Nickel Revista 2010

7/31/2019 Nickel Revista 2010

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Chemical Regulation:Within REACH

EU OccupationalExposure Levels

Fuel Cells:A Work in Progress Ju

ne2010Vol.25,No. 1

Green Chemical:Nel Hyrxe

Green Cars:

Reylng Baeres

Green Scrap:

Mang NewSanless Seel


2/20

Over 4000 potential registrants of nickel chemicals have preregisterednickel compounds but are not active in the substance informationexchange forums (SIEF).

November 30 2010 is the deadline for the registration of nickel chemicalsand that means a lot of work to do in a short period of time.

Join one or more of the nickel consortia, enjoy access to the data that hasalready been developed and benefit from the experience that has alreadybeen gained.

Read the feature article starting on page 9 and check out the NickelConsortium website:

ttp://www.niklonsorti.org/

Join the Conversation

Meet the DeadlineMinimize your Costs

Reach


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The Magazine Devoted to Nickel and its Applications

Nickel Magazine is published by

The Nickel Institute

Stephen Barnett, President

Stephanie Dunn, Editor

[email protected]

Constructive Communications, Design

The Nickel Institute can be contacted at:

Eighth Floor

Avenue des Arts 13

Brussels 1210, Belgium

Tel. 32 2 290 3200

[email protected]

To receive e-mail notices for Nickel Magazine Online, please

go to: www.nickelonline.org/subscribe

Material has been prepared for the general information of

the reader and should not be used or relied upon for specic

applications without rst securing competent advice. While

the material is believed to be technically correct, NickelInstitute, its members, sta and consultants do not represent

or warrant its suitability for any general or specic use and

assume no liability or responsibility of any kind in connection

with the information herein.

ISSN 0829-8351

Printed on recycled paper in Canada.

Cover:

Photo Composition: Constructive Communications

Photos: iStockphoto Maciej Zytniewski, ooyoo

The next issue of Nickel Magazine will be available online Oct 2010.

Tab fCTTInFocus

Wrl chemals 3InUse

Sanless Seel Srap 4, 5o l y m p c v e r a g e 6champagne Bar 7R b - B a 2 0InScience

oupanal xpsure ms 11F u e l c e l l s 1 2 , 1 3Feature Stories

RcH 8, 9, 10Reylng an Baeres 14, 15Knowing Nickel

Nel Hyrxe 16, 17InBrief

c m n g v e n s 1 8Web lns 19NS deals 18

mplyees benef rm he wages epenan n her manuaure an use the env-rnmen, , an benef a sae hemal s subsue r ne ha s harmul

he same me, hse wh are expse hemals, eher upanally rhrugh nsumer prus, wll wan nw ha hse expsures are belw hresh-ls ha pse sgnfan rs hemselves r he envrnmens n whh hey lvethere s suen hsry jusy hs nern

Fnng he balane beween ss all ns an benefs all ns s a nnu-ng hallenge Meeng requres unersanng an unersanng n urn requresaa an nwlege tha s why n hs an uure ssues Nickelyu wll fn mreaenn pa nel hemals (even hugh hey represen less han 10% n-

el use) We wll explan wha hey are, where hey are use, hw hey are managehrugh her le yles, an hw hey are regulae

ths new ren s n splay n a new regular eaure alle Knowing Nickel the frshemal eaure here s nel hyrxe N(oH)

2, a unan hemal r many

baery hemsres ha are nreasng mprane he wrl s have susanableranspran lsewhere n hs ssue yu wll fn a sry n hw hybr an elerar baeres (whh nan nel hyrxe) are manage a en--le (page 14)

the regulan hemals s a grwh nusry n sel an he las eae has seena mve, le by he urpean nn (), raally revse hw ha s ne the sRegsran, valuan an uhrzan chemals (RcH) legslan s nw nplae an nuenng hw gvernmens arun he wrl are apprahng hemalsmanagemen on page 9 yu wll fn an upae n he prgress beng mae n nel

hemals n he nex RcH, as well as a saus repr n he revew oupa-nal xpsure evels n he n page 11

We wll always, urse, brng yu news hw nel-nanng maerals are ma-ng a erene n arheure an engneerng, an hs ssue nnues ha ranBu s a hemal wrl an Nickels braenng spe wll ree ha realy

Sephane dunnr, Nel Magazne

a Wrd f ChmCa

Volume 25, Number 1, June 2010

, . 5, . 1, j 1 N N Fu 3

cHMicS R cNtR to oR iS iNdStRiS PRoFit FRoM tHiR MNFctR Nd S coNSMRS BNFit FRoM PRodctS tHt coNtiN Mt

RiS dRid FRoM cHMicS oR tHt coNtiN tH cHMicS tHMSS


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N N u , . 5, . 1, J 1

SouRce:SMR(aug2009)

Sanless seel s rs a pru; an,

aer a useul le, en measuren eaes, bemes a resure

ths s rue all ypes sanless seelsbu espeally he nel-nannggraes whh mae up 55-60% allsanless seel

i s wrng hn en--le sanlessseel as nly srap the bes way maenew nel-nanng sanless seelpru pru ha s s-eeve,envrnmenally sae an energy-een s sar wh nel-nanng san-less seel tha means srap sanless seels he frs an bes resure r seel-maers

e Value of Scrap

the esrably srap s reee n spre: epenng n enm n-ns an gegraphy, he pre neln sanless seel srap an apprah ha meall nel n he nn Mealxhange mes n 2009, he sunbeween nel n srap an meall nelwas less han 5%, an n he ne Saes

he sun sappeare mpleely:

nel n srap hel he same value as vr-gn nel rm nel re presse by anel refnery

Whu frs manuaure, here an be nsrap in he begnnng, all sanless seelwas mae rm vrgn allyng elemensths was abu a enury ag, lng bere

peple sare ang an neres n he re-yle nen maerals Reenly, hw-ever, he researh frm SMR repre hahe exernal srap ra rse a wrlweaverage 43% n 2008 (see graph) (thera nsers nly he srap brugh nhe sanless seel plan an exlues anygenerae nernally) Mrever, ne he leang pressrs sanless seelsrap, crnme karlsruhe, ermany, has

grwn beme he sxh-larges suppl-

er nel n he wrl the rpransupples apprxmaely 80,000 nnes nel nane n srap

Location of Scrap

e resures n naure, he srap resureha aumulaes n sees s n equallysrbue n--le prus ha n-an sanless seel are un n greaernenrans n ler, evelpe en-mes there s relave sary n en-mes whh n have a hsry hghlevels sanless seel usage an are nw

Te best way to make ewkel-otag staless steelprodut s to start wth kelotag staless steel.

