Materials Industry Research Articles

Heterogeneity of urban manufacturing – a statistical analysis of manufacturing companies in three German cities

ABSTRACT The paper delves into the normative Productive City concept as outlined in the New Leipzig Charter, focusing on urban manufacturing's heterogeneity. We define urban manufacturing as manufacturing sectors located in proximity to housing. Urban manufacturing is analyzed based on sectoral (company data classified by NACE codes into 13 types of material industry) and spatial data, considering the distance to priority roads, supply areas, and land-use categories. The methodology is applied to Bochum, Gelsenkirchen, and Herne in the Ruhr area, utilizing 2018 data to identify material industry locations. We highlight differences between central and accessible, and more dispersed sectors in three groups. Group I, including other consumer goods, food products, clothing goods, and repair services, is predominantly located in central and mixed-use locations, suggesting these types could be preserved or developed by urban planners under the Productive City framework. However, there is a clear need for commercial and industrial spaces for emitting industries (Group II) to fully realize this concept. Construction industries (Group III) are often found in residential areas due to off-site activities. Challenges arise in historical industrial cities especially in integrated areas where existing zoning regulations and grandfathering rights restrict changes in manufacturing types or expansions near residential zones.

The significance of materials informatics on material science

In 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama proposed the Material Genome Project. Want to high high-speed and low-cost methods to develop material science, which promoted the rapid development of materials informatics. Materials informatics is an interdisciplinary field that employs the principles of informatics to enhance the comprehension, utilization, and advancement of materials within the realm of materials science. Materials informatics can take multiple approaches and influence many aspects of new material development. Material informatics will cause great changes in the material industry and promote the rapid development of materials. A variety of materials informatics schemes have been developed to analyze materials, and there have been many successful cases worth applying. This article introduces the basic concepts and main research fields of materials informatics and describes four main steps in materials informatics: data collection, data processing, the establishment of a database, construction of a model. The main applications of materials informatics include simulation and prediction of material properties, development of new materials, material optimization and performance improvement. Thinking about the difficult problems in the field of materials informatics for application.

TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESSES IN RESOURCE-RICH COUNTRIES: FROM NATURAL RESOURCES TO INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY-BASED ECONOMY

This paper aims to assess the development pattern of resource-rich countries like Norway, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the Republic of South Africa by analyzing their stock markets. As resource-rich countries have profound implications for the world's sustainable development, it is essential to investigate whether they transform natural resource wealth into sustained growth by reorientation from related to raw material industries to modern ones based on information and technologies. The analysis of resource-rich countries' stock markets allowed us to conclude that partially these countries are on the way to an economy dominated by intangible assets. Nevertheless, despite the declared intentions, some traditional attachments to raw materials are still present. At the same time, most companies in the optimal portfolios of these markets have a long-term nonlinear strategy. The impact of the pandemic COVID-19 turned out to be significant, but short-lived. The research was carried out based on R and Python packages.

Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of interior floor material alternatives in Egypt

AbstractThe building materials sector has a major environmental impact and is one of the main causes of environmental degradation in the construction industry. An Environmental Impact Assessment of several interior floor material options, such as ceramic, marble, and parquet tiles, is conducted in this study using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Due to the shortage of LCA applications in Egypt and the unavailability of the inventory database for the materials industries, the study uses a case study of a new city in Egypt to assess the environmental effects of various floor materials. The LCA approach uses SimaPro software V9.50 and its integrated Ecoinvent database V3.0 to define the objective and scope, conduct an inventory analysis, evaluate the impact, and interpret the results. According to the LCA findings, ceramic tiles, followed by marble tiles and parquet tiles, have the lowest negative environmental impacts. Regarding the singles score, results (midpoint method) have revealed that the marble tiles have hit the highest adverse environmental impacts by 2.24 pt, followed by parquet by 1.21 pt, and finally, the ceramic tiles by 0.594 pt. The global warming potential of ceramic tiles is 0.539 kg CO2, which is less than 74% of the global warming potential of marble tiles (2.01 kg CO2). The non-renewable energy impact of the marble tiles is (38.70 Mj primary), which is higher by 78% of the non-renewable energy of ceramic (8.46 Mj primary). Finally, the human health impact has recorded the highest numbers in the marble industry by 1.12E−5 DALY, which means the marble industry needs a high amount of energy. Ultimately, the findings of this study can potentially improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of construction projects by assisting decision-makers in selecting and applying environmentally friendly building materials.

