PyroGenesis Canada Inc. has purchased a CAD $2 million metallurgical powder pilot plant from an unnamed mining and metal firm in Montreal. The company, which focuses on the use of plasma for waste management, will be using the powder plant for the purposes of material production, nanotechnology and 3D printing.
PyroGenesis is an interesting company. With clients like the US Navy, Northrop Grumman and Carnival Cruises, PyroGenesis uses its proprietary waste management technique to convert all sorts of garbage (even toxic and medical waste) into slag, metal ingots, synthetic gas and electricity. By applying a process known as plasma gasification — in which a plasma torch heats something up to such a high temperature that it becomes a gas — waste is broken down into basic molecular components resulting in gas that can be used for energy and slag, which is a chemically inert material suitable for construction. The company claims that the byproducts of the process and that the process overall are very clean. For more on how it works, watch below:
PyroGenesis: How it Works from Bis Films on Vimeo.
So where does 3D printing fit into the machinations of a company devoted to the gasification of waste? The company’s CEO, Peter Pascali, doesn’t quite make the link clear, in my mind, saying: “This opportunity is a natural extension of PyroGenesis’ strategy to focus on niche high value markets that leverage off of PyroGenesis’ core competency of being leaders in plasma based solutions. With the acquisition of this equipment, PyroGenesis is now in a position to pursue opportunities for advanced metallurgical powder production, such as nanoparticles, which is a rapidly growing business area”
Gillian Holcroft, the company’s executive vice-president of Strategic Alliance elaborated a bit more: “Plasma based processes are ideally suited for the production of high quality and highly traceable nanoparticles and other advanced materials. The flexibility of the pilot equipment, will allow PyroGenesis to promote novel processing solutions for a wide range of advanced materials and powders ranging from light metals to nano-materials.”
Peter Pascali went on to say: “The appetite to invest in new technologies, especially in the area of advanced materials, is on the rise with Europe and the United States leading with over $2 Billion in nanotechnology spending. Our analysis of this market sector has revealed that the annual growth for these advanced materials will reach 19 percent p.a. in the Energy Sector and 17 percent p.a. in the Environmental Sector. Applications for nanotechnology include coatings, catalysts, super-capacitors, pharmaceutical products and most recently 3D printing.”
A company, which began selling plasma torches, moved into “environmental solutions” because they saw a lucrative business opportunity. Now that nanotech and 3D printing are worth investing in, they’ll try that on for size. I’m still missing the link between plasma gasification and 3DP, but maybe we’ll see new plasma printers or printers running slag in the next couple of years. Or maybe they have plans to convert metal waste into powder for 3D metal printing. We’ll have to keep an eye on PyroGenesis to see what direction they’ll take.
Source: Yahoo! News