MnngSanless SeelExploring the Essential Role of Stainless Steel Scrap

0

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Europe

Americas

Asia

avege 43%

Other


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, . 5, . 1, J 1 N N u 5

prung sanless seel the unequal s-

rbun en leas mpen ravalable srap, an here are sgnfanws nel-nanng srap beweeneren pars he wrl

i llws ha he pre erene be-ween nel-n-srap an prmary nelwll be greaes n areas wh mesgrwh an a lng hsry sanlessseel use Shul he sun grw sg-nfanly, hwever, wll beme evermre arave sanless seel pru-ers n areas lme srap avalably,an he w srap hse areas wllnrease the able abve shws srngws sanless seel srap sa,where bh he use an prun sanless seels have raply nrease

Future of Scrap

Nel-nanng sanless seels are val-ue r her prperes very ssue Nickel magazne prves examples perrmane n erms srengh, en-hane rrsn ressane, urably,uly, aeshes ha are expee

an aheve Nel-nanng sanless

seels are esgne r a har le an,mre ypally, a lng ne the nee rhs maeral wll nly nrease, an s wllhe eman r srap

cnservave esmaes he averageserve le sanless seel range rm15 20 years, hugh sme srap wllbeme avalable earler (exhause aa-lyss, baeres, an aumble srap, rexample), an sme, muh laer the san-less seel he chrysler Bulng n Newr cy, r example, has been n plaer 80 years an here are n plans r sreplaemen ths mples ha he nee rnew nel-nanng sanless seels wllnnue grw even as he amun nuse grws the amun nel-nan-ng sanless seel ha bemes avalableas srap wll nrease, meanng ha heamun new sanless seel mngrm srap wll als nrease

Nel rm mnes wll always be neeeNel mne rm he sars seys val ay an an nly grw n relavemprane Ni Ni

Reccledontenta esue o envionentl

cceptility?

In 2008, the average recyclecontent of stainless steels was4%. Many were left wonderingwhy it wasnt higher. Te recycledcontent of new stainless steelproducts turns out to be a poormeasure of their green-ness. Tepaper industry, for example, is proudto claim that more than 6% ofpaper products are recycled at theend of their life. Te remainder go to

landll or incineration. In contrast,almost all stainless steels arerecycled hardly any go to landlls.

While market demand for nickeland nickel alloys continues toexpand, the available scrap islimited because stainless steelstypically remain in service for manyyears. In other words, the 4%recycled content achieved in 2008was as high as the supply of scrappermitted. Te durability, corrosion

resistance, toughness, and othergood properties of stainless steelsenable them to continue to servefor very long periods, but keep themunavailable for recycling. Becausethese materials will only graduallybecome available for recycling asthe years and decades pass, therecycled content of stainless steelswill remain an unhelpful measure ofthe real contributions they make tosustainability.

Selected Trade of Stainless Steel Scrap (all types) 2008*1000s mer nnes

Origindesnan

USA/Mexico/Canada Europe AsiaUSA/Mexico/Canada 155 152 1117

Europe 15 1877 548

Asia 15 23 695

*develpe rm sass prve by he inernanal Sanless Seel Frum(hp://wwwwrlsanlessrg); he numbers have been rune


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N N u nic, . 25, n. 1, jn 2010

P H o t o S c o u R t e S y o F Z i g g y W e l S c H

one he hgh-prfle venues a he 2010 anuver olymps never hse anahle even an ye Plazas gleamng sanless seel mes were he us he reesgne Rbsn Square ur e-sang rn ha beame a gaherngplae urng he reen Wner ames

the mes a par 18-by-12-mere val sruures wh ubular, rangle-shaperbs ha rame glass nsers are suspene abve eah en he rn surae legan urle shells, reeng he sunlgh an as n splghs r ngh me evens

is a real pee ar, says Zggy Welsh, prje manager r erge thr & Sn, he enury-l Brsh clumba frm ha bul he mes erge thr pr-ves an array heavy sruural seel sluns, r, as Welsh pus , everyhngrm spral sarases saums res a dsney Wrl

the c$3-mlln mes were nsrue usng 304 (NS S30400) sanless seel305 mllmere ameer ppe wh a wall hness 13 mllmeres, was use bul he rm newr 150-mllmere ameer ppe, wh an apprxmaely 10mllmere wall hness, rme he nave rbs ha gve he mes her shape

cnsrun requre hree-mensnal mpuer melng arry u he m-plex mpun us he rbs s Welsh nes, every pee s smewha eren;

heres a l mplae gemery, say he leas He as ha welng he 304mpnens geher was espeally ry: i ens sr mre easly han mlseel, s mre are s requre

ah me weghs abu 32 nnes an ha be bul n ur pees s ha ul be ranspre by abe ru hrugh wnwn anuver s esna-n t ensure an exa f n-se, he mes were pre-assemble n erge thr &Sns plan n he y Burnaby

tw anuver-area mpanes, p Mealwrs in an b Meal Fnshng P,fnshe he suraes p, whh spealzes n arheural mealwr, apple abrush fnsh he mpnens bere assembly ths fnsh mae easer r bul-ers eal wh he mplex angles an reue he plshng neee remvesrahes an brghen wels ne he mes were assemble

the rn surae pene saers n Nvember 2009 an wll be use r nersan her evens n he summer the mes are a sree level, expse he every-ay grme he y, whle he r he plaza les belw he surrunng sreesthe sanless sruure supprng he mes s lw-manenane an prves al ha Welsh esrbes as awesme

erge thr & Sn wre n w her venues a he anuver games sjumps a Whsler an he spee sang val a Rhmn bu was he mesha arae he ms aenn they were a avure barp r elevsn re-prs rm he ajaen nernanal mea enre s well, he plaza was a alpn r lve mus an elebrans

there were a ew hunre husan peple n he srees every ngh urng heolymps, says Welsh, an he plaza was he hub where peple wane gaher

O Ovwin domes made of nickel-containingstainless steel the place to meet at theVancouver Olympics

Ni


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, . 5, . 1, j 1 N N u 7

PHotoS:couRteSyoFiNteRBaR

Nickel can be used in a myriad of applications, from energy production tomobile phones, but inducing well-heeled shoppers to put down theirdesigner bags, rest their weary legs, and enoy a glass of champagne mustbe one of its more unusual uses.

