022: Coupling Metallurgy and Sustainability: An EPD Symposium in Honor of Diran Apelian: Innovations in Materials Design, Processing and Recycling
Sponsored by: TMS Extraction and Processing Division, TMS: Recycling and Environmental Technologies Committee, TMS: Aluminum Committee
Program Organizers: Elsa Olivetti, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Brajendra Mishra, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Bart Blanpain, Ku Leuven; Adam Powell, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Mertol Gokelma, Izmir Institute of Technology; Camille Fleuriault, Eramet Norway
Tuesday 2:30 PM
March 1, 2022
Room: 211A
Location: Anaheim Convention Center
Session Chair: Elsa Olivetti, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2:30 PM Introductory Comments
2:35 PM Invited
Current Perspectives in Metal Based Additive Manufacturing: Benjamin MacDonald1; Enrique Lavernia2; Carl Soderhjelm1; Diran Apelian1; 1University of California, Irvine; 2National Academy of Engineering
Metal based additive manufacturing (AM) has proven to be a majorly disruptive materials processing route that is central to the so-called Industrial Revolution 4.0. To date a collection of processes have been established under the concepts of metal based AM, all nuanced in the way in which material is incrementally added to a part. This overview of the recent progress in metal based AM provides an overview of the different techniques, their market readiness, the fundamental science driving the processes, and applications of interest. The differences between the processing routes of powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition, and wire arc additive manufacture is emphasized with regard to process capabilities, feedstock material forms, and maturity. Established and promising applications of these techniques are discussed including AM for the creation of complex tools and dies with conformal cooling for improved thermal management of casting processes.
3:00 PM Cancelled
Informatics Driven Materials Innovation for a Regenerative Economy: Krishna Rajan1; 1University at Buffalo- State University of New York
This talk will address how materials informatics provides a framework for discovering and designing materials in a sustainable or regenerative manner, taking into account their environmental footprint. Some examples include a discussion on finding alternative materials chemistries that promote the circular economy paradigm; without compromising existing performance standards. In this presentation we describe how data driven methods can help accelerate the discovery of pathways for identifying new chemistries and/or selection of new alternatives.
3:25 PM Invited
Nanotechnology Enabled Solidification Processing for Sustainability: Xiaochun Li1; 1University of California, Los Angeles
High performance metals offer tremendous potential to improve energy efficiency and system performance for numerous applications. However, conventional processing methods in metals manufacturing have reached certain limits in further improving the properties of metals. Incorporation of nanoelements into various functional materials can obtain unusual physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. This talk will present our latest scientific and technological progress on how nanotechnology can be applied to break metallurgical barriers, enabling unprecedented micro/nano-structure control and property tuning in solidification processing of metals. This nanotechnology enabled metals processing is poised to create a new age of metals to meet energy and sustainability challenges in today’s society.
3:50 PM Invited
Sustainability of Feedstock in Additive Manufacturing: Dan Thoma1; Frank Pfefferkorn1; Marcus Jackson2; Aishwarya Deshpande1; Phalgun Nelaturu1; Zahabul Islam1; 1University of Wisconsin-Madison; 2NASA Ames Research Center
Metal additive manufacturing permits a smaller processing footprint, less waste, and potentially lower energy consumption than conventional processes. This presentation explores reuse and increased efficiencies for 316L stainless steel feedstock in directed energy deposition (DED) metal additive manufacturing. First, a systematic investigation of process parameters to increase capture efficiency during sample fabrication will be presented. A new dimensionless number has been developed to predict build efficiencies as well as be fitted to solidification behavior. Second, with the manufacture of test coupons, samples were machined, the chips re-processed into viable feedstock, and reprinted. The mechanical properties of the samples generated with the original gas atomized feedstock and the re-processed machining chips were nearly identical. Finally, the comparison of energy differences between a conventionally processed bracket and a DED fabricated bracket were compared. Increased deposition efficiencies are a key variable to reduce power consumption in the DED process.
4:15 PM Break
4:30 PM Invited
The Ecosystem for Materials Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing: Aaron Birt1; 1Solvus Global
How we innovate, is just as important as what we innovate. When we look at materials innovation today, it is no longer just the computational materials scientist or the experimental materials engineer toiling in a laboratory for years that is responsible for breakthrough innovations. Instead, it is teams of cross disciplinary scientists and engineers, the intersection and immersion of which creates new paradigms of thinking for not only what we innovate, but how we innovate. A case study evaluating how organizational structure impacts innovations will be given, specifically focused on how novel metal powders, characterization methods, and consolidation techniques are rapidly evaluated, iterated, and deployed inside of an agile innovation framework.
4:55 PM Invited
The Framework for Establishing a Collaborative Resource Recovery and Recycling Research Center: A Tribute to Professor Diran Apelian: Sean Kelly1; 1Solvus Global, LLC
The impact that Professor Diran Apelian has had on resource recovery and recycling technology development is immense especially considering his founding of the Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling (CR3). To truly honor such impact, it must also be known that the CR3 is much more than a research center that produces cutting edge research and technology through collaboration between academia and industry in the sustainability space; it is a talent incubator that molds high-quality, next generation leaders and engineers. Professor Diran Apelian founded this one-of-a-kind center that brings critical resource-centric problems to the forefront while maintaining and understanding personal relationships and people as priority. His technical guidance has led to so many pivotal engineering breakthroughs, but his mentorship is and will always serve as a foundation for personal and professional growth. The major influence that Professor Apelian has had on so many individuals is celebrated in this talk.
5:20 PM Invited
NOW ON-DEMAND ONLY - The Circular Economy in Practice: A Case Study in Li-ion Battery Recycling and Materials Re-integration: Eric Gratz1; 1Battery Resourcers
Global demand for battery materials is at an all-time high. This makes it for a unique opportunity for materials re-integration to occur alongside a global shift in technology adaption: the transition from the internal combustion engine to the electric vehicle. Currently, the cost of batteries is the biggest deterrent to electric vehicle adoption with the materials cost being the highest cost in deploying batteries in electric vehicles. Recycled materials are one way to lower this cost. However, because traditional recycling processes only recover individual metals or metal salts, from the battery’s cathode materials and current collectors, the graphite is generally burned for it’s energy value and therefore recycling it does not lower the cost of a new electric vehicle. Battery Resourcers patent closed loop recycling process takes spent lithium ion batteries and generate pure cathode and graphite anode materials. This recycled cathode has 8x lower carbon foot print vs equivalent virgin materials. Recycled graphite reduces the carbon foot print by over 50% vs the traditional smelting process. The BR closed loop recycling process can reduce the cost of cathode and anode materials by over 30% therefore significantly dropping the cost of the two most expensive materials in the battery and therefore drastically reducing the cost of the electric vehicle battery.