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Government of Canada welcomes Rio Tinto project that will reduce GHG emissions and expand manufacturing of low-carbon aluminum

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Rio Tinto continues to position itself as a key player in the global low-carbon economy

JONQUIÈRE, QC, June 28, 2024 /CNW/ – Decarbonizing the production of critical minerals and metals is essential to achieving Canada’s climate goals. Canada is the fourth-largest producer of primary aluminum in the world. As a long-standing supplier of strategic metals to the United States and across the North American industrial supply base, Canada must ensure that it can continue to provide aluminum products to critical sectors such as automotive and transportation, energy, and infrastructure. By supporting clean technologies and advanced manufacturing, the government will continue creating good middle-class jobs, strengthening our economy and building a greener future for all Canadians.

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, welcomed Rio Tinto’s plan to expand production capacity for low-carbon aluminum in Canada. This project is another key step in the implementation of the groundbreaking ELYSIS™ smelting technology across Rio Tinto operations in the province of Quebec.

Once fully developed and implemented, the ELYSIS™ technology would eliminate almost all emissions associated with the Canadian aluminum industry’s smelting carbon footprint. The world-leading net-zero aluminum smelting technology will reinvent the chemistry of aluminum production by removing carbon from the chemical process and producing only oxygen as an output.

Today’s announcement represents another significant step forward as the Government of Canada continues to position Canada for success with a cleaner, stronger and better-prepared economy—one that is competitive in a low-carbon world.

Quotes

Canada has all it takes to be the global green supplier of choice, which is why our government is collaborating with key industry actors like Rio Tinto to produce low- carbon aluminium. Groundbreaking projects such as the ELYSIS™ smelting technology will ensure Canada remains at the forefront of the economy of tomorrow while also staying focused on its carbon reduction goals. When economic benefits are paired with a commitment to developing green solutions, it’s a win for Canadian industry, our cleantech ecosystem and our workers.”
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“At the heart of our government’s economic plan is building an economy where Canadian workers benefit. That is why we’re seizing the opportunities to decarbonize Canada’s critical minerals and mining sector, create good-paying jobs—especially union jobs—and ensure Canadian workers and industry remain at the forefront of the global economy.”
– The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

“ELYSIS™ is truly a disruptive technology for the industry, and it’s thanks to Quebec’s expertise that we are the first in the world to produce aluminum that is free of greenhouse gases. It’s a technological innovation with unprecedented benefits for our aluminum industry, which remains an undisputed world leader.”
– Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region

“This investment will further strengthen Rio Tinto’s industry-leading position in low-carbon, responsible aluminum production in North America with our hydro-powered smelters and our recycling capacity. Becoming the first to deploy the ELYSIS™ carbon-free smelting technology is the next step in our strategy to decarbonize and grow our Canadian aluminum operations. In addition to helping us deliver even lower–carbon primary aluminum for our customers, this investment will allow Rio Tinto to build its expertise in installing and operating this new technology, while the ELYSIS joint venture continues its research and development work to scale it up to its full potential.”
– Jérôme Pécresse, Chief Executive, Rio Tinto Aluminium

Quick facts

With more than 10,000 employees working at over 35 sites across Canada, Rio Tinto is one of the most important metals and minerals producers operating in Canada today.Rio Tinto Alcan (RTA) is the Canadian subsidiary of the multinational Australian mining company, the world’s second-largest aluminum producer outside of China. It has a significant presence in Canada, sources 42% of its inputs from Canadian suppliers, and exports products to approximately 16 countries. Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region is central to RTA’s aluminum business and is responsible for approximately half of its global aluminum production. RTA is also an important hydroelectricity producer.The United States was Canada’s largest export destination for aluminum products in 2022, accounting for 92% of the total value of aluminum exports, followed by Mexico (3%), and Hong Kong (1%).Through the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan and the Critical Minerals Strategy, Canada is on track to achieve its goal of cutting emissions by 40 to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030.To strengthen its alignment with the Paris Agreement, RTA announced self-imposed greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets of 15% in 2025, 50% in 2030 and net zero by 2050.The Government of Canada has provided funding to ELYSIS Limited Partnership, a joint-venture technology partnership between Rio Tinto and Alcoa, to produce the world’s first true net-zero aluminum smelting technology.In October 2022, the government announced up to $222 million in funding through the Strategic Innovation Fund to help Rio Tinto Fer et Titane, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, decarbonize and increase its production of critical minerals, including lithium, titanium and scandium.