Te Champagne Bar at the prestigious Westeld Shopping Centre in westLondon one of the largest indoor retail centres in Europe has beenenormously successful at enticing customers. More than 00,000 glassesof bubbly were served in its rst year of operation, despite having opened(in October 2008) in the midst of the deepest UK recession since the 90s.

Te stunning bar is situated in Te Village, an upmarket triangularsection of the smart shopping complex, where premium brands such

as Gucci, Prada and iany lure customers through glass shop frontsthat also boast gleaming nickel nishes.

Shoppers cannot help but be attracted by the Champagne Barsgently glowing golden appearance and striking sculptural shape.Tey may be surprised to learn that the entire front of the bar ismade of brushed nickel sheet, while the beading along the top and

lower counters, and most of the metal pieces of the stools around

the bar are nickel plated.

Billy Pither is managing director of Interbar Ltd., the company that desi-gned and built the bar in conunction with renowned architects Hiscox Parlad. Heexplains why nickel was selected: Westelds design standard specied that we couldnot use stainless steel or classic cocktail-bar chrome to construct the bar. Tey insistedon nickel, chosen for its inviting appearance and feel. Te colour of nickel is warmer thanstainless steel and more appropriate for the desired atmosphere of the bar.

Architect Renshaw Hiscox, who designed the unique ell iptical shape of the high-spe-cication bar, liked the idea of designing with nickel. We would have liked to use a lotmore nickel on the bar, he says. It gives the appearance of an old-fashioned nish. It is agood-quality material quality is what the Champagne Bar is all about, and this shinesthrough. It is perfect for high-end nishes.

Constructing a bar out of nickel was a rst for Interbar. We often use copper, brass andstainless steel. Brushed nickel was chosen because it is semi-shiny and welcoming, saysPither. Nickel is also tough and resists corrosion. It is aesthetically beautiful but at thesame time enables the bar to be functional, as it does not require a lot of cleaning orpolishing (apart from wiping with a damp cloth). If the bar was made of copper, brass orbronze, it would need regular polishing, Pither points out.

Te entire bar was constructed out of wood before the nickel sheets were cut to size andattached to the timber. Te beading around the edge is made of nickel-plated brass inbetween the layers of the counters. We bent the pieces of the brass to shape around thewhole outline of the bar and then had them nickel-plated, explains Pither. Te layerbetween the top and lower counters is covered with leather while the counters are madeof Pyrolave, a French ceramic glazed lava rock.

Brushe nel shee brngs eleganean warmh The Champagne Barn nns Wesfel shppng sr

a Touc o Clss

contd on page 19


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Preparing for a New Era in Chemicals Management

r a C hThe Nickel onsorti

Consortium 1

Risk AssessedSubstances

nickel metal, nickel chloride,nickel sulphate, nickel nitrate

Consortium 2

Other NickelCompounds

nickel hydroxycarbonate, nickel oxide, nickeldihydroxide, nickel sulfamate, nickel acetate,nickel sulphide, nickel subsulphide

Consortium 3

Complex NickelMaterials

ferro-nickel (special preparation),nickel matte (intermediate),...

N FaTuR TRy nic, . 25, n. 1, jn 2010


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, . 5, . 1, j 1 N FaTuR TRy

By November 0, 200, all nickelcompounds, including nickel metal(above ,000 tonnes per year), willhave to be registered under the EU law

on the management of chemicals com-monly referred to as REACH, an acro-nym for Registration Evaluation and

Authorization of Chemicals.

o prepare for this deadline, the NickelInstitute and its member companieslaunched an implementation work planas early as 2006 and succeeded in assem-bling three consortia. As shown in thetable (left), there is one consortium eachfor risk-assessed substances, other nickelcompounds, and complex nickel materials.

When the consortia were ocially laun-ched in January 200, they were in thevery forefront of the REACH process. Tework since then has been labourintensive(the equivalent of ve people working full-time) and costly (budget: 6 million euros).

Organization of the Consortia

Te scope of the REACH consortia coversguidance on pre-registration, data-sharing,classication of nickel and nickel com-pounds, preparation of registration dossiers,and evaluation of those dossiers.

Te consortia include two types of members.Te regular membership is aimed at EU pro-ducers and non-EU producers who exportto Europe, as well as importers of nickel

and nickel inorganic compounds. A die-rent status, called Associate Membership,is assigned to representatives of importantEU downstream users this in recognitionof the importance of information sharingand communication throughout the supplychain while preparing for the registrationdossiers. Tere are currently 49 companiesinvolved in at least one consortium.

Te 2006 work plan developed for the 200-200 period covers eects assessment,exposure assessment, risk characterization,

classication, physico-chemical properties,communication, program management,and reporting processes (in particularthe International Uniform ChemicalInformation Database, or IUCLID, and theChemical Safety Report, or CSR).

Early Registration Strategy

In 2009, the Nickel REACH Consortiaput in place an early registration stra-tegy and pushed ahead quickly on thenickel metal and nickel sulphate dossiers.Owing to the decade-long investment in

risk assessment that preceded REACH,considerable data and a rich number ofscientic references and chemical safetyreports on these two chemicals were

already available. As a result of comple-ting the early registration for these twochemicals, the consortia was able to pro-ceed quickly to a concentrated registra-tion of chemicals that did not have thesame detailed regulatory history.