Comparative Evaluation of Gypsum-Based Plasters with Pistachio Shells for Eco-Sustainable Building

Agri-food waste represents a serious problem that can be overcome by converting it into added-value material for the production of plasters for green building; in fact, it can be used as a reinforcement additive in the building material industry. In this study, the performance of gypsum-based plasters with pistachio shell additives was evaluated. Before being used as additives for gypsum-based plasters, pistachio shells were ground at three different grain sizes in order to verify how grain size influences the performance of the material. Tests were then carried out on all the produced mortars to evaluate their chemical and physical characteristics, and interesting results regarding the mechanical resistance of some of the produced materials were obtained. The results showed that the addition of pistachio shells improved mechanical performance in all cases and that the best mechanical performance and water absorption by capillarity were achieved with the 0.5–2 mm pistachio grain size, while the best thermal conductivity was achieved with the 2–4 mm grain size. Summarizing, the best results were obtained with a pistachio shell granulometry of 0.5–2 mm, sand, and a water/gypsum ratio of 0.86–0.74.

SMART materials for DEMO: Towards industrial production

Self-passivating Metal Alloys with Reduced Thermo-oxidation (SMART) are under development for a fusion power plant. SMART exhibits similar sputtering resistance as that of pure tungsten during regular plasma operation. Under accident conditions, SMART demonstrates the suppression of oxidation – a remarkable advantage over pure tungsten. The viability of SMART technology has been shown on a laboratory scale.Presently, the industrial scale-up of SMART technology is underway. This activity comprises the industrially supplied feedstock materials for SMART, mechanical alloying of powder at industry and sintering of SMART materials using industrial equipment. Industrial mechanical alloying can be accomplished within 21,5 h of milling, providing at least four kilograms of fully alloyed powder. Rectangular industrial SMART samples feature linear dimensions of 10 cm, a thickness of 0.5 cm, a weight slightly below 1 kg and a relative density exceeding 97 %.The transition to industrial feedstock suppliers allowed SMART to outperform pure tungsten in powder procurement costs needed for plasma-facing components. The status of industrial SMART technology is given along with an outlook on future activities.

The current state of the non-ore mineral deposits mining in the concept of the Ukraine reconstruction in the post-war period

AbstractThe study of quantitative and qualitative indicators of the non-metallic mineral deposits mining based on recognized methods of economic and technological assessment to determine the damages and the development of technical–technological measures for the providing the mining industry of construction and bulk materials from the crisis in the post-war period. To assess the state of non-ore mineral deposits, the authors of the article used the following research methods: critical analysis of literary sources, statistical processing of data on the mines functioning and the probability of their manifestation in specific mining and geological conditions. Based on the selected UNIDO method, which is used for the evaluation of high-budget projects, the quantitative performance indicators of the selected quarries of non-ore raw materials have been established. Systematization and visualization of the obtained results were carried out with the help of Excel calculation tables from the available software product MS Office. The main problems associated with the activity of mining enterprises that develop deposits of non-ore useful minerals are highlighted. Qualitative and quantitative values of the work of the selected mines have been prepared according to European standards, which serve as initial data for assessing the economic attractiveness and the possibility of their restructuring in the post-war period. A forecast of the development of the industry is provided on the example of individual technological units of entrepreneurial activity for the nearest period. Dependencies of changes in production capacity indicators of mining enterprises developing non-ore mineral deposits have been established. Data on the spatial distribution of reserves of construction and backfill materials (gravel, sand, clay) were studied. Using generally recognized international methods of assessing the efficiency of enterprises, changes in the priority of mine development were determined depending on the needs of the Ukrainian economy and the destruction of territories caused by military actions, that appeared due to the aggression of the RF. The effectiveness of the methodology was proposed and confirmed, which allows determining the operative parameters of mines, which are mining non-ore mineral deposits. It gives the possibility to assess the economic attractiveness of individual mines and subsequently predict the possibility of their restructuring for the introduction of the innovative equipment and technologies in accordance with generally recognized international standards.