Associated links

Rio Tinto CanadaBudget 2022 backgrounder: Clean Air and a Strong Economy2030 Emissions Reduction Plan

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Earth’s pulse monitored: a review highlights remote sensing time series progress

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As urbanization accelerates and environmental dynamics shift, the need for accurate and timely terrestrial monitoring has never been more urgent. A review has introduced a novel approach to remote sensing time series analysis, integrating multi-source data to enable near real-time monitoring. This innovative methodology promises to transform environmental conservation and urban planning by providing unprecedented insights into terrestrial changes and offering a more precise understanding of environmental dynamics.

GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — An international team of researchers from South China Normal University, the University of Connecticut, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made a significant breakthrough in remote sensing. Their review, published (DOI: 10.34133/remotesensing.0285) in the Journal of Remote Sensing on December 11, 2024, addresses key challenges in remote sensing, such as incomplete data and noise interference. The team’s new time series analysis technique leverages advanced data reconstruction and fusion methods, significantly enhancing the precision and efficiency of remote sensing for monitoring environmental changes.

The research team has developed an advanced time series analysis technique that combines deep learning algorithms with traditional remote sensing methods to integrate data from various remote sensing sources. This innovative approach allows for the extraction of subtle patterns from large, complex datasets, which is crucial for monitoring critical environmental parameters such as land use and vegetation health. Unlike conventional techniques that struggle with incomplete or noisy data, this new methodology offers enhanced accuracy and more reliable insights into terrestrial dynamics, paving the way for more effective environmental monitoring.

Central to the study’s success is the integration of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to address the challenges posed by missing or noisy data. The LSTM networks capture temporal trends over time, while the GANs generate synthetic data that mimics real-world observations to fill gaps and correct for atmospheric distortions. This dual approach has resulted in a cleaner, more accurate time series dataset, which was validated against independent ground truth measurements. The researchers demonstrated significant improvements in key vegetation indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), setting a new benchmark in the field of remote sensing.

Experts in the field have lauded the study’s potential to revolutionize remote sensing applications. They see the method as a transformative tool for enhancing high-resolution monitoring and extending its coverage, particularly in agricultural surveillance, urban planning, and environmental management. “This method represents a crucial advancement in our ability to monitor environmental changes,” says Professor Fu. “As it evolves, it could play a key role in addressing climate change and other global challenges.”

The methodology’s future applications are vast, especially in global environmental monitoring and supporting sustainable development goals. By integrating multi-temporal data from Landsat and Sentinel-2 satellites, the team has created a framework for accurate and continuous terrestrial analysis. As computational power advances and algorithms improve, this technology is expected to become a vital tool for natural resource management, disaster response, and climate change mitigation. In the years to come, it could provide critical data to help policymakers address pressing environmental issues on a global scale.

References

DOI

10.34133/remotesensing.0285

Oiginal Source URL

https://doi.org/10.34133/remotesensing.0285

Funding information

This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 42425001 and 42071399).

About Journal of Remote Sensing

The Journal of Remote Sensing, an online-only Open Access journal published in association with AIR-CAS, promotes the theory, science, and technology of remote sensing, as well as interdisciplinary research within earth and information science.

Media Contact

George Hua, Chuanlink Innovations, 1 8656606278, TranSpread1@gmail.com, http://chuanlink-innovations.com/

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ZINZINO AB (PUBL.): ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE DIP FINANCING TO ZURVITA INITIATING CHAPTER 11 PROCESS

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GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Dec. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Zinzino has in a press release dated 20240617 announced that a letter of intent to acquire 100% of the shares in the North American direct selling company Zurvita Inc. “Zurvita or the Company” was signed. Since then, Zinzino has negotiated with the owners of Zurvita Inc. and instead concluded that the purchase of Zurvita’s assets in a Chapter 11 proceeding for the Company is in Zinzino’s best interest.