In March 200, the nickel metal and nic-kel sulphate dossiers were successfullyregistered a maor achievement for allthe producers, importers and downs-tream users of nickel and nickel-contai-ning substances.

Te experience gained as a result of thisexercise proved valuable for dealing withmember companies and downstreamusers such as the stainless steel, alloy,plating and catalyst industries. As well,early registration allowed the NickelInstitute and all the members to becomefamiliar with mandatory informationtechnology tools such as IUCLID .2software and the REACH-I (informa-tion technology) system.

contd on page 10


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0 N FaTuR TRy nic, . 25, n. 1, jn 2010

Managing the Process forEcient Success

Completing the registration dossiers isresource-intensive, as are the data-sharingobligations under REACH. Fortunately,the Nickel REACH Consortia has develo-ped various tools to aid in the nalizationof oint submissions and to comply withthe REACH goal of minimizing animaltesting through the sharing of data.

o ensure animal testing is kept to a mini-mum, REACH authorities created theSubstance Information Exchange Forum(SIEF). Dierent ways exist for SIEF mem-

bers to get access to the data required forregistration: they may oin the appro-priate consortium or obtain a Letter of

Access or a License to Use all at a cost,since those who developed the data in therst place had to pay for it. Tus the costof generating the data is shared by all whomake use of it.

In addition, communication tools suchas the Nickel REACH Consortia website (see table page 9) and SIEF Flashare available. Tese are relevant to the

approximately ,000 companies that havepre-registered nickel metal and other com-

pounds. As of May 200, fewer than 0%of those companies were active, thoughthis is expected to change dramatically asthe registration deadlines approach.

Companies that need to register theirsubstances by November 200 are invitedto contact the Nickel REACH Consortiabefore Sept. , 200. After that date, itwill be dicult to guarantee timely accessto the information.

Registration is not the End

Understandably, the Nickel indus-trys main focus has been registrationprocess. However, REACH is an on-going chemicals management regimeand registration is not the end of the pro-cess; nor is November the only deadline.

Dierent chemicals are on dierentregistration timelines (20 or 208), soactivities related to substance informa-tion sharing will not stop. As well, newentrants (producers and importers) willhave to register their products and makeuse of existing data. Te information

submitted in the registration dossierto the agency must be kept up-to-date.

Every new use, new study, all new datamust be reected in updated registrationdossiers as soon as possible.

Registration dossiers also providenew information on classication .Depending on the situation, memberstates or industry can submit to theEuropean Chemicals Agency (ECHA)proposals for harmonized classicationand labelling. Tis provides the NickelInstitute with a mechanism to proposerevised classications for nickel and nic-

kel compounds.Evaluation

Te work of the Nickel REACH consortiaalready includes evaluation of the dos-siers. Under the auspices of ECHA, twotypes of evaluation are performed: thatof the dossier (including examination oftesting proposals and a compliance check)and that of the substance. Te evaluationof some nickel substances could becomean important and challenging step for the

contd from page 9

contd on page 19


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nic, . 25, n. 1, jn 2010 N N N 11

chemals exs an are use r reasns he same me, he hazars mus beregnze an he rss envrnmen,wrers an nsumers mus be reue an aepable lerable level the eer-mnan wha ha rs s n any senars a ul press an s always pen renerprean n lgh new aa

in hs nex n May 2009, he urpean

nns Senf cmmee r oupa-nal xpsure ms (Sco) hemalagens mae a remmenan r a sn-gle inave oupanal xpsure m(io) 001 mg N/m (nhalable aerslran) r nel an s mpunsbase n resprary arngeny anxy ths value was als nsere be preve agans pssble repru-ve ees

the urren nel os values n re nhe range rm 001 mg N/m r he

nel sluble mpuns 1 mg N/mr he nsluble nel mpuns

Whle nusry agrees wh he generalapprah use by Sco, he Sco

prpse value es n ae n ns-eran ssues parle sze erenes,nr es erenae beween varus

nel mpuns unng r hesears wul lea ios ha ul es-ablsh lms r eran mpuns hawere several-l hgher (e, less resr-ve) whle sll beng suenly preve human healh

n io value s sene-base i esn, an s n suppse , ae s-enm an ehnal easbly arsn aun Fr any hemal r whhan io value s esablshe a he level,Member Saes mus esablsh a nanal

expsure lm value usng he io valueas he base reerene in hs nex, s--enm nserans are applen arane wh nanal legslanramewrs, arrve, when pssble, aan expsure lm value ha bes reesa balane beween beng suenlypreve human healh, whle bengahevable an arable

Contribution of the Nickel Institute

the Nel insue s engage a bhhe ehnal an senm levels

ensure ha newly prpse an he f-nally ape os r nel an s m-puns n eren Member Saes are

suenly preve wrers healhwhu beng unuly nservave theNel Pruers nvrnmenal Researhssan (NPR), he senf branh he Nel insue, mmene a hesenf o ervan regulary phase

in an, he Nel insue haslaunhe a ehnal easbly suy hawll be llwe by a s-enmanalyss wh a hr pary ths wll evalu-ae he busness mpa pssble Scoio alues n he nusres ha use

nel an nel mpuns the fnalumes he suy wll hen be sharewh he nanal o seng agenes

oupanal expsure aa r he nel pruers an use sers are ur-renly beng gahere cnsulan whhe eren nel use sers s re-seen n ugus 2010 the mpa assess-men suy wll be mplee by o-ber 2010 the ulmae suy nngswll be expse he nel nusryhrugh a wrshp rganze by heNel insue

OCCUPAIONAL EPOSURE LIMISIN HE EUROPEAN UNION:How the nickel industry can contribute to the regulatory review process

Ni


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2 N N N nic, . 25, n. 1, jn 2010

Fuel cells have long attracted interest because of their low impact on the environ-ment and potential for energy eciency. Unfortunately, technical problems andhigh costs have prevented this potential from being realized. Some of the costsare directly related to the traditional use of platinum as a catalyst. Over the past decade,researchers and entrepreneurs have brought down costs considerably and increased thereliability of fuel cells. Te use of nickel both as a metal and an oxide has been an impor-tant part of these eorts.