Impact on the performance of esg indices: a comparative study in Brazil and international markets

ABSTRACT The frequent use of Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) indices by market in developed countries has motivated the investigation of the performance of portfolios using SRI indices in Brazil, where no research has been identified comparing relative performance of portfolios composed of companies with and without properly documented Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. In this work we compared the performance of ESG and traditional indices for Brazil and for some reference markets in the United States, Europe and Asia through a panel data analysis for a period from May 2014 to June 2021. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in performance between the traditional and ESG indices for all the markets analysed. In addition, in order to identify the factors that could influence the performance of the ESG index portfolio in Brazil, we control for companies’ ESG practice scores, leverage, size and sector of activities in both additive and interactive models. It was found that the performance of the ESG index was positively influenced by the size and leverage of these companies. The study also shows that the industry of basic materials have a significantly effect on the ESG index.

Mechanical properties and design of hybrid composites of carbon and jute fibers with polypropylene

Natural fibers have both environmentally friendly and ecological advantages in the fiber material industry. Improving the mechanical properties and durability of natural fiber composites is an important research approach. As one of the representatives of synthetic fibers, carbon fiber has excellent mechanical properties and chemical stability, but its high cost and low toughness limit further application. Combining environmentally friendly, low-cost natural fibers with carbon fibers can broaden the development of natural fiber-reinforced composites in industrial applications. In this paper, the composites made of jute fibers and polypropylene (PP) as well as carbon fibers coupled with KH550 modification were prepared and their properties were investigated. By introducing a macroscopic model similar to the core-shell structure, an environmentally friendly material with better mechanical properties was achieved, with carbon fiber woven fabric serving as the shell and jute fiber mat as the core. The results show that a low-cost hybrid composite was successfully prepared by using a small amount of carbon fiber woven fabric instead of jute fiber mat, and the tensile, flexural and impact properties of the composites were improved by 488.27%, 70.75% and 463.39%, respectively, compared with those of the pure jute fibers composites. This study provides a rapid and reliable approach to improve the mechanical properties of the natural fiber composites.

Analysis of Seaweed Agroindustry Management in Indonesia: Potential, Challenges, and Prospects

This study analyzes seaweed agro-industry management in Indonesia with a focus on its potential, challenges, and prospects. The potential of seaweed agroindustry in Indonesia can be seen from the wealth of abundant seaweed natural resources and the diversity of species in various regions. The domestic and export markets are promising, with seaweed applications in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and other industrial raw materials industries. However, challenges in seaweed agro-industry management are also significant, such as complex licensing, limited production technology, and challenges in marketing and distribution. Environmental sustainability is also an important issue that needs attention. To overcome these challenges, seaweed agro-industry management in Indonesia needs to be carried out comprehensively, involving the identification of relevant stakeholders, sustainable natural resource management, production technology innovation, and effective marketing strategies. The prospects for seaweed agro-industry development include market growth potential, export opportunities and strengthening competitiveness, agro-industry cluster development, as well as the government's role in encouraging the development of this sector. This study concludes that seaweed agro-industry management in Indonesia has great potential to be developed. Despite facing significant challenges, with the right strategic measures, the sector can develop sustainably. The implications and recommendations of this research are expected to help policy makers, industry players, and researchers in supporting the development of seaweed agroindustry in Indonesia.

