British Design Fund’s Post

Please see below my slides from the 2nd European Process Industry Conference hosted by A.SPIRE. I presented aspects of ReActiv project, and I tried to give suggestions on what we could do differently. On the latter, key messages: a) Adapt the cement standards: materials are agnostic of the production process, thus a ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) is a glass of certain chemistry, phases (if not fully amorphous), reactivity and so on. Let's adapt the standards to this, it is not much to ask (it is still prescriptive!). Then we give space to all materials with similar chemistry, phases (read above) to be used! And we should do that, as GGBFS might not be with us for many years more. b) Thinking in terms of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is helpful, but...it is different for NASA or an industry that builds a unit/process/etc for itself (I know it is a bit simplistic, but please bear with me) and a new binder that aims to substitute or even replace an existing product. Apart from the reactions from the industries you challenge (expected and understandable, as this might affect them), you need regulatory and market acceptance. And that will take time and commitment, so it is good to be ready for it. c) When we speak for TRL and all the transformation we try to achieve in Europe, we ask for a more profound change. We ask for entrepreneurship, linked to a great extent with being comfortable to take certain risks. Doing that in Europe, with so much diversity (in opinions, mentality, legislation...) is both beautiful and intimidating. I feel that starting early with our education, while having a more level playing field, will not be a bad idea. And where policy is coherent and pragmatic, encouraging the change. I am also rather critical of our CCUS approach and focus on CO2 only. Long discussion... d) We educate our younger ones, and we tend to forget that humans are not always rational. This is our behaviour (with dedicated professionals in the field), and it is fundamental to understand it. It is absolutely important to know what an Ashby chart is, but equally important to ask yourself how many times you used this rational approach in your material selection for e.g., your home, or the car you bought recently. Technical challenges are just one of the many we need to address. e) And a note at the end I couldn't resist: how nice would it be if we were more respectful to our Aims and Values (I gave a link to read them), within and outside of our borders. Yes, I am talking about what happens south and east of Europe. PS. A thank you to Dorota Pawlucka for the invitation.

Some very interesting points raised 👇 Highly relevant at a time when discussions in #Europe are ongoing on how to update #cement standards. There are so many material innovations out there, standards should not be the barrier for #innovation and #competitiveness. #CPR #CPRacquis

Fast charging battery

It´s hard to imagine a convincing approach to design continental-scale energy systems under disruptive uncertainties… But this is what we need along the way to the sustainable transition! Being exposed more than ever to climate change and extreme weather events, as well as market fluctuations, game-changing technologies, unexpected operative limitations and the onsetting of challenging geo-political conditions. We need a solid perspective towards flexible, adequate and resilient net-zero solutions, which are still rapidly viable and cost-effective. That's why I'm pleased to have just presented at ECCOMAS2024 a novel accurate, fast, self-adaptive, informative, scalable, non-intrusive, surrogate-based algorithm to design large, complex engineering systems under uncertainty.  The approach attracted a lot of interest due to its intelligent effectiveness and generalized scope, and the conference on methods in applied science and engineering was the perfect environment to foster fruitful discussions about powerful tools for tackling difficult real-world problems. The week-long event also offered fantastic networking and connection opportunities, involving more than 3000 participants from top institutions around the world, all focused on the technical aspects of applied methodologies spanning a wide variety of applications.   Many collaboration options have opened up and I look forward to pursue them all! #energy #optimization #design #uncertainties #Kriging #surrogate The project is developed at Risk and Reliability Engineering Lab, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), ETH Zürich, supervised by Prof. Dr. Giovanni Sansavini and funded by SPEED2ZERO consortium

