ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | NOVEMBER 2026 13 SUSTAINABILITY EGGSHELLS OFFER GREENER ALLOY PRODUCTION Researchers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh developed a technique that uses powdered eggshells to produce stronger, harder magnesium alloys, offering a more sustainable alternative to conventional calcium materials. The alloys have potential applications in automotive manufacturing, aerospace equipment, and biomedical devices. Eggshells are approximately 95% calcium carbonate, a compound commonly used to manufacture metal alloys. Traditionally, calcium materials are extracted from mined ore through energy-intensive processing. The new technique bypasses these steps by incorporating eggshell powder directly into magnesium during manufacturing. Using a process called friction stir extrusion, researchers fill holes drilled into a magnesium block with finely ground eggshells, then press and rotate a steel mandrel against the material at 300 rpm. The resulting friction converts the eggshells’ calcium carbonate into calcium oxide and calcium, which react with the magnesium to form a highstrength alloy. The process produces an extruded rod of magnesium alloy while reducing manufacturing steps, energy consumption, and reliance on mined resources. Because eggshells are inexpensive and widely available as biological waste, the approach could also support more sustainable supply chains. The research demonstrates a potential new use for food waste in producing high-value materials. The team has also shown that friction stir extrusion can be used to create magnetic composites by combining magnetic samarium-cobalt powder with recycled aluminum, suggesting the technique could have applications beyond eggshells and magnesium alloys. ncsu.edu. RECYCLING TOUGH INDUSTRIAL PLASTICS A team of researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and Sandia National Laboratories created a lowwaste technique for recycling poly(dicyclopentadiene), or pDCPD, a durable plastic used in vehicle bumpers, construction equipment, and chemical storage tanks. Despite its strength and lightweight properties, pDCPD is extremely difficult to recycle and is often incinerated, consuming energy and producing harmful byproducts. The new method breaks down the plastic while preserving valuable reinforcing fibers for reuse. Researchers placed pDCPD in a solution containing an environmentally friendly solvent and a ruthenium-based catalyst. Stirring the solution for several hours to several days—dependent on the object’s size—dissolved the plastic into a powder that can be used to manufacture new materials. Reinforcing fibers, including glass and carbon, can also be recovered in reusable condition. The discovery emerged unexpectedly when researchers found that a chemical solution intended to strengthen the plastic instead dissolved it. The team’s findings could help establish a circular recycling process for a material previously considered impractical to recycle. Further work is needed to determine whether the ruthenium catalyst can be recovered and reused economically. The researchers have applied for a U.S. patent covering the technology. utexas.edu, sandia.gov. Matergenics Inc., Pittsburgh, deployed its hydrogen-in-steel monitoring sensor at a hydrogen-natural gas blending facility in Italy, marking the first operational use of the technology. The system uses continuous dilation measurements and HEILD-based analysis to assess hydrogen embrittlement risks in steel piping. matergenics.com. Eggshells are a low-cost, sustainable alternative to conventional calcium materials. Courtesy of Bharat Gwalani. This 3D-printed pu erfish, made of pDCPD, begins deconstruction via solution. Courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin. U.S. Critical Materials Corp., Salt Lake City, and Columbia University signed a two-year research agreement to help enable U.S. production of gallium, scandium, titanium, and rare earth elements from red mud, a byproduct of aluminum refining. uscriticalmaterials.com. BRIEFS
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