Tere are many dierent types of fuel cells, but all of them use hydrogen or hydrogen-rich compounds as their fuel for generating electricity. Some fuel cells also generate heatwhich can be used eciently.

Tere has always been a close association between nickel and fuel cells. It was LudwigMond (89-909) and his assistant Charles Langer who coined the term fuel cells inthe late 9th century to refer to such cells that had been experimented with since 88.Monds fuel cell used industrial coal gas and air, with platinum as a catalyst. Mond wenton to develop a process for producing high-purity nickel using nickel carbonyl as an inter-mediate chemical a process still used today to rene nickel. Te company he foundedto commercialize the process, the Mond Nickel Company, is today part of the Vale group.

Tere are many types of fuel cells and most of them make use of nickel in some way.Researchers are trying to reduce the overall cost while maintaining or improving e-ciency and reliability. For example, the Colorado School of Mines found that, for a protonexchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell using methanol as the source of hydrogen, a plati-num-nickel alloy catalyst improved performance by a factor of two over pure platinum.However, even better catalysts must be found in order for PEM cells to be cost-eective.

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) can be used with many types of hydrocarbon fuels andyet can only operate at high temperatures. Research carried out at the University ofWaterloo in Canada demonstrates how nickel is being used to meet this challenge. AsEric Croiset, associate professor in the universitys Chemical Engineering Department,explains: Our research involves developing intermediate-temperature [600-0C]solid oxide fuel cells. Of particular interest are nickel-based anodes with ceria-basedelectrolyte that are coke-resistant for direct use of hydrocarbon fuels.

Indeed, such fuels can be internally reformed (that is, within the SOFC) because theelectro-catalyst, nickel, is also an excellent catalyst for reforming reactions, conver-ting hydrocarbon fuels such as methane directly into hydrogen and carbon monoxide.Internal reforming has the potential to simplify the overall process and make it moreecient.

Nickel, however, is also prone to carbon deposition (coking), which can lead to loss ofperformance and even permanent damage of the SOFC. Te research team at Waterloois adding small amounts of magnesium to limit sintering of nickel, which not onlyimproves the stability of the cell but reduces the propensity to coking. Te researchis experimental, from the fabrication of a small laboratory-scale SOFCs to the testingand characterization of those cells. Modelling activities are also under way, especiallyregarding the identication of the kinetics of hydrogen and carbon monoxide electro-chemical oxidation on nickel-based anode. Te University of Waterloo is part of theSolid Oxide Fuel Cells Canada Strategic Research Network, which comprises seven uni-versities, two governmental research associations, and 2 industrial partners.

If Ludwig Mond were alive today, he would not be surprised to nd that nickel and fuelcells are so closely related.

fU C: wr n prgress

l u d W i g M o N d B y J o S e P H S o l o M o

N t H e N a t i o N a l P o R t R a i t g a l l e R y l o N d o N

Ni

P H o t o i S t o c k J a N e F F


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nic, . 25, n. 1, jn 2010 N N N 13

v Methanol Fuel Cell NASA.

Could this be the future of fuel cells?w

Hydrgen Gas

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Oxidant

Anode (-)Cathode (+)

PolymerElectrolyte

Membrane

Water

Unused

Fuel

-

--


14/20

4 N FaTuR nic, . 25, n. 1, jn 2010

he traditional car with gasoline internal combustion engineis equipped with the familiar lead acid battery. Te batteryis designed to deliver a burst of power necessary to start the

engine, and is recharged while the engine is running; when theengine is not running, it can used to power the radio, lighting,windows, and so on. Te lead acid battery in the U.S. is the singlemost recycled consumer product, with more than 90% of the leadhaving been recycled in recent years.

Hybrid vehicles such as the oyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybridand Ford Escape Hybrid use a conventional lead acid batteryfor the same reason as the combustion engine car, but they are

also equipped with electric motors for propulsion of the car and

a rechargeable deep-cycle battery. Tis second battery providesthe driving force to the electric motors and must therefore beable to store considerable electrical energy. Te electrical powertrain assists the gasoline engine. When the engine is idling orfunctioning at consistently low speeds, the battery can comple-tely power the vehicle, reducing fuel consumption in the process.Te drive-train management systems permanently optimize theuse of the batteries or of the internal combustion engine or bothto power the car.

Rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are usedin most of todays hybrid cars and oer maor performance and

environmental benets. Tese include higher energy density and

reen cars:Reccling Btteries

P H o t o i S t o c k P H o t o a l e x e y d u d o l a d o v


15/20

, . 5, . 1, j 1 N FaTuR 15

longer life than conventional lead acid batteries. Te NiMH bat-tery is also smaller and lighter, which adds to the fuel economyof hybrid cars.

Te relatively small size of the NiMH battery brings additio-nal economic and environmental benets from the perspectiveof raw material sustainability. According to the ko Institute(Institute for Applied Ecology) in Germany, a NiMH battery ina oyota Prius contains 2% nickel, 6% steel, 8% plastics, 9%electrolytes, % rare earth metals, 4% cobalt, 2% other metals,and % polytetrauoroethylene (PFE).

Te ko Institute has assessed the life cycle of NiMH batteriesand their use in hybrid electric vehicles (http://www.recharge-batteries.org/LCA_Ni-MH_in_oyota_Prius__-_IARC200.pdf);besides maor gasoline savings, which were expected, there weresignicant recycling benets. Te study concludes that a hybrid

electrical vehicle reduces global warming potential (GWP) by29.6% due to reduced fuel consumption.

he battery industry is riding a maor technological researchand development wave in conunction with the automotiveindustry to develop safe rechargeable lithium-ion batteriesfor automotive propulsion use. he high-voltage battery iskey to the success of hybrid and full electric cars for reasons

of cost, weight, reliability and long life. For all full electricvehicles, the battery determines the distance the vehicle cantravel before it must be recharged. Battery demand forecastssuggest that lithium-ion batteries, in various forms, are likelyto be used increasingly in hybrid and electrical vehicles. helithium-ion batteries have an e xcellent energy-to-weight ratio,zero memory effect, and a slow loss of charge when not in use.hey are smaller and lighter than other battery types for agiven energy content, yet substantially more powerful. High-strength housing and var ious other measures, such as properventilation, ensure that the battery operates in ideal tempe-ratures. he cathode in lithium-ion batteries will either be anickel-cobalt-aluminum mix or a manganese-nickel-cobalt

mix. Regardless of the type of cathode, the nickel content isaround 2-6% by weight of the battery.