Exciting news from theion! 🔋🚀 Theion has tackled a major challenge in lithium metal anodes – dendrite formation during rapid charging. Their groundbreaking polymer structure, validated by an independent German institute, has achieved over 2,000 charging cycles without safety risks. Key Highlights: ⚡ New Anode Design: Lightweight, long-lasting, and dendrite-free. Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: 3x energy density, 1/3 the cost of conventional lithium-ion. ⚡ Impact: Ideal for electric aviation (eVTOLs, propeller aircraft) with a unique sulfur cathode mobilising 16 electrons for superior energy efficiency. Dr. Ulrich Ehmes, CEO, calls this a milestone for Theion and the industry. Co-founder Marek Slavik emphasises its game-changing potential for electric propulsion. Supported by Team Global, Theion is ready to lead the charge towards a more electrified and sustainable future! ✈️⚡ More info in the article below👇 #BatteryTech #Innovation #ElectricAviation #LithiumSulfur #Theion #Sustainability #FutureTech

In our special series of articles to celebrate Carbon Nexus reaching 10 years of operation, Professor Jeffrey Wiggins takes us back to the very beginning of Carbon Nexus, reflecting on the global impact of our world-class facility and how it unlocked the potential of carbon fibre never seen before by academia and industry. A great piece that shows us just how far we have come over the last 10 years. 💪 Take a look: https://lnkd.in/gf3Ys6R5 #carbonfiber #carbonfibermanufacturing Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University

🚀 Innovation in action: CO₂ as feedstock, supported with €2.9 million from the Just Transition Fund for the project HC To Green! We are at the forefront of the pioneering project CO₂ as Feedstock, in which we are converting CO₂ into valuable circular chemicals using non-thermal plasma technology. This technology offers promising, future-proof solutions for CO₂ emissions and has three main phases: 1️⃣ Working prototype at Eindhoven University of Technology 2️⃣ Practical application of the technology 3️⃣ Scaling up for universal deployment The first reactor will be deployed in biodigesters, but is designed as a universal device that can be used for various other applications. In cooperation with , Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences , and our first commercial partner Blok System Supply we are taking a big step towards a more sustainable future! 🌍 Many thanks for the support from Mike Rijkers PIM - Provincie Noord-Holland in setting up and fine tuning of our business case. Kansen voor West Techport Vera van Vuuren Ruud van Raak Karin Maatje 🇪🇺Medegefinancierd door de Europese Unie🇪🇺 Electrical Engineering (EE) at TU/e Actual picture of our operational reactor:

The second part of our exciting Science Story Series: ⏩ Shapers of the Future Dr Christoph Weißbacher is the next expert we would like to introduce with the short portrait 💡 "Invisible yet Indispensable"💡 Christoph Weißbacher designs low-friction plain bearings for machines and transmissions. Despite being hidden behind the scenes, new material technologies play a decisive role in energy efficiency and sustainability. The Science Story »Invisible, yet indispensable« shows how invisible innovations are playing a key role in shaping the future. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/e--RAjgx #engineering #listentothescience #research #techmatters #energyefficiency #energy #energysystem #engines #greentech #innovation #materials #science #transformation #sustainability #sustainabilitymatters

Our first panel today discussing technical requirements for #cryogenic #hydrogen #fuelsystems The classic aerospace trifecta of Low weight - High reliability - Maintainability (and certifiability!) means we need innovation when building into these technologies as they are being used in other sectors. We’re working with design objectives rather than requirements. We need to bring companies with capabilities in the new technologies together with companies with knowledge about the aerospace ways of working. We want to take suppliers on the journey! Huw Edwards David Butters Vijay Sahadevan, FRAeS Adam Newman John Gallagher Aerospace Technology Institute National Composites Centre

Neutrinovoltaic: The Technology of the Near Future | Holger Thorsten Schubart 🔴 https://lnkd.in/e9ffS8ep 🟢 https://lnkd.in/e9yk3Zf8 ⚡️ The pioneering approach represents a solution for immediately available energy from the Powercube in times of climate change and rapidly increasing energy demand. “There is no turning back for this technology,” says Schubart. 🔻 The fact that this solution can and must be adopted by industry is another advantage of the developed technology. The presentation provides an insight into the possible development of energy conversion, the potential applications of the new technology in the unstable environment and the possibilities for further development in various areas such as the automotive industry (PI Car), shipping (The Nautik PI) and aviation (PI Fly). 🌐 More on the neutrino energy website: neutrino-energy.com