Nickel and Modern Life
Nickel makes an important contribution to the modern-day economy of the European Union with Euro 40 billion per annum total added value created by the direct nickel industry, ‘first use’ industries and intermediates, and product manufacturers that are dependent on nickel.
Europe accounts for 40% of global demand for new nickel. Total EU nickel use in 2002 was 700,000 tonnes, of which around 40% was satisfied by recycled nickel. Technological advancement and innovation over the past 20 years has resulted in many new uses for nickel and demand is currently growing at an average of 3-5% per annum.
Read about the benefits that nickel brings to European society in the pages of Nickel Magazine:
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| November 2005 | ||
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Nickel-containing products support and enable the achievement of a high quality of life in many ways – including safe processing, storage and preparation of food and beverages, provision of drinking water, attractive, safe and long lasting buildings, clean low cost energy, safe and efficient production of chemicals, low cost and safe transportation, reliable electronics and communications.
Much of the growth in use of nickel-containing products, especially stainless steels, is due to the increase of life-cycle thinking. Nickel-containing products are increasingly replacing shorter life or higher maintenance materials as the preferred choice. The fastest growth today is seen in the newly and rapidly industrialising countries, especially in Asia. European net exports of stainless steel are in excess of 1.5 million tonnes and are worth in excess of Euro 3 billion per annum.
Stationary gas turbines such as this are used for flexible power generation. Energy efficiency increases as the turbine operating temperature increases; so the need is for nickel-based alloys that are capable of performing for long periods at high temperatures. Some blades in this turbine operate at above 650 degrees Celcius. Special nickel-based alloys are also used to make critical high-temperature parts of turbines in aircraft jet engines.
Nickel-containing stainless steels are increasingly used to construct rail carriages. Choice of nickel-containing stainless steel allows the design of low-weight structures with sufficient impact resistance to give improved passenger safety in the event of a crash. The corrosion resistance of stainless steel also permits attractive designs and lower maintenance costs.
This Toyota Prius is one of a new breed of automobiles called "hybrids." these combine an efficient conventional engine with a rechargeable nickel-containing battery. Hybrids have much lower emissions and better energy efficiency than conventional vehicles. Because they need no speical infractructure investiment, their benefits can be realized now. (Photo courtesy of Toyota Corp.)
Compact discs are made using electroformed nickel moulds. Electroforming is a special nickel-plating process which allows the accurate replications of complex shapes and surfaces without damage to the original. Complex moulds are made in nickel by electroforming and are then used for replicating a variety of precision high-technology products for the electronics industry. Nickel electroforming is also used to make specialized printing screens and filters.
Nickel stainless steel has long been the most popular choice for high-quality cookware. Such cookware looks good and is very hygienic. Moreover, it is tough and retains its performance over a very long service life. Stainless steel has longbeen the perferred materials for kitchen sinks and for the insides of diswashers and washing machines. And in recent years, stainless steel has been increasingly used for work surfaces and appliance fronts. As well as being used in the home, nickel-containing stainless steels are very widely used in restaurants, commerical catering operations and food and drink processing plants.
The most commonly-used material for high-quality bathroom and kitchen fittings is brass that is plated with nickel, usually with a think top layer of chromium. The photos above show nickel-chromium-plated shower parts. Nickel- and chrome-nickel-plated surfaces are very attractive and very hard-wearing. They have long useful lieves, being able to withstand the aggressive cleaning associated with bathrooms and kitchens. When these two rooms are refitted, products such as these are almost invariably collected and recycled back into new brass products.
These are stents -- tiny wire mesh tubes that are used to prop open damaged or clogged arteries. Stents are made from a special alloy of nickel and titanium called a "memory alloy." The stent is first guided via a catheter into the damaged artery. Body heat then enables the stent to revert to its original shape, thereby holding the artery open. Stainless steels and other nickel-containing alloys are widely used in medicine for their particular properties of corrosion resistance, mechanical strength, hygiene and long life. (Photo courtesy of Memry Corp.)