Both NiMH and lithium-ion batteries can be recycled. Troughits award-winning zero waste and closed-loop battery recyclingprocess, Belgium-based Umicore Battery Recycling (UBR) is theleading recycler of such batteries in the world. Te companysprocess is dedicated to the safe recycling of NiMH and lithium-ion batteries and battery packs, transforming end-of-life batte-ries into secondary materials used for new battery manufacture.

Some of the UBR Process advantages: recgele tteies, ttey pcks n ote input

teils e injecte into unce witout ny pe-

pocessing, teey iniizing isk to wokes.

a gs clening opetion esigne to eliinte

te otion o ioxins n uns.

Well-contolle elting conitions so tt

clen slg is pouce wic is suitle o use

in constuction o s ggegte o concete.

a colt n nickel ening instlltion wee puecolt n nickel e pouce. Colt cn ten e

tnsoe into litiu colt ioxie iCo2, use

in te pouction o te new litiu tteies.

Tis technology has been attracting attention on a worldwidebasis. In 2004, UBR received the Gold Award presented by theEuropean Environmental Press (EEP) in recognition of its inno-vative environmental technologies. Te awards are organizedby the EEP in collaboration with Pollutec and the EuropeanFederation of Associations of Environmental Professionals. In2008, UBR was selected as one of the ten most innovative com-panies by Dow Jones and Mountain Cleanech, and was reco-

gnized by the French non-prot organization Alliances for itsenvironmental achievements. In 2009 both Industrie echnischManagement and the non-prot organization Sirris nominatedUBR for Best Innovation.

UBR has a central battery recycling and processing facility inBelgium and a network of battery recycling drop-o points globally.Tis system allows for ease of collection while high eciency inrecycling. Te European Battery Directive states that all batteriesmust be recycled and that recycling eciency must be at least reach0% by weight of its material content (dened as qualied recycledmaterials/outow divided by spent battery materials/inow). TeEU Batteries Directive will be transposed in National Legislation byall Member States of the European Union.

the relavely small sze he NMH

baery brngs anal enman envrnmenal benefs rm heperspeve raw maeral susanably

r Toyota Motor Corporation Prius battery showing the electric motorand electrical ows

contd on page 18


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6 NwN N , . 5, . 1, j 1

Enabling Essential Battery Technologies

he mern wrl s srvng rgreaer eenes, lwer emssnsan less nensve use maerals he same me, nusry s mre e-penen n hemals han ever berei s perhaps n surprsng, hen, ha hewrl s gng hrugh a revlun nhemals managemen

the urpean nn legslan nwn asRcH (Regsran, valuan, uhr-

zan an Resrn chemals) salreay havng an nuene n nvualnans1 an he wrl a large2

the vas majry hese hemals areunnwn nsumers t publ alsrespnsble r hemals, hey are ennwn nly by her hemal mps-ns an lassfans they are nwnr wha hey are, n r why hey are use

t fll ha nwlege gap, Nickelmagaznes publshng a seres arles n nelhemals, sarng wh nel(ii) hyrxe

N(oH)2 an s usn hemalsnergy, n an beng essenal evelpmenal asprans, s he ey susanably the larges eplymens apal, nrbuns grs, an m-pas n he envrnmen an healh areassae wh ssl uels an nulearan hyr energy Bu hange s n he ar:n a smaller sale, he ls wr, m-munans an pleasure requre energy

srage ha pas mre sre pwern nreasngly smaller spaes

there s nsan nvesmen, nnvanan mpen n energy srage anbaery hemsres as varus prus areevelpe ha pmze baeres r -eren uses: as-hargng, as-shargng,nsan vlage, hgh vlage, vlume-r energy ensy, hemal sably, lwsel-sharge rae, ably be reharge

mulple mes, relably, an her re-ra in many mpran ases, hwever, abas bulng bl s nel(ii) hyrxe,ang avanage nels eler-hem-al prperes an s relave abunanempare wh hemals base n pla-num an relae meals

Nel(ii) hyrxe s prue n urpean Nrh mera, hugh he majrys prue n sa, where he greaesgrwh n prun s als repre s

a bas baery ngreen, s an nslublegreen rysal (ha s, bere beng rans-rme r pe wh her hemals aheve he esre eleral an herharaerss) there are several rues prun, hugh all requre hgh-purymeall nel (usually ahe nel)an he man prun press nvlvesprepan rm nel(ii) sal slunsby means alal hyrxes the fnshe

pru s shppe n seure naners baery manuaurers

Leading Battery Technologies

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Nickel-

Lithium (Ni-Li): Whle mpen sgrwng (an a hybr ehnlgy s, al-ms by efnn, ransnal), he real-y s ha NMH s he mnan baeryehnlgy, an he mnan user

ha ehnlgy s urrenly tya theJapanese aumaer has pu 18 mllnPrus ars (nw n her hr generan)n he ra; eah has a baery pa hanans apprxmaely 10 ls neln he rm nel(ii) hyrxetheehnlgy s reprely very relable:here s n Prus baery aer-mare asevery baery pa s expee las heleme he vehle

tha ehnlgy s expee hange,an anaes r replaemen are nsgh Many hse, hwever, als relyn nel(ii) hyrxe Fr example, henel-lhum baery beng evelpeby tya an Panasn s expee elver hree mes he energy per un vlume the hemsry has been prvenhugh mass manuaurng remans ahallenge sne urren, early-sage e-sgns are mplex 3

1 see S tx Subsanes cnrl reauhrzan: hp://wwwepagv/pp/exsnghemals/pubs/prnpleshml2 ne Nans Sraeg pprah chemals Managemen/SicM: hp://wwwsamrg/nexphp?menu=2&page=2563

Fr mre nrman: hp://gas2rg/2009/10/06/new-nel-lhum-baery-has-ulrahgh-energy-srage-apay


17/20

Nickel(II) hydroxide Ni(OH)2

is aprecipitate formed when thehexaaquanickel(II) ion is mixedwith aqueous ammonia.

