Green Steel: The Role of Scrap. A webinar from the Sustain Future Steel Manufacturing Research Hub
2021-09-24 09:30 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | online
How can we maximise scrap utilisation for a greener UK steel industry?
The UK steel industry, as a part of the UK economy, is on the journey towards 2050 net zero emissions. The UK government in the recently published Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy considers that the iron and steel sector will be largely decarbonized by 2035. Despite this commitment, the roadmap to how this will be achieved is not defined yet. There is an abundant supply of domestic scrap in the UK of more than 11 Mt per year, although 80% of this is currently exported; this is a unique resource for a sustainable UK steel industry. The transition to a scrap-based steel industry, or at least maximising scrap utilisation in steel production, could be a practical pathway to a greener, sustainable UK steel industry. Significant efforts from the UK steel community (steelmaker, academics, RTOs, recyclers, trade organizations and policy makers) have been made to address the challenges to increase scrap utilisation in the UK steel production.
The Advanced Steel Research Centre (ASRC), Supply Chain Research Group (SCRG) and Data Science Group, in WMG at the University of Warwick have been collaborating with various stakeholders and focusing on research in the following aspects:
1. State-of-the-art analysis on the UK steel scrap supply and utilisation
2. Current scrap supply chain practice and circular scrap supply chain design
3. Technology development to improve scrap quality, remove impurities and increase residual tolerance in steel
4. Identifying opportunities, challenges and strategy recommendations for increased scrap utilisation
This Webinar will provide a great opportunity to hear some of the research findings, but also to share views with the wider community for shaping future relevant research and thinking to support a greener UK steel industry.
Register to attend via the link below.
Register

Circular Economy Systems Webinar
2021-10-01 12:30 - 13:30
The CircularMetals Hub invites you to the CE Hub’s first autumn event, ‘Circular Economy Systems: NICER Programme Webinar‘, on Friday 1st October, from 12:30 – 13:30. Register on Eventbrite here.

This webinar will provide insight and prompt discussion on how to structure, model, analyse and implement whole system enablers and solutions.

The webinar will be led by Professor Peter Hopkinson and Professor Fiona Charnley, Co-directors of the NICER CE-Hub. Professor Frank Boons, Director of the University of Manchester Sustainable Consumption Institute, will describe some of the core features of system level transition management and empirical studies to stimulate a discussion about future CE system transitions.

Our autumns events series is designed to prompt discussion and debate, share learning from the NICER programme, and promote engagement and insights from across the wider CE community.

Please register for the event at Eventbrite and share the link with others who will find it of interest:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/circular-economy-systems-nicer-programme-webinar-registration-168393348037?ref=estw

If you have any questions, please contact us at ce_hub@exeter.ac.uk, or for more information about our other activities, news and events, please visit the CE Hub website www.ce-hub.org where you can also sign up for the CE Hub quarterly e-Newsletter via our Contact Us page.

The UK Solidification Workshop 2022
2022-06-07 10:30 - 2022-06-08 17:30 | Brunel University London, Uxbridge
This workshop aims to provide a networking platform for the UK Solidification community.
Its objectives are to bring together people from all parts of the UK metals landscape, including higher education institutions, research organisations, industrial companies, government, funders, learned societies and trade bodies; to promote collaboration within the community; to map out solidification research across the nation and to discuss the future needs of the sector and new opportunities for reinvigorating metals in the UK.
Members of our team participated in this event with several oral presentations:

“Green Metallurgy inspired by nature” by Prof. Z. Fan
“Future trends in materials science” by Prof. B. Cantor
“Current UK landscape for research funding” by Prof. G. Scamans
“VIRTUAL. The Case for Animate Materials” by Prof. M. Miodownik

The organiser of this event – i.e. “The Future LiME Hub” – is a national centre in liquid metal engineering primarily funded by EPSRC and based at Brunel University London in collaboration with the Universities of Oxford, Leeds and Manchester, and Imperial College London. The Hub aims to lay down a solid foundation for full metal circulation by conducting research in physical metallurgy, solidification science and processing technology.

