China’s niche metals export ban lifts prospects for Canadian firms
Canadian companies dabbling in these minerals include Teck Resources, Neo Performance Materials and Northern Graphite.
A house completely made out of coal is being developed by US-based company X-MAT and may be partially ready by 2023.
According to the firm, which is the advanced materials division of industrial engineered materials provider Semplastics, over the past year, it has been able to perfect the bricks, blocks, facades, panels, and roof tiles that comprise all the components needed to construct the building.
After receiving a number of contracts and grants from the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the company can now rely on an additional $2.2 million from the DOE to continue the research and development of its high-strength, lightweight building materials made using domestic coal waste.
In a media statement, X-MAT said that these coal-derived building materials are fire-resistant, non-toxic, lightweight and durable, making them not only safer than their traditional counterparts but easier to use and eco-friendly.
The coal core composite uses coal in an ‘unburned’ state which greatly reduces the production of greenhouse gases, while the combination of materials is done using chemical bonding, rather than sintering, thus employing little energy to create a stable product.
“X-MAT is a high-performance material that combines some of the best properties of metals (electrical conductivity), engineering plastics (lightweight) and ceramics (high operating temperature),” the company said.
“X-MAT technology has been utilized in partnership with NASA, Space Florida and the NETL. This game-changing material has various current applications including fireproof roof tiles, lightweight space mirrors, battery electrodes and 3D printed ceramics.”