Common name variants:

Nel hyrxe, Nelhyrxe, Nel (2+) hyrxe,nelus hyrxe

CAS number:12054-48 7

EINECS number:235-008-5

Molar mass:92708 g/ml (anhyrus);11072 g/ml (mnhyrae)

Appearance:

green rysalsCrystal structure:

hexagnal

Density:410 g/m3

Melting point:230c (anhyrus empsn)

Water solubility:nsluble

Solubility:lue a, ammna

Related chemical:Bea-nel hyrxe

CAS number: 11113-74-9

EINECS number: 234-348-1

, . 5, . 1, j 1 NwN N 17

s Disassembled Ni-MH AA cell. 1: positive

terminal 2: outer metal casing (also negative

terminal) 3: positive electrode 4: negative

electrode with current collector (metal grid,

connected to metal casing) 5: separator

(between electrodes).

Nickel Iron (Ni-Fe): i has been mrehan a hunre years sne merannvenr thmas sn evelpe henel-rn rehargeable srage baery,whh uses nel(iii) xe-hyrxeas he ahe, rn as he ane, anpassum hyrxe as he elerlyei s n he ms mpressve baeryhemsres by any means hugh heun s rbus an leran abuses suhas verharge, ver-sharge, shr-rung, hermal sh, an vbranis serve le an n a exee 20 yearsn suh nns tranally, he ba-ery has been use n he harsh perangnns mnes, hugh urrenly s beng nsere r use n wn anslar pwer in hse envrnmens, hebaery wul aumulae energy urngpers hgh eleral hargng bulw eman, an sharge n he grurng lw- r zer-harge pers

Nickel Oxyhydroxide (NiOOH or NiOx):

ths s a new ype nn-rehargeablebaery sl uner bran names suhas duraell Pwer Px an Panasn ox-yre Nox baeres exel n hgh-ranapplans suh as gal ameras anan prve up we he le ala-lne uns

Nickel Hydrogen (NiH2): in May 2009,

he rgnal NH2

baeres he HubbleSpae telespe were hange aermre han 19 years nnuus serv-e an he hghes nwn number

harge/sharge yles any nelhyrgen baery ths ype s vewe asa n hybr beween a ranalbaery an a uel ell as he hemal a-vy aes plae n a pressure vessel (up 8,300 Pa/1,200 ps) Nel hyrgenbaeres are never gng be mmn,an ye n ases where hgh energy en-sy, ums relably, an lng serveare requre, hey wll fn a use verymajr spae prbe an lng-lve spaeenerprse (suh as he inernanalSpae San) reles n nel hyrgenbaeres ha have nel(ii) hyrxe aher re Ni


18/20

8 NN BRF nic, . 25, n. 1, jn 2010

Al B C Co Cr Cu Fe H Mn Mo Na Nb Ni O P Pb S Si SO4

Ti V W Other

Ni(OH)2

* - - 0.5% 3ppm 5ppm - - - 0.03% - 59.5% - - 2ppm - - 0.01% - - - -p. 16, 17 max max max max min max max

S30400 - - 0.08 - 18.00- - - - 2.00 - - - 8.00- 0.045 - 0.030 1.00 - - - - -p. 6 max 20.00 max 10.50 max max max

NO1555 - - 0.07 0.05 0.01 0.01 0.05 0.005 - - - 0.025 54.0- 0.05 - - - - - rem - - -

p. 20 max max max max max max max 57.0 max

*typical specifcation

chemical compositions of nickel-containing alloys, stainless steels and compounds mentioned in this issue of Nickel

Coming Events:

workshops in hin

P H o t o t i M P e l l i N g F o R t H e N i c k e l i N S t i t u t e

Te current supply of NiMH batteries to be recycled is limitedbecause the hybrid cars carrying them have been recently intro-duced on the market and batteries have a service life expectancyof about 0 years. However, UBR says it is prepared to meet thegrowing recycling needs of NiMH batteries in 6-0 years timewhen the life cycle of -2 million batteries will have come to an endof service life. In preparation, 2 million euros has been investedin a ,000-ton-per-year recycling plant.

Currently all the lithium-ion batteries UBR recycles originatefrom lap-tops, mobile phones and power tools. Recycling andprocessing facilities in several continents will be expanded oncelithium-ion batteries from hybrid and electric vehicles start strea-ming in. At this stage, nobody can predict how fast demand willgrow for the next generation of hybrids and electrical vehicles.

European Directives require all carmakers to demonstrate howevery component in the vehicle will be recycled. UBR is in commu-nication with most car manufacturers regarding the proper recy-cling eciency of the NiMH and lithium-ion batteries, as requi-red under the European Battery Directive. One thing is certain:Umicores recycling process will boost the sustainability of hybridand electrical vehicles for many years to come. Ni

Hybrid Car Batteries

r In North America, Inmetco (http://www.inmetco.com) is the

premier recycler of nickel-containing consumer batteries (pictured here)

from the voluntary Charge-up To Recycle program of the Rechargeable

Battery Recycling Corporation (http://www.call2recycle.org). In addition

it receives and recycles electric vehicle battery packs that are highlyvalued for their nickel content. The nickel, chromium and iron from

hybrid vehicle batteries and their cases is captured and becomes

material for the manufacture of stainless steel.Ni

aer hs year w very ppular Ni wrshps wll be hseby he Ni Bejng e n chna

September 2010:Nickel Institute Food Industry Workshop

er an nrun he Nel insue by he Ni Bejnge, Nel insue nsulan ary caes presens an n-

eph l a sanless seels, he ms mmnly use mae-ral r na suraes

mng he ps susse are: ntouction to tinless teels

avoiing Coosion

Goo design n fiction Pctices

hygiene n nity tns

xples o Usge in foo n bevege Pouction

there s a me r quesns aer eah sessn an a he enthe semnar s suable r an beverage plan persn-nel wanng learn mre abu he maeral hey are usng,abrars an esgners sysems an equpmen, an un-verses an ehnal nsues