EPSRC engineering net zero week
2022-06-20 09:00 - 2022-06-24 15:00 | University of Glasgow, Glasgow
The showcase is an interactive event, with exhibition, panels, workshops and keynote sessions all taking place in person and all accessible to engage with through the virtual platform, as well as a truly flexible way to engage with a wide and diverse community.
The event is an opportunity to bring researchers, industry leaders and policy makers together to reflect on and raise awareness of the EPSRC investments made in this space; to continue the conversations that took place at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26); to highlight how our activities link to the sustainable development goals and to show our response to the outcomes of COP26 and how EPSRC-supported research and innovation can substantially contribute to net zero solutions.
Our team took multiple stands at this event to engage with the wider Circular Economy community. Members of our team participated in the following panel discussions:

“How EPSRC-supported research and innovation can contribute to net zero solutions’” (Prof. Z. Fan)
“Whole systems approaches to delivering a sustainable plastics future” (Prof. M. Miodownik)

UK Metals Expo
2022-09-14 09:00 - 2022-09-15 16:00 | National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham
UK Metals Expo is the NEW event bringing the entire metals supply chain together with the engineering and manufacturing sector. From primary metal manufacture to supply chain management, processing metals, fabrication, machinery, engineering, surface coatings and recycling.
UK Metals Expo is a free to attend annual event that aims to foster relationships and maximise opportunities between the design, engineering, manufacturing, and infrastructure supply chains; to advance education, share best practice and accelerate innovation throughout our community; to place the Metals Industry at the heart of any future circular economy and to showcase the best in class solutions across the whole supply chain.
Members of our team staged the “Sustainability and Circular Economy” workshop on metallurgical sustainability. Two keynote lectures have been held:

“The critical role of metals in the transition to a circular economy” by Prof. Z. Fan
“The Big Repair Project: mobilising the general public for a circular economy” by Prof. M. Miodownik

Within this workshop, there was a panel discussion session on “What is required by the UK metallurgical industry for the transition to a Circular Economy?” chaired by Prof. M. Miodownik. Prof. G. Scamans participated in this discussion with “What can the aluminium Industry do for a circular economy?” and Prof. J. Godsell with “How can the supply chain management and business model innovation facilitate this transition?”.

Within the “Supply Chain, Trade & Policy” workshop, Prof. G. Scamans was on the panel of experts for the panel discussion “Why Aluminium?”. Also, within the “Innovation & Technology” workshop, Professors Z. Fan and B. Cantor participated in the panel discussion session on “Future developments in metallurgical science and their implications for the metallurgical industries in the UK”.

Material Change: Resourcing Net Zero
2022-10-19 | 1 Birdcage Walk, London
The “Material Change: Resourcing Net Zero” video launch event was held on October 19th, 2022 at 1 Birdcage Walk in London. It was organized by The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and CWP media company and aimed to promote Circular Metals as part of a digital campaign to address the climate crisis and achieve net zero targets. Three videos were produced and launched at the event:

3-minute promotional video on CircularMetal:

https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CM_sub3.mp4)

Thought leadership interview with Prof. M. Miodownik:

https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CM_thought.mp4

1-minute highlights reel video:

https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CM_sub1.mp4

Innovate UK Funding Competition: Circular Economy for SMEs – Aluminium & Steel Webinar
2022-10-21 12:30 - 13:30
As part of the UKRI National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) programme, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metal (CircularMetal) promotes through this webinar the funding competition Circular Economy for SMEs – innovating with NICER, round 2.

The aim of this competition is to support feasibility studies, industrial research and experimental development projects that address the challenges of transitioning to a circular economy. The projects must demonstrate how a step-change in the adoption of circular economy approaches will be created.

Funding competition link:
https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1310/overview/915ed7d3-c659-4eee-b877-49ab7d92be78#summary

Discuss your project ideas with the CircularMetal team and explore the opportunity to access expertise and collaborate on projects.

A full description of the competition, as well as of CircularMetal and the role it plays as a collaborator, will be given in this webinar. All those who are interested in this competition process are invited to participate; please join us for this call via the following event website
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovate-uk-funding-competition-circular-economy-for-smes-al-steel-tickets-429628318867.

Mapping a Cleaner Future for Non-Ferrous & Light Metals - webinar
2022-11-16 12:00 - 13:30 | online
This is the first in the series of a three-part events for Mapping a Cleaner Future for Non-Ferrous Light Metals. The webinar will provide an introduction to the in-person, participative workshop which will follow on 26 April 2023.

Dr. Alessio Franconi – a member of our research team – was invited to this event to give the oral presentation entitled “2050 – Visions for a circular metal economy in the UK”. Alessio is a Research Fellow on Circular Metal programme and one of his research objectives is to develop scenarios and roadmaps of how Circular Business Models can enable a full metal circulation in the UK by 2050.

Part of this event will be an interactive seminar which will provide the opportunity for Question and Answers. This session will be chaired by Dr Matthew Thomas, Chief Engineering, MTC.

