Discovering a smarter, greener future: Future Days Metals edition

by Maria Cyntia, Thursday, 2nd November 2023

What would you say are the metals industry’s top three priorities in the near future? Of course, none of us can predict the future with absolute certainty – but the experts at our recent Future Days: Metals edition event have a better chance at being right than most! We welcomed three speakers from different areas of the metals industry to share their insights and ideas about where we’re going – and how we’ll get there.

The incredible value of analytical monitoring in metals production

Our first speaker, Dr. Frank Feret, took us on a fascinating deep-dive into the amazing value of analytical monitoring in aluminum production. From determining the right market conditions for extracting kaolinite-rich material from the ground to understanding how to optimize bath chemistry for efficiency, each step has the potential to affect profitability and costs. Dr. Feret’s takeaway? Materials analysis is non-negotiable – and, thanks to the application of X-ray analysis and the Rietveld method, it’s possible to achieve more accurate characterization of key parameters with an easy and accessible method.

Joining the direct-reduced iron revolution

Moving from aluminum to iron and steel, we heard from Dr. Matteo Pernechele who spoke about the ongoing transformation within iron- and steel-making toward ‘green steel’, produced using the direct-reduced iron method.

When powered by hydrogen, this method dramatically cuts the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted during production, but it relies on careful control and materials characterization. Dr. Pernechele explained how X-ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis not only outpace traditional wet chemistry methods in optimizing this process, but also unlock the possibility of automation as each step – from sample preparation to results reporting – can be built into an automated system or even a fully automated laboratory.

Connecting the dots with automation

Next up, we heard from Huub Smit, who picked up the thread of automation and shared his insights into how digital and automated solutions are helping to connect the dots in the laboratories and processes of today and tomorrow. Previously, analysis was carried out on individual lab equipment units, while today we’re seeing increasing automation across systems – even up to entire automated laboratories, or integrated workflows that rely on real-time analysis and monitoring. Huub explored the many benefits of automation, and how this is the single most important driver of progress and change in the metals industry right now.

From ensuring fewer errors and reducing downtime to better safety, tighter process control and lower costs, it’s no exaggeration to say that automation has the power to completely change the way metals are produced.

Embracing real-time process control and building workflows around digital solutions creates a truly data-driven environment, in which the additional power of machine learning and predictive AI can play a role. It’s also possible for the real-time data to be analyzed in the cloud, reducing the number of on-site employees required – a significant bonus for mining and metals operations, which often need to relocate staff to their remote working locations.

The future comes more clearly into view

So, our experts’ view of the future is centered on materials’ analysis – on how it can unlock greater profitability and efficiency (key in our time of declining ore grades and high demand!), how it can enable the sustainability transition, and how it can take us to ever greater heights thanks to the power of automation.

As our colleague, Dr. Uwe König, said, “It’s a challenge, but I still think it’s realistic [for the metals industry to reach carbon neutrality by 2050]… It’s a team effort, but it’s doable!” With a well-rounded and multifaceted approach that includes each element spoken about by our experts, a greener future is steadily coming within our reach. Let’s get there together.

Missed our Future Days: Metals event, or need a refresher? Register to watch the recordings here.

Explore all our solutions for the metals industry here.

Further read

Watch event recording