“After more than a decade of intensive research in China, a new ironmaking technology is poised to revolutionise the global steel manufacturing industry.

The method involves injecting finely ground iron ore powder into an extremely hot furnace, triggering an ‘explosive chemical reaction’, according to the engineers involved in the project.

The result is a display of bright red, glowing liquid iron droplets that rain down and collect at the bottom of the furnace, forming a stream of high-purity iron that can be directly used for casting or ‘one-step steelmaking’.

Known as flash ironmaking, the method ‘can complete the ironmaking process in just three to six seconds, compared to the five to six hours required by traditional blast furnaces’, wrote the project team led by Professor Zhang Wenhai, an academician of the prestigious Chinese Academy of Engineering, in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nonferrous Metals in November.

This equates to a 3,600-fold or more increase in the speed of ironmaking. The new method also works exceptionally well for low or medium-yield ores that are abundant in China, according to the researchers.”

From South China Morning Post.

“Advancements in recombinant DNA, cloning, and biomanufacturing have reduced our reliance on animals to serve as chemical factories while leading to more precise and efficient antibodies and antivenoms. We have now reached the point where just about any molecule that has historically been made from animals can be made synthetically from engineered cells. However, just because it is technically feasible to move completely away from biopharming does not mean that it will be easy. And while there has been progress in eschewing animal-derived products in some areas, such as with insulin, others, like synthetic antivenom or vaccine production, have been less straightforward. Solutions to these require not only mimicking what animal biology does naturally but doing so at scale.”

From Works in Progress.

“Robot adoption in factories around the world continues at high speed: The new global average robot density reaches a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023 – more than double the number measured only seven years ago.”

From International Federation of Robotics.

“If you bought a diamond this year, there’s a roughly 50% chance it was manufactured in a laboratory.

Why it matters: Lab-grown diamonds have radically transformed the jewelry market. But despite the cheaper alternative, the amount being paid for diamonds is actually rising — and the stones are larger than ever.

The big picture: Two things are happening at once: Lab-grown diamonds are getting more popular as they get cheaper, while people are spending more than ever on natural diamonds.”

From Axios.