Transformation of the development model of the building materials industry with consideration to changes in the economic structure during digitalisation of business processes

In the process of digitalisation of the economy, economic integration occurs at the micro, meso and macro levels. There is a need to change the model of industrial development with consideration to the ongoing changes in the economic structure. The article proposes the author’s model for development of the building materials industry, reflecting a new approach to the use of resources and formation of resource potential by a set of enterprises. An attempt has been made to present options for increasing production capacity of industrial enterprises based on the developed scale which allows determining the need to reserve production capacity when enterprises conduct activities in a single ecosystem. The article determined the features of the developed model and its advantages for the building materials industry and related industries, the importance of interaction processes in the formation of economic relations and results. The presented results are of an applied nature, reflect the specifics and directions of development of economics of ecosystems in relation to the industrial sector, determine the role of the building materials industry in the structural transformation of the economy and its purpose in the reproduction process. The search for ways of sustainable industrial development is defined on the basis of the presented development model and opportunities created as a result of the emergence of a new version of industry interaction between economic entities. The essence of reproduction processes in the ecosystem is reflected, considering the functional purpose of economic entities and characteristics of reproduction of fixed assets in industry.

Identification of Aggregates Quarries via Computer Vision Analysis as a Tool for Sustainable Aggregates Management and Land Planning

The mineral raw materials industry is crucial for European industry, with the European Economic and Social Committee estimating that 70% of the industry relies directly or indirectly on its supply. In the context of a decarbonized and digitalized economy, the new European industrial model requires carbon-neutral raw materials and production processes. The crucial role of aggregates mining, as the primary construction material, emerges as a key supplier in this paradigm. Aggregates are the main component of the built environment and are a social and economic engine in most countries. Quarries of this type include a wide range of sizes and exploitation methods and use characteristic mining and processing equipment. Quarries are commonly close to their processing plants, which transform natural rock into crushed and ground materials with different grain sizes depending on the future uses. The quarry itself and the presence of certain equipment and facilities help distinguish it from mining sites that exploit other materials. Effective management of aggregates quarries is important in promoting circular economy practices, ensuring efficient management, reuse, and recycling of diverse wastes, including the recovery of high-value components and the production of recycled aggregates, and addressing construction and demolition waste (DCW) management. As aggregates become a progressively scarcer resource due to the increasing demand from developing countries, it is essential to provide reliable and comprehensive information on their potential to the public, policymakers, and other stakeholders to promote their use. This study focuses on employing artificial intelligence and computer vision analysis to automatically identify aggregates quarries from satellite images within continental Spain. A model has been trained to detect aggregates quarries from satellite images by computer vision. The model permits the detection of mining exploitation and the objects located at the interior, which permits determination of the type of mine and the activity status of it. The findings highlight the ability of artificial vision to discern quarries and distinguish whether the observed feature is an aggregates quarry. Additionally, the technology allows for the determination of the quarry’s operational status, distinguishing between active and abandoned quarries. The ability to detect the locations of quarries and assess their activity statuses is of significant value for resource exploration initiatives and location-allocation assessments. It can be a valuable tool for authorities involved in land planning, activities monitoring, and early detection of potential illegal mining activities. This analytical approach demonstrates substantial potential for various stakeholders, including mining companies, mining authorities, policymakers, and land use planners in both the private and public sectors.

Carbon and water footprint of battery-grade lithium from brine and spodumene: A simulation-based LCA

Increasing demand for lithium driven by e-mobility spurs the expansion of lithium projects and exploration of lower-grade resources. This article combines process simulation (HSC Chemistry) and life cycle assessment tools to develop life cycle inventories considering declining ore grades scenarios for battery-grade Li2CO3 production from pivotal sources and regions (Salar de Atacama - brine and Greenbushes - spodumene). Depending on the ore grades, climate change results range from 5,0 to 25,0 kgCO2eq/kg Li2CO3 for brine and from 17,1 to 22,3 kgCO2eq/kg Li2CO3 for spodumene. Water consumption for brine varies from 0,2 to 7,7 m3/kg Li2CO3, depending on flow accounting, while for spodumene, it ranges from 0,2 to 0,5 m3/kg Li2CO3. The research shows that decreasing ore grade can lead to a fivefold increase in the carbon footprint for brine-based production and a 1.3-fold increase for spodumene. This underscores the importance of decarbonizing energy provision for lithium production to guarantee a sustainable battery supply chain. This research offers insights into using process simulation to enhance existing LCA studies in the raw materials industry and further develop inventory datasets, considering variations such as deposit ore grades.

