Chronickels

Nickel news, views, commentary and insights

NOVEMBER 16 - 2023

Full spead ahead - Nickel in India's rapidly expanding rail networks

The ambitious future of India’s rail infrastructure requires prudent investments that ensure its long-term viability. This is where nickel-containing steels play a vital role.

STAINLESS STEEL NICKEL MAGAZINE TRANSPORTATION
OCTOBER 06 - 2023

How to critically assess nickel carbon footprint data

Eight tips on what to consider when assessing nickel carbon footprint data.

SUSTAINABILITY REGULATION
SEPTEMBER 08 - 2023

Ferronickel and NPI importers to the EU: get ready for the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and its data collection and submission requirements

After several years of negotiation between EU institutions, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Regulation was adopted in 2023.

STAINLESS STEEL NICKEL ALLOYS EU POLICY REGULATION
MARCH 22 - 2023

How can the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act reach its full potential?

Mark Mistry and Marco Vallini argue that for the EU Critical Raw Materials Act to fulfil its promise to address the energy transition, industry needs planning security for both ‘critical’ and ‘strategic’ raw materials.

SUSTAINABILITY EU POLICY REGULATION
JANUARY 30 - 2023

Measuring nickel's carbon footprint

Because the first step in reducing emissions is to measure them, the Nickel Institute has produced guidance to help nickel metal producers calculate their GHG emissions.

NICKEL MAGAZINE SUSTAINABILITY ELECTRIC VEHICLES
DECEMBER 08 - 2022

Energy Crisis: can electric vehicles be game changers?

Just as the EV revolution was gearing up to become consumer driven, there was an increase in raw material prices, semi-conductor shortages and recently a steep rise in electricity prices. At a time of energy crisis, are EVs still a game changer?

SUSTAINABILITY BATTERIES RENEWABLE ENERGY
SEPTEMBER 06 - 2022

300 series austenitic alloys – Checking all the boxes

Materials selection for any piece of equipment or a process system is rarely a simple task, unless you are exactly replicating something successful. Often engineers will have a checklist to help them narrow down the choices, eliminating groups of materials that are not suitable for various reasons. Austenitic 300 series stainless steels containing 7-35% nickel will have most if not all of the boxes checked for being suitable where a stainless steel is desired.

STAINLESS STEEL NICKEL ALLOYS TOOL STEEL NICKEL STEEL TECHNICAL HELP
JULY 06 - 2022

Will the EU’s Sustainable Products Initiative get the balance right?

What is a “sustainable product”? Is it more sustainable to continue using my old washing machine or to buy a new, more energy efficient one? Are single use products always unsustainable? What criteria should I use to judge whether a product is sustainable or not? What measures can we take to promote sustainability in products?

SUSTAINABILITY EU POLICY RECYCLING REGULATION
MAY 04 - 2022

How to calculate GHG emissions from nickel production

The Nickel Institute has published specific guidance for nickel producers to help them calculate their greenhouse gas emissions. This guidance takes into account the complexity of nickel production and will contribute to scientifically robust and reliable data that is comparable throughout the entire industry. The author of the Guidelines, Dr. Mark Mistry explains.

SUSTAINABILITY REGULATION
APRIL 06 - 2022

300 vs 200 series stainless steels - Which alternative suits?

The selection of an alloy should be guided by careful examination of the needs of the application. Before making a switch, it’s important to fully investigate an alloy’s strengths, weaknesses and applicability to your structure.

NICKEL ALLOYS NICKEL STEEL STAINLESS STEEL
APRIL 04 - 2022

What differentiates China’s EV market from the others?

In 2021, China recorded the strongest growth in the EV market with around 3.2 million EVs sold. This was an increase of 2 million EV units compared to 2020 which was more than the combined increase of all other regions taken together.

BATTERIES ELECTRIC VEHICLES CHINA RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
MARCH 10 - 2022

Will the EU’s proposed battery regulation drive the global ESG agenda for battery raw materials?

Batteries, notably those used in electric vehicles, play an essential role in the plans of the European Commission to deliver the EU Green Deal. They are considered as a critical and strategic technology to achieve Europe´s ambitious climate change mitigation targets and to move towards green and sustainable mobility.

SUSTAINABILITY BATTERIES EU POLICY SUPPLY CHAIN REGULATION
DECEMBER 07 - 2021

Electric trucks and buses – no longer second fiddle to electric cars

Electrification of light-duty vehicles is trending in many parts of the world and is on track to become a consumer driven phenomenon but let’s not forget the heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks and buses.

BATTERIES ELECTRIC VEHICLES RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
FEBRUARY 24 - 2021

Battery Chat with Parri #3: Dr. Ilias Belharouak

Dr. Ilias Belharouak is the head of electrification and energy storage at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In this Battery Chat, he talks to Parri Adeli about the various energy storage topics his group are investigating including a new class of cathodes that they developed recently and its scale-up path.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY BATTERIES SUSTAINABILITY BATTERY CHAT
NOVEMBER 24 - 2020

Customising the future – The next industrial revolution

If you’re like me and predictive text has led to some awkward if not amusing moments, you might be sceptical about Artificial Intelligence (AI). But its achievements are already overwhelming and changing, even protecting, our lives in many sectors.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE NICKEL ALLOYS STAINLESS STEEL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
JULY 27 - 2020

Is nickel sustainable in electric vehicle batteries?

The short answer is: yes, nickel can be a sustainable material throughout the entire value chain, from mining, manufacturing, to use and end of life – if all actors throughout the value chain step up and take their responsibility. Now let's look at the longer answer...

SUSTAINABILITY BATTERIES EU POLICY ELECTRIC VEHICLES
MAY 06 - 2020

Food safety: why stainless steel is a vital ingredient

Food safety starts with rigorous hygiene, and nickel-containing stainless steels are the superior, reliable standard at every link of the food chain.

STAINLESS STEEL SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOOD SAFETY HEALTH
APRIL 21 - 2020

Functional façades help tackle building emissions

Around two-thirds of today’s buildings will still be around in 2050, and by 2060, the world is projected to add 230 billion m² of buildings - an area equivalent to the entire current global building stock. What can the building and construction sector do to reduce the environmental burden of buildings?

CURTAIN WALLS SUSTAINABILITY ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
FEBRUARY 29 - 2020

Why Europe’s battery value chain needs regulatory certainty – now

European nickel producers need a consistent regulatory framework. There must be coherence between different EU policy objectives with rules based on principles of sound science, risk-based approaches, full life-cycle thinking and impact assessments.

BATTERIES EU POLICY RAW MATERIALS SUSTAINABILITY
JANUARY 06 - 2020

Is there enough nickel? Reserves, resources and recycling

Should we be worried about there being enough nickel to supply the transition to electric vehicles and cleaner energy sources? Given its wide range of uses in important existing and emerging technologies, this is a frequently asked question.

SUSTAINABILITY RAW MATERIALS RESOURCES AND RESERVES SUPPLY CHAIN RECYCLING