Headlines AfricaA two hour wait for fuel: Kinshasa feels first effects of Middle East war http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TRhDvc #Kinshasa #FuelShortage #MiddleEastWar #DemocraticRepublicOfCongo #PetrolPrices
DR Congo plans to conduct second national census after 40 years http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TRgZRp #DRCongo #Census2026 #DemocraticRepublicOfCongo #NationalCensus #DataCollection
DoomsdaysCW#SodiumIonBatteries offer an alternative to tricky #lithium
Oct 26th 2023
Excerpt: "Fortunately, lithium is not the only game in town. As we report this week, a clutch of firms are making batteries based on sodium, lithium’s elemental cousin. Since sodium’s chemical properties are very similar to those of lithium, it too makes for good batteries. And sodium, which is found in the salt in #seawater, is thousands of times more abundant on Earth than lithium and cheaper to get at. Most of the companies using sodium to make batteries today are also Chinese. But pursuing the technology in the West might be a surer route to energy security than relying heavily on lithium.
"Besides its abundance, sodium has other advantages. The best lithium batteries use #cobalt and #nickel in their electrodes. Nickel, like lithium, is in short supply. #Mining it on land is #EnvironmentallyDestructive. Proposals to grab it from the #seabed instead have caused rows. A good deal of the world’s cobalt, meanwhile, is extracted from small mines in the #DemocraticRepublicOfCongo, where #ChildLabour is common and working conditions are dire. Sodium batteries, by contrast, can use #electrodes built from #iron and #manganese [and wood #lignin], which are plentiful and uncontroversial. Since the chemical components are cheap, a scaled-up industry should be able to produce batteries that cost less than their lithium counterparts.
"Sodium is not a perfect replacement for lithium. It is heavier, meaning sodium batteries will weigh more than lithium ones of an equivalent capacity. That is likely to rule them out in some cases where lightness is paramount. But for other applications, such as #GridStorage or #HomeBatteries, weight is irrelevant. Several Chinese carmakers are even beginning to put sodium batteries in #ElectricVehicles."
Read more:
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/10/26/sodium-batteries-offer-an-alternative-to-tricky-lithium
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/7x6JX
#SolarPunkSunday #EnergyStorage #SodiumIon #NewTechnology #GiantLeap #Reuse #WasteReuse #NoLithiumMining #NoMining
Africa: South Africa Withdraws Troop Contribution to MONUSCO: [SAnews.gov.za] President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, of the South African government's decision to withdraw its contribution of soldiers to the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TQrQJ3 #SouthAfrica #MONUSCO #CyrilRamaphosa #UNPeacekeeping #DemocraticRepublicofCongo
tj (i make it to the end) 😷"After a landslide last week killed at least 200 people in eastern Congo at a rebel-controlled coltan mine, families of the deceased and survivors are mourning their lost loved ones, and some survivors prepared to head back to the reopened mines."
"Tumaini Munguiko, a survivor of the collapse, came to offer his condolences to Kalabosh’s family. “Seeing our peers die is very painful. But despite the pain, we are forced to return to the mines to survive,” he said."
https://apnews.com/article/congo-mine-collapse-rubaya-goma-be74ff05187a0a43aceb36ecd2f502ec
Families grieve landslide in Congo as coltan mine reopens
A landslide last week killed at least 200 people in eastern Congo at a rebel-controlled coltan mine and families of the deceased are mourning their lost loved ones. Some survivors prepared to head back to the reopened mines. The mine, controlled by M23 rebels, collapsed after heavy rains. Families mourned their loved ones on Monday in Goma. The site has been a battleground between the Congolese government and rebels. Coltan is crucial for electronics and aerospace industries. Survivors, like Tumaini Munguiko, plan to return despite the risks. Landslides are common, especially during the rainy season. The tragedy highlights the dangers faced by miners in a region plagued by poverty and insecurity.
"A landslide last week collapsed tunnels at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo, leaving at least 200 people dead [...]The collapse is one of the deadliest disasters in years in an area already facing a humanitarian crisis and ongoing conflict."
"The mines produce coltan — short for columbite-tantalite — an ore from which the metals tantalum and niobium are extracted. Both are considered critical raw materials by the United States, the European Union, China, and Japan. Tantalum is used in mobile phones, computers, and automotive electronics, as well as in aircraft engines, missile components, and GPS systems. Niobium is used in pipelines, rockets, and jet engines."
Support Landry and Agissons Ensemble
https://linktr.ee/landrymathe4
"Landry and Agissons Ensemble recently visited Linda Orphanage in Goma, where they prepared food for the children. These things are only made possible by the help of generous contributors supporting Agissons Ensemble. Landry and his team of volunteers are working tirelessly to provide displaced communities with food, shelter, and medical aid. Landry puts extra effort into creating joyful moments for the children, such as arts and crafts or even small holiday celebrations.
Landry's own family has been impacted by displacement. He is supporting his parents, his sister, and her children. His individual fundraiser goes towards his family's needs. He also uses the extra funds to help others in need, like Ezechiel. Landry met Ezechiel and his mother through his volunteer work and learned that the young boy was suffering from a serious skin infection. Landry was able to use some of the money he raised to take Ezechiel to the doctor's and get him medication to treat his infection.
Both campaigns for Agissons Ensemble and Landry's family can be found in their linktree, as well as their socials you can follow to see the incredible work they are doing. Please support them by sharing and donating if you have the means."
#DemocraticRepublicOfCongo #Congo #CongoIsBleeding #MutualAid #BlackMutualAid
Pope Leo XIV appeals for peace for people fleeing violence in Eastern Congo http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TQQRJ6 #PopeLeoXIV #Peace #Congo #DemocraticRepublicOfCongo #HumanRights
tj (i make it past the end) 😷Democratic Republic of Congo resumes cobalt exports after 10-month ban http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TPzfmJ #Cobalt #DemocraticRepublicOfCongo #Export #Mining #EconomicGrowth