The Influence Of Entrepreneurial Competence And The Utilization Of Digital Marketing To Improve Business Performance In The Community Of Weru Kidul Village, Weru District, Cirebon District

Weru Kidul Village has several industrial potentials, including the handicraft industry, food industry, materials industry, savings and loan cooperatives, restaurants, and livestock. Based on the data from BPS, the number of entrepreneurs in Indonesia is only 3.47%, which still needs to be increased to become a developed country. Indonesia needs 12 to 14 percent. In this case, an increase in entrepreneurs needs to increase the number of entrepreneurs in Indonesia. This study aims to determine how much influence entrepreneurial competency and digital marketing use have on business performance. The method used in this research is a quantitative descriptive method. From the results of the study, it was found that entrepreneurial competence and the use of digital marketing had a significant effect on business performance.

Numerical investigation of mixing performance for a helical tangential porous tube-in-tube microchannel reactor

The tube-in-tube microchannel reactor (TMCR) is widely applied in chemical engineering and material industries. Two or more fluids are mixed in the annular channel of TMCR. This work aims to introduce a helical tangential porous tube-in-tube microchannel reactor (HTP-TMCR). The performance of HTP-TMCR is analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method, focusing on three aspects: mixing index, pressure drop, and velocity distribution. Additionally, this study investigates the impacts of four geometric parameters, including left and right helical directions, pitch, pore size, and length of the non-porous zone, on the mixing performance of HTP-TMCR. The simulation results reveal that the mixing index initially decreases as the flow rate increases, reaching its lowest point (approximately 75%) at Q=2 L/h. Subsequently, there is a sharp rise to a second inflection point at Q=10 L/h, followed by a gradual progression stabilizing around 95%. Specifically, the left helical configuration demonstrates superior performance compared to the right one. Optimal mixing is achieved at low flow rates when the pitch is 4 mm and the pore size is 0.4 mm. Designing the length of the non-porous zone to be 5 mm is recommended. Furthermore, the characteristic of pressure drop for HTP-TMCR indicates its potential for commercial applications.

An agent-based evolutionary system model of the transformation from building material industry (BMI) to green intelligent BMI under supply chain management

The building materials industry ranks first in terms of carbon emissions and energy consumption within the industrial sector. To achieve the goal of reducing carbon emissions, the development of the green intelligent building materials (GIBMs) industry has become a strategic priority and major demand for the country. Government support plays a vital role in promoting the growth of the GIBMs industry. This paper utilizes evolutionary game theory and Matlab software to analyze the impact of government regulations on the development of the GIBMs industry. The research findings indicate the following. i) Appropriate government control over building materials enterprises is beneficial for the advancement of the GIBMs industry. A balance is necessary, as both excessive control and weak control hinder the industry’s development. ii) Increased financial assistance from the government to enterprises producing GIBMs has a positive influence. This support enables building materials enterprises to overcome technical barriers, drive technological innovation, and encourage construction developers to actively purchase these materials. iii) Stronger government punishment for pollutant emissions by building materials enterprises serves as a catalyst for the production of GIBMs. Stricter penalties motivate these enterprises to adopt more environmentally friendly practices. iv) Moderate to strong government investment in infrastructure has a significant impact. It prompts construction developers to actively choose and purchase GIBMs. In response to government regulations and market demand, building materials enterprises are inclined to produce these environmentally friendly materials. This study emphasizes the importance of government regulations and support in promoting the growth of the GIBMs industry. By implementing appropriate control measures, providing financial assistance, imposing punishments for pollution, and investing in infrastructure, the government can effectively encourage the development of the GIBMs industry. These measures contribute to achieving the double carbon goals and fostering a more sustainable built environment.