November 2010:Nickel Institute Architecture, Building andConstruction Workshop

ths wrshp s presene byNel insue nsulan caherneHusa an vers suh ps as:

tinless steel n

sustinle esign

tinless steel selection,

esign n intennce

finis options

nteio, exteio n stuctul pplictionsFr mre nrman regarng venues an spef aesplease na he Ni Bejng e:[email protected]

contd frompage 15


19/20

, . 5, . 1, j 1 N N NuN 1

N M Z i N o N i N

UbCrb to ickel mgzine ee o cge

n eceive n e-il notice wen new

issue is poste online.

www.nickelonline.org/subscribe

7 aGUaG, e ickel mgzine

online. nglis, Cinese, Jpnese, russin,

fenc, Gen n pnis.

www.nickelmagazine.org/language

arCh baCK U o ickel mgzine o

ou online cive, going ck to July 1998.

www.nickelmagazine.org/archive

WaTCh nine sot nickel vieos on You Tue.

ec o ickel nstitute n visit te

ickel nstitute Cnnel. nclues ou

Clite action vieo, tee bbC Wol

coecils n tee ecyclle stinless

steel coecils.

www.youtube.com/user/NickelInstitute

www.nickelinstitute.org

raChcontd from page 10nickel industry, in which case appropriate attention and resources will be required.

Te nickel industry and the Nickel Institute will continue to live up to their registrationand post-registration responsibilities. Te safe and responsible use, re-use, recyclingand disposal of nickel and nickel-containing chemicals depends on their doing so.

Resources

Tere are almost too many sources of information. REACH is a new and complex pro-cess and is being applied to tens of thousands of chemicals. Te learning curve forboth industry and regulators has been extraordinarily cha llenging and expensive. Te

Internet is a rich source of information and guidance on REACH and a few basic linksrelevant to this article are provided here:

y N

Nickel REACH consortia www.nickelconsortia.org

REACH-IT http://echa.europa.eu/reach/software/reach-it_en.asp

SIEF http://echa.europa.eu/sief/pre-SIEF_en.asp

ECHA http://echa.europa.eu

Te matching stools xed around the bar are standard Italian stools which were deliveredwith chrome-plated bases. We removed the chrome and then they were nickel-plated onthe base, the stem, the footrest, the studs on the backs, and on any visible metal parts,says Pither. It was not a dicult procedure.

Tere were, however, a few obstacles to making the Champagne Bar with nickel.We had a hard ob sourcing nickel sheet, Pither admits. Te nickel was even-tually sourced via the Nickel Institute from Philip Cornes & Co, part of WMetals in the U.K.

Nickel sheet was not easy to work with, owing to its softness and tendency tobend almost like lead, according to Pither. In order to cut it to the correctsize, our craftsmen had to keep the nickel sheet horizontal rather than wor-king with it vertically, sandwiched between timbers to keep it at. If theybent it too far, it would stay bent, so they had to work quite gently.

Allergic dermatitis due to contact with nickel sheet can potentially be a pro-

blem but not in this application either in the manufacture of the bar or in theend use. On site, the nickel still had blue protective plastic on it to prevent scrat-ching, so the workers contact with it was clearly limited. In regard to the patronsof the bar, none of the areas where the nickel sheet has been used are areas wherethere is prolonged contact with the skin.

So how are people responding to the Champagne Bar? It has been hugely successful andeveryone loves it, says Pither. People walk through that section of Westeld, nd the barright in front of them, so they sit down and have a glass of champagne. It attracts peoplebecause it looks so nice. We are proud of the Champagne Bar I am a great fan of nickeland would be happy to use it again.

Cpgne bcontd from page 7

Ni

Ni


20/20

Metal Muscles

N lnger mere urses, nel-anum shape memry allys(SMs) are beng use n nusralapplans, suh as n brges n earh-quae-prne regns (as susse n urdeember 2009 ssue), whle, a he re-searh level, senss nnue explre

her penal n new an smemessrange ways

case n pn: researhers a Nrh carlnaSae nversy are usng SMs evelprb bas whh, hans her maneu-verably, shul be able perrmsearh-an-resue unns n llapsebulngs an her enlse spaes

leas has he plan

Weghng less han sx grams, he rb-ba, as s alle, fs easly n he palm yur han the selens jns are mae

Nnl (NS N01555) a super-elasshape memry ally ha erms raplyuner sress ye regans s rgnal shapewhu hea reamen when he sresss remve, whle he s-alle musularsysem maes use anher nel-an-um ally ha respns eler urren

ths shape memry ally respns he hea rm elery, explans SeanSeelee, he assae pressr versee-ng he prje the hea aes wres hesze a human har, ausng hem n-

ra le meal musles durng he n-ran, he pwerul musle wres alshange her eler ressane, whh anbe easly measure When he smar mealwre ls reurns s rgnal shape

We are ryng mm naure as lselyas pssble beause naure s very e-en, Seelee says in he ase mr-aeral vehles, naure ells us ha appnggh le ha a ba s he ms ee-ve means mn inee, he jns,musular sysem an wng membrane

he rb-ba are esgne allw y

wh he same een appng mn asa real ba

the ey nep here s he use smarmaerals, Seelee says We are usng ashape-memry meal ally ha s super-

elas r he jns the maeral prvesa ull range mn bu wll always re-urn s rgnal psn a unnperrme by many ny bnes, arlagean enns n real bas

Beses servng as a survellane l whpraal applans, he rb-ba ulnrbue ur unersanng aer-ynams Says Seelee: i wll allw us ess where we an nrl all hevarables an fnally gve us he ppru-ny unersan he aerynams

appng gh r Robo-bat the use of smart materials.

i M a g e S B y R o N N a S H / e d i t a t J o e S

Ni

Researchers at North Carolina State

University are using nickel-titaniumshape memory alloys to create a newgeneration of remote-control yers.

Researhers hpe hsmnaure rb wll beable maneuvre an eally y nse

ul--reah areas,relay ell-phne sgnals,an perrm herresue-relae unns

Nickel Revista 2010

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Transcript of Nickel Revista 2010