Misc
Brass Rods: The Safe Choice
The following content is sponsored by the Copper Development Association
Brass Rods: The Safe Choice
From airbags to firefighting equipment, components made from brass rods play a vital role in creating a safer environment.
This infographic from the Copper Development Association illustrates three use cases for brass. This is the first of three infographics in our Choose Brass series.
Why Brass?
Brass is one of the most reliable metals for industrial and other applications. It contains little to no iron, protecting it from oxidation, which can cause other materials to fail over time.
Additionally, the malleability of brass ensures tight and leak-free metal-to-metal seals for threaded joints, minimizing the risk of costly and dangerous system failures. Brass’s durability ensures critical system components function properly for years.
Brass for Safe Water Systems
Exposure to lead in water can cause various health problems, including neurological damage, developmental delays, and cardiovascular diseases.
As a result, the U.S. sets minimum health-effect requirements for chemical contaminants and impurities indirectly transferred to drinking water from products, components, and materials used in water systems.
Currently, only brass rod alloys are designated as “acceptable materials” according to national standards.
Brass is also essential for ensuring workplace safety, particularly in high-risk manufacturing environments.
Using Brass for Safe Manufacturing and Industrial Environments
Brass is used extensively in industrial applications such as machinery components, valves, fittings, architectural elements, bearings, and gears.
The machinability of brass rods also means longer tool life and higher productivity for manufacturers of precision parts.
The microstructure of brass helps break up metal chips generated during machining operations, preventing long and stringy chips that can crash machines and seriously injure operators.
Additionally, brass’s non-sparking properties make it ideal for tooling, fittings, and components in high-risk industries such as oil & gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, paint manufacturing, power plants, and explosives.
Brass for Safer Communities
Many pieces of equipment in our daily lives also rely on brass rod parts to function. Control valves in gas stoves, BBQs, and home furnaces made from brass rods reduce the risk of deadly gas leaks and fires.
Moreover, brass is ideal for firefighting equipment due to its corrosion resistance, durability, heat resistance, and non-sparking properties.
Fittings made from brass rods ensure that the brakes and airbags in our vehicles work when needed.
Brass and other copper-based alloys are also naturally antimicrobial, helping prevent diseases when used in high-touch surfaces such as door handles.
These are only some of the ways that brass rods help build a safer world for everyone.
Explore the Advantages of Brass Rod Solutions.
Misc
Charted: The End-of-Life Recycling Rates of Select Metals
End-of-life recycling rates measure the percentage of a material that is recovered at the end of its useful life, rather than being disposed of or incinerated.
Charted: The End-of-Life Recycling Rates of Select Metals
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on Apple or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
We visualize the end-of-life recycling rates (EOL-RR) of commonly used metals in the economy. Data is sourced from the International Energy Agency, last updated in 2021.
Tracking recycling rates helps manage resources better and make smarter policies, guiding efforts to cut down on waste.
Ranked: The End of Life Recycling Rates of Select Metals
Gold has an 86% recycling rate according to the latest available data. Per the Boston Consulting Group, one-third of total gold supply was met through recycling between 1995–2014.
| Metal | End-of-life recycling rate (2021) | 🔍 Used In |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 86% | 💍 Jewelry / Electronics |
| Platinum/Palladium | 60% | 🔬 Optical fibers / Dental fillings |
| Nickel | 60% | 🔋 Batteries / Turbine blades |
| Silver | 50% | 💍 Jewelry / Mirrors |
| Copper | 46% | 🔌 Electrical wiring / Industrial equipment |
| Aluminum | 42% | ✈️ Aeroplane parts / Cans |
| Chromium | 34% | 🍽️ Stainless steel / Leather tanning |
| Zinc | 33% | 🔗 Galvanizing metal / Making rubber |
| Cobalt | 32% | 🔋 Batteries / Turbine engines |
| Lithium | 0.5% | 🔋 Batteries / Pacemakers |
| REEs | 0.2% | 📱 Mobile phones / Hard drives |
Note: Figures are rounded.