Preface

Preface This is the proceedings of the “1st World Energy Materials Conference”, which was held in Shenzhen, China on November 25-27, 2023. There are 24 forums in the conference. This collection consists of papers in new energy materials, new material industry development trends and hot spots, green low-carbon energy technology, development and challenges of renewable energy, etc., to discuss the latest progress and innovation in the field of energy materials, with a view to contributing wisdom to the promotion of world energy development, material science and technology innovation exchanges and cooperation, as well as high-quality and sustainable development.The list of Committees are available in this pdf.

Biomass carboxylic acid modified hydrotalcites for improving the mechanical strength and recyclability of 100 % biobased carbon content epoxy soybean oil based vitrimers

To realize the demand of sustainable development in materials industry, vitrimers deriving from epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) have received considerable attention because of their environmentally friendly and renewable. However, they suffer from poor mechanical strength and non-reprocessability, which confine their application. Herein, a facile design of 100 % bio-based carbon contents vitrimers incorporating ESO and citric acid modified layered double hydroxides (CA-LDHs) was proposed, which showing good mechanical properties and accelerated stress relaxation. Optimal performances of vitrimers with best tensile strength, curing and repairing efficiency were obtained at 20 wt% CA-LDHs loading. The tensile strength of 20EC-CLE increased by 233 % compared with pure EC-E due to the reinforcing effect of CA-LDHs and the increased cross-linking density. Benefit from the abundant Al3+ catalytic sites and large contact areas of the CA-LDHs lamella, the vitrimers showed an excellent curing and 82 % reprocessing efficiency. Interestingly, the precursor of the vitrimers was used as an adhesive layer for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) leather and provided 3.4 ± 0.4 N/cm peel strength and bonding reproducibility.

Applications of Two-Dimensional Organic Materials in the Field of Optoelectronics

This article looks into the quickly advancing landscape of two-dimensional organic products and their transformative function in optoelectronics, driven by developments in nanotechnology and chemistry. At the leading edge of this exploration are three essential materials: Graphene and its analogs, conjugated polymer nanosheets, and fullerene derivatives. Each of these materials presents unique characteristics and difficulties, offering a complex view of the potential and difficulties in this innovative domain name. Graphene and its analogs, renowned for their outstanding electric conductivity and mechanical stamina, stand as pillars in the advancement of sophisticated optoelectronic devices. Conjugated polymer nanosheets, with their flexible properties and tunable electronic characteristics, open new avenues for wearable technology and flexible displays. Fullerene derivatives, understood for their electronic flexibility, are key to creating high-efficiency solar batteries and sensing units. This extensive evaluation browses with the elaborate procedure of synthesizing these materials, emphasizing the synthesis obstacles while highlighting the techniques that have actually shown promise in conquering these barriers. The research study likewise forecasts the capacity of these materials in ushering in a brand-new period of optoelectronic devices, identified by boosted effectiveness, lowered environmental impact, and more comprehensive application scope, consisting of in renewable resource and wise innovation. In synthesizing these understandings, the research aims to offer a much deeper understanding of the current state and future trajectory of two-dimensional organic materials in optoelectronics. It emphasizes the vital of interdisciplinary collaboration in material science, engineering, and industry to utilize these innovations for useful applications, thereby forming the future landscape of modern technology and sustainability.

Does free cash flow moderate the effect of profitability and capital structure on company value?

This study aims to obtain empirical evidence about the effect of profitability and capital structure moderated by free cash flow on firm value. The research object is a company included in the classification of the raw material industry sector which is listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The variables used as proxies for profitability return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE); the capital structure variable is proxied by the debt to assets ratio (DAR) and the debt to equity ratio (DER), and the firm value is proxied by the price to book value (PBV). While the moderating variable uses free cash flow (FCF). Data analysis used multiple regression with the least squares method, and the sample selection method used purposive sampling. Based on the best model produced in this study, it is proven that free cash flow can significantly strengthen the effect of company profitability proxied by return on assets ROA and return on equity (ROE); the effect of capital structure proxied by DAR on firm value, but not as good as the direct effect of the moderated variables. The study reveals that profitability and capital structure significantly impact firm value, with free cash flow moderated by ROA. However, the model does not outperform direct effects, suggesting improved ROE, DAR management, and effective free cash flow management.