Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1366075
10 / May 2021 powderbulk.com is used in creating batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). The North American automotive industry is seeking a secure and sustainable domestic supply of lithium for EVs. The Silver Peak location pro- duces lithium from brine extracted from the Clayton Valley basin. The company will invest $30 to $50 million to double production by 2025, making full use of the brine water rights currently held. In 2021, the company will explore other sources and technologies that could accelerate the viability of lithium production from other clay sources in the region. The company also has lithium sources in Arkansas and at Kings Mountain, NC, and is working with the US Department of Energy on research with Argonne National Laboratory to streamline produc- tion of lithium hydroxide from brine resources. Novum plans cellulose- based electrical insulation component development A consortium of 10 European part- ners have formed Novum, Espoo, Finland, to develop a cellulose- based material for producing electrical insulation components for oil-cooled power and distribution transformers. Bio-based cellulose is a biopolymer that comes from the cell walls of plants and is naturally abundant. Insulation components must traditionally be manufactured using custom-made metal molds, but Novum has been working to develop a foam-forming technology that accepts 3D-printed bio-based cellulose material to replace tra- ditional molding techniques and materials to make the components. The benefits of the new process include reduced energy consump- tion (20 percent), waste generation (60 percent), labor time (40 percent), scientist with the UNEP, was inter- viewed by CNBC and said of global sand supply challenges, "It is still very much new. In many of the development policies, there is no one even talking about this issue of sand, where it is coming from, the social impacts or the environmental impacts." He notes that there's no planning for where to extract sand or how to monitor extraction and no enforcement of laws because countries are trying to balance their development needs with environ- mental protection concerns. International Paper sells pulp and paper mill in Poland International Paper, Memphis, TN, has agreed to sell its Kwid- zyn, Poland, pulp and paper mill and supporting operations to Mayr- Melnhof Karton AG for €670 million (about US$812 million). The mill employs about 2,300 people and produces 740,000 metric tons (about 816,000 tons) of folding box- board, uncoated freesheet, specialty kraft papers, and market pulp on four machines. The spin-off will allow International Paper to focus on its corrugated packaging and absorbent fibers business. Mayr-Melnhof Karton, Vienna, Austria, is a cartonboard and fold- ing carton manufacturer with more than 10,000 employees. Albemarle to expand Nevada lithium production facility Albemarle Corp., Charlotte, NC, has announced it will expand capacity at its Silver Peak, NV, lithium pro- duction facility. The global specialty chemical company will begin a program to evaluate clays and other available resources in Nevada for commercial lithium production. Lithium carbonate is a key compo- nent in advancing green mobility and sustainability, as the material for cement is found in riverbeds, banks, and floodplains; lakes; and by the sea. This sand is eroded by water and is able to interlock properly for use in cement. Sand in deserts and elsewhere that's been eroded by wind isn't suitable for cement because the sand particles are too round and smooth to lock together. The demand has caused stripped beaches and riverbeds and has led to a black market run by gangs in some countries, leading to violence. According to human rights groups, in some parts of Latin America and Africa, children are forced to work in sand mines. Sand is not only used for cement. In some countries, the material is imported to perform land recla- mation. For example, sand is used in China and Singapore to create more living space along the coast, destroying wetlands and fish habi- tats and increasing water pollution. In the US and other countries, high-purity silica sand is in demand to create glass, solar panels, and computer chips as well as to frack oil. This specific type of sand is found in various places, including the state of Wisconsin, where it's mined on farmlands and in forests. In response to the growing issues surrounding sand, Louise Gallagher, environmental gover- nance lead at the GSO, says that five priorities should be focused on in the near term: cooperation on global sand standards; finding cost-effective and viable alterna- tives to river and marine sand; updating environmental, social, and corporate governance frame- works in the financial sector to include sand; bringing in ground- level voices to the debate on sand governance; and setting regional, national, and global goals on sand use. Another person familiar with the issue, Pascal Peduzzi, a climate