Several factors can influence metal recycling rates. According to this International Resource Panel report, metals that are used in large quantities (steel) or have a high value (gold) tend to have higher recycling rates.
However, for materials used in small quantities in complex products (rare earth elements in electronics), recycling becomes far more challenging.
Finally, a metal’s EOL-RR is strongly influenced by the least efficient link in the recycling chain, which is typically how it’s initially collected.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
If you enjoyed this post, check out Critical Materials: Where China, the EU, and the U.S. Overlap which shows how critical materials are classified within different jurisdictions.
Misc
Companies with the Most Fossil Fuel and Cement CO2 Emissions
Half of the world’s total fossil fuel and cement carbon dioxide emissions in 2023 came from just 36 companies.
Companies with the Most Fossil Fuel and Cement CO2 Emissions
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Key Takeaways
- Half of the world’s fossil fuel and cement carbon dioxide emissions in 2023 came from just 36 entities, according to a report by the Carbon Majors Project
- If Saudi Aramco were a country, it would be the fourth-largest polluter in the world, after China, the U.S., and India.
- Five publicly traded oil companies—ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, TotalEnergies, and BP—together accounted for 5% of global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.
Chinese Companies Dominate the List
This graphic is based on Carbon Majors, a database of historical production data from 180 of the world’s largest oil, gas, coal, and cement producers representing 169 active and 11 inactive entities.
In 2023, the top 20 highest carbon-producing entities were responsible for 17.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO₂e) in emissions, accounting for 40.8% of global fossil fuel and cement CO₂ emissions. The list is largely dominated by state-owned companies, with 16 of the top 20 being state-controlled. Notably, eight Chinese entities contributed to 17.3% of global fossil fuel and cement CO₂ emissions in 2023.
| Entity | Total emissions (MtCO2e) | Global CO2 emissions (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Aramco | 4.4% |
| 2 | Coal India | 3.7% |
| 3 | CHN Energy | 3.7% |
| 4 | Jinneng Group | 2.9% |
| 5 | Cement industry of China | 2.8% |
| 6 | National Iranian Oil Company | 2.8% |
| 7 | Gazprom | 2.3% |
| 8 | Rosneft | 1.9% |
| 9 | Shandong Energy | 1.7% |
| 10 | China National Coal Group | 1.7% |
| 11 | Abu Dhabi National Oil Company | 1.6% |
| 12 | CNPC | 1.6% |
| 13 | Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group | 1.6% |
| 14 | Iraq National Oil Company | 1.3% |
| 15 | Shanxi Coking Coal Group | 1.3% |
| 16 | ExxonMobil | 1.3% |
| 17 | Sonatrach | 1.2% |
| 18 | Chevron | 1.1% |
| 19 | Kuwait Petroleum Corp. | 1.0% |
| 20 | Petrobras | 1.0% |
| 21 | Shell | 0.9% |
| 22 | Pemex | 0.9% |
| 23 | TotalEnergies | 0.8% |
| 24 | QatarEnergy | 0.8% |
| 25 | Lukoil | 0.8% |
| 26 | BP | 0.8% |
| 27 | Glencore | 0.7% |
| 28 | China Huaneng Group | 0.7% |
| 29 | Luan Chemical Group | 0.7% |
| 30 | Equinor | 0.7% |
| 31 | Peabody Energy | 0.7% |
| 32 | Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. | 0.6% |
| 33 | CNOOC | 0.6% |
| 34 | ConocoPhillips | 0.6% |
| 35 | Eni | 0.6% |
| 36 | Petronas | 0.5% |
Coal continued to be the largest source of emissions in 2023, representing 41.1% of emissions in the database and continuing a steady upward trend since 2016. Coal emissions grew by 1.9% (258 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent – MtCO₂e) from 2022, while cement saw the largest relative increase at 6.5% (82 MtCO₂e), driven by expanding production.
In contrast, natural gas emissions fell by 3.7% (164 MtCO₂e), and oil emissions remained stable with only a slight increase of 0.3% (73 MtCO₂e).
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic that shows greenhouse gas emissions by sector in 2023, according to data was compiled by the United Nations. The power sector remains the largest emissions contributor.
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