Zinzino is providing a debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing to Zurvita, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings on the 20th December 2024. By entering as a financier in Zurvita’s Chapter 11 with loans totaling USD 4.5 million, Zinzino simultaneously makes an offer to acquire the company’s assets via a so-called stalking horse bid. If the bid is accepted, the DIP loan will be converted into part of a debt-settled purchase price, which will be determined after Zurvita has completed the sale process that is subject to higher and better offers in accordance with the applicable terms of Chapter 11. Other bidders have the right to submit bids for Zurvita during the process and if another bid is accepted, Zinzino’s loan will be repaid and certain of its costs associated with the process will be reimbursed. 

Zurvita is a direct selling health company with operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The brand portfolio offers a range of innovative health and wellness products. The business has total annual sales of approximately USD 30 million with good gross margins. A potential transaction with Zinzino is expected to add growth through the synergies arising from the joint networks, combined with Zinzino’s test-based product concept. The profitability of the Company will thus be able to develop well by utilizing Zinzino’s existing technical platform and organization.

A visionary mindset, tech first perspective, test-based nutrition at the cellular level and a strong position to capitalize on current trends will form the basis of the new partnership. Following the acquisitions of VMA Life in 2020, Enhanzz in 2022, the strategic partnership with ACN and the recently completed asset acquisition of Xelliss, Zinzino has been looking for further strong investments to maintain its sustainable, profitable growth, strengthen its distribution power, expand into new markets and leverage the product portfolio in new consumer areas.

– “Individualized advice and tailored solutions are the future, and not just in health and wellness,” says Dag Bergheim Pettersen, CEO of Zinzino. “Together, we have years of combined industry experience and everything it takes to drive the modern, personalized shopping experience through direct sales”. Jay Shafer, CEO and co-founder of Zurvita, states “After considering multiple options for the company and under the guidance of our attorneys and third-party advisors, we feel this presents the best opportunity to continue Zurvita’s mission, deliver the highest quality products, and provide continuity for our staff and consultants. We are excited to see what the future holds for Zurvita.” 

For more information:
Dag Bergheim Pettersen CEO Zinzino +47 (0) 932 25 700, www.zinzino.com

Pictures for publication free of charge:
marketing@zinzino.com

Certified Adviser:
Carnegie Investment Bank AB (publ.)

Zinzino AB (publ.) is obliged to publish this information in compliance with current EU regulations governing market abuse. The information was provided by the above contact person for publication at 20.00 on the 21st of December 2024.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/zinzino/r/zinzino-ab–publ–enters-into-agreement-to-provide-dip-financing-to-zurvita-initiating-chapter-11-pr,c4086040

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Meet With Culture: Exquisite Craftsmanship of Traditional Chinese Architecture

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BEIJING, Dec. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Temple of Agriculture in Beijing played a significant role during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Over nearly 600 years, 25 emperors personally visited or sent ministers to perform spring farming ceremonies and offer sacrifices to Shennong, the god of agriculture.

 

Built in 1420 during the Yongle reign, the temple’s predecessor was the Temple of Mountains and Rivers in Nanjing. When Emperor Zhu Di moved the Ming capital to Beijing, he constructed a larger temple inspired by the Nanjing temple, which gradually evolved into the Temple of Agriculture.

The Taisui Hall, the largest building complex in the temple, now serves as a major exhibition hall of the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum, showcasing models of classical Chinese buildings and demonstrating the solemnity of royal architecture.

Ancient Chinese architecture is predominantly wooden-structured, chosen for its availability, versatility, and earthquake resistance. Artisans developed sophisticated techniques in material selection and construction. The wooden framework consists of columns, beams, girders, and purlins, with innovative structural forms like lifting-beam and piercing-bracket structures.

A unique architectural element is the dougong (bracket sets), which supports weight and connects beam frames with column walls. Mortise-tenon joints were invented to create elastic frameworks by connecting different components.

While discussing the Temple of Agriculture, it’s worth noting another remarkable example of architectural hierarchy which could be found in the Temple of Heaven. The hierarchy of architectural designs reflected social stratification, with eave structures like the triple-layered eaves of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest representing the highest-level architectural design.

Over centuries, the Temple of Agriculture has transformed from an imperial garden to a public park and a museum for historical architecture, now standing as a significant cultural landmark that symbolizes China’s agricultural civilization and architectural heritage along Beijing’s Central Axis.

Quickly join Alexandre to study and explore the traditional Chinese architecture.
https://youtu.be/YpA03WiZ9Wc

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SOURCE China International Communications Group

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