Towards the Circular Metal Economy: A Roadmap for the UK
2022-11-24 12:00 - 17:30
The workshop entitled “Towards the Circular Metal Economy: A Roadmap for the UK” took place at One Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London, on the 24th of November. This event aimed to present the ‘2050 Circular Metal Visions’ report, to define the steps that need to be taken to achieve the full circular metal economy in the UK by 2050 and meet other industry and academic experts.
The event was organised by the Work Package 3 team of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metals.
The workshop had three goals:

Build a timeline that sets out the key changes and actions needed to move from the present reality to the preferred visions. Twelve preferred visions have been outlined as a potential objective for achieving a fully circular metal economy by 2050. For each vision, practical snapshots of how the vision may be realised, as well as the barriers and opportunities that can affect the success of the vision were defined.
Prioritisation of the actions to be taken.
Identify how to reach the prioritised actions and who will develop them.

Within this event, the ‘2050 Circular Metal Visions’ report was launched. This report presents some initial findings of the WP3 ’Circular Business’ of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for the Circular Metals. The purpose of this report is to present a set of visions of how circular economy can transform the metal value chain in the long term. The report presents 12 visions for 2050 and discusses the most significant challenges and opportunities that might respectively hinder and support the shift to those visions. The report is the result of research activities that brought together leading experts from academia, industry, and government to explore how the UK could transition to a circular metal economy.
This report was produced within the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for the Circular Metals (Principal Investigator Prof Zhongyun Fan), as part of the activities of WP3 ‘Circular Business’ (led by Prof. Janet Godsell) and work stream WP3.1 ‘Circular business model innovation’ (led by Dr Fabrizio Ceschin).

CircularMetal workshop - Work Package Linkages and Interdisciplinary Cooperation
2023-01-17 10:00 - 17:00 | Battle of Britain Bunker, Wren Avenue, Uxbridge
The workshop had three sessions, each with a different focus. In the first session, there were oral presentations given by Early Career Researchers from our Centre on various topics such as Black Hole Alloys, The Metal Health Service, Macroeconomics, The Big Repair Project, and the CM Visions 2050 Report. The second session, chaired by Prof. Mark Miodownik, focused on the bigger picture, and the discussion was centred around the circular economy. The questions addressed included the definition of circular economy, the relationship between circular economy, sustainability, and Net Zero, and the feasibility of achieving full metal circulation by 2050. In the final session, chaired by Prof. Brian Cantor, the focus was on how the work packages could work better together. The discussion touched on the relationship between technical, business, and economic perspectives, the trade-off between short-term and long-term circularity, and the potential case studies to explore further in order to develop strong collaborations and thus to get closer to the central idea of this programme, namely interdisciplinarity.

NICER Programme Circular Economy Showcase 2023
2023-05-23 09:30 - 2023-05-25 16:30 | Bramall Music Building, University of Birmingham, Birmingham
The NICER Programme Circular Economy Showcase is coordinated by the CE-Hub at the University of Exeter Business School for the NICER Programme and is the NICER Programme’s flagship annual conference. This exclusive three-day event showcased innovative CE Research and Action from across the NICER Programme through a series of sessions from each NICER Centre, including short talks, expert Panel discussions (with audience Q&A) and facilitated networking. The 2023 Annual CE Showcase will celebrate the activity and impact of the five specialist NICER Centres and the coordinating CE Hub over the first two years of the Programme.
On 24th May, the CircularMetal Centre conducted a series of oral presentations that included a session welcome, an early-career researchers session, a session highlighting partner SMEs of the Centre, and a panel discussion. Below are the recordings for each session, along with a short description for each segment.
1. SESSION WELCOME
Within the session welcome, Prof. Brian Cantor introduced the CircularMetal Centre. As a response to increasing global resource consumption causing climate change and energy depletion, he emphasised adopting Circular Economy principles, promoting metal reuse, re-manufacturing, and improved recycling to reduce mining. Prof. Cantor highlighted collaboration among various sectors to drive circular practices.
https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1.-Session-welcome.webm

2. EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS SESSION
This session involved presentations given by early-career researchers in the field of Circular Economy. They shared their research findings, innovative ideas, and potential solutions to sustainability challenges, contributing to the overall goals of achieving a Circular Economy.
2.1 “The Metal Health Service” by Dr. Ebad Bagherpour
Dr. Bagherpour’s presentation centred on the shift from linear to circular resource consumption, particularly focusing on metals. He emphasised the need to extend the life of metallic components through rejuvenation, recovery, and crack healing with the Metal Health Service to reduce fatigue-related failures. The Electro-Pulse Treatment plays a vital role in effectively rejuvenating and treating metallic components, as proven by its ability to extend their cyclic life significantly.
https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2.-Ebad.webm

2.2 “Big Repair Project” by Dr. Danielle Purkiss
Dr. Purkiss discussed the Big Repair Project’s focus on addressing the e-waste problem, aiming to keep electronics and appliances in use for longer through maintenance and repair behaviours. She highlighted the recent UK right to repair legislation’s limitations and the need for expanded coverage and lower costs for spare parts. The presentation revealed participants’ desire for longer product lifespans, preference for independent repair services, and the importance of a repairability index and product ownership in influencing repair behaviour. Dr. Purkiss also emphasised the positive impact of repairing on individuals and the need for product design to support repair, improved consumer rights and IP laws, increased access to education on repair practices, and a shift in the economic model to promote circular practices.
https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/3.-Danielle.webm

2.3 “Towards 2050: Visions for a Circular Metal Economy” by Dr. Alessio Franconi
Dr. Franconi discussed the development of 12 visions for a circular metal economy in 2050, achieved through rigorous research and expert interviews. The visions covered various aspects of the circular metal economy, such as net-zero emission metal production, circular alloys, metal life cycle data, and more. The presentation emphasised the need for a systemic and multi-perspective approach to address barriers and opportunities across social, technological, ecological, economic, and political aspects for successful transition to a circular economy.
https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/4.-Alessio.webm

3. FACILITATED NETWORKING: SMEs SESSION
This session focused on SMEs involved in circular business activities. Their contributions collectively enriched the event with valuable insights into sustainable practices and circular economy principles. These presentations highlighted practical solutions and innovative approaches that can inspire attendees to adopt environmentally responsible practices in their businesses.
3.1 “Tech-Takeback: Taking the W out of WEEE” by Dr. David Greenfield and Jodi Harford
Dr. Greenfield and Ms. Harford discussed Tech-Takeback, a Brighton-based not-for-profit reuse company, which focuses on collecting end-of-life electricals for secure reuse. They outlined their multiple outlets for reused items, including digital inclusion with charities, resale through their high street Revaluit shop and eBay account, donation via Freegle, and disassembly for recycling. Additionally, they presented the findings of the RevaluRepair project, highlighting the value of opening a high-street shop for repairing and reselling small electronic devices, as well as the development of a multi-criteria assessment matrix to determine the viability of repairing discarded electronic items. They also emphasised the challenges related to the short lifespan of electronic devices and the differentiation between unwanted and wanted electricals for repair.
https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/5.-David-G.webm

3.2 “DISRUPT: Delivering Innovative Steel ReUse ProjecT” by Richard Broad
Mr. Broad discussed the “DISRUPT Steel reuse project,” a not-for-profit sustainability organisation aiming to facilitate greater supply of reused steel in the construction industry. They conducted a literature review, interviews with stakeholders, and developed 11 case studies of steel reuse to create a toolkit for market entrants, providing guidance and business considerations. Richard also mentioned upcoming projects, including DISRUPT II, focused on deep diving with demolition contractors, a reuse platform, and procurement analysis, as well as the “Reuse Now” campaign launched by ASBP to encourage greater material reuse in construction.
https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/6.-Richard.webm

3.3 “Automated Laser-Cleaning Rejuvenation of 3D-Metallic Components for Re-use within the Circular Economy” by John Clowes
Mr. Clowes explained that Laser-cleaning is an established technology that can efficiently remove contaminants from any surface without using water, chemicals, or contact. The LASERCLEAN-CE Automation involves imaging a 3D metallic object, creating a 3D CAD model, and then using a Collaborative-Robot integrated with an Eye-safe Laser Cleaning System to automatically perform the cleaning process, ensuring safety through “Retina-Safe” Wavelengths that do not cause retinal damage and allowing for use in open-access spaces using proximity sensors instead of physical safety enclosures.
https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/7.-John.webm

4. PANEL DISCUSSION
In this panel discussion chaired by Prof. Mark Miodownik, panellists including Dr. Russell Hall, Dr. Katherine Adams, Prof. David Harrison, and Prof. Isaac Chang shared their insights on the future opportunities for circularity in the metal industry. The discussions highlighted technological breakthroughs, business models, and product design strategies to achieve circularity. The role of legislation, the need for a circularity law, and the importance of global collaboration were also addressed as crucial factors in advancing the circular economy for metals. During the panel discussion, the audience actively engaged with the panellists by asking questions and providing comments, further enriching the conversation and fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas on the future of circularity in the metal industry.
https://www.circularmetal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/panel36.mp4
