The word slag is used to describe the impurities in a molten pool of iron. It is lighter than iron, so it will float on top of the pool, where it can be skimmed.

The sodium-ion battery (NIB) is a type of battery in a subclass to the lithium-ion battery, however they use sodium ions (Na+) as the charge carriers. Its working principle and cell construction are almost identical with those of the commercially widespread lithium-ion battery types, but sodium compounds are used instead of lithium compounds.

Sodium-ion batteries have received much interest in recent years as a potential complementary technology to lithium-ion batteries, largely due to the uneven geographic distribution, high environmental impact and high cost of many of the elements required for lithium-ion batteries. Chief among these are lithium, cobalt, copper and nickel, which are not strictly required for many types of sodium-ion batteries. The largest advantage of sodium-ion batteries is the high natural abundance of sodium. This could make commercial production of sodium-ion batteries less expensive than lithium-ion batteries.

Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and solar tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic effect. Using batteries in conjunction with solar panels allows the power created to be stored and used at a later time. Lithium-ion and lead-acid are two chemical materials that you can most commonly find in batteries used for solar panel systems. Despite the higher  price, lithium-ion batteries still enjoy a bigger market share due to their longer lifespan and higher usable capacity.

Solid oxide fuel cells have a solid metal oxide as the electrolyte and can exist in multiple geometries including planar and tubular. They function at the highest temperature of the different types of fuel cells(about 900C to 1,000C) and can reform most fuels internally.

This is a natural gas which contains chemical impurities. A usual outcome of this would be a disagreeable odour.

As opposed to ordinary mild or carbon steels, special steels are alloyed to achieve particular mechanical properties to suit specific end-uses. Examples include steels for cutting tools, roller bearings or springs.

Spherical graphite is manufactured from flake graphite concentrates produced by graphite mines and is the battery anode material (BAM) used in lithium-ion batteries. The first part of the process consists of micronizing, rounding and purifying flake graphite to produce uncoated material. 

It is also known as battery-grade graphite, is the product that is consumed as an anode in lithium-ion batteries. This decreases the surface area, to allow more graphite into a smaller space, thus creating a smaller, lighter, more efficient anode for the battery. 

Derived from pegmatite rock, Spodumene is a lithium mineral that is known for its high lithium content. Spodumene was previously the main source of lithium production, but the industry moved away from this source due to lower operating costs when extracting lithium from brines. That being said, the current strong demand for lithium coupled with spodumene’s high lithium content, has led to a resurgence of the exploration for and development of spodumene deposits.  Additionally, lithium extraction from spodumene generally has a shorter time from discovery to production in comparison to brine operations.

Alloy of iron, carbon and other elements with a carbon content below 1.7 percent.

This describes the amount of steel used per unit of gross domestic product. Intensity reflects the secular demand for steel, as opposed to cyclical demand. The amount of steel used in vehicles and the popularity of alternative materials affect the intensity, or how much steel is needed per unit produced. The state of the economy, however, determines the number of units.

A steel merchant who maintains a stock of steel products in a warehouse for sale in small lots to end-users. The merchant will often undertake processing work, such as slitting coil, cutting-to-length and blanking to suit the steel to particular end-uses. Also known as a steel service centre when such additional processing is undertaken.

Thin flat steel normally produced in a continuous strip and wound into a coil weighing up to 40 tonnes for further processing.

Structural steel is produced specifically for building construction with a specific shape or cross section, chemical composition and strength. These parameters and more, such as storage, are regulated to particular standards in most industrialised countries.

Sulphur s a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. The lithium–sulfur battery (Li–S battery) is a type of rechargeable battery. The low atomic weight of lithium and moderate atomic weight of sulfur means that Li–S batteries are relatively light. Some Li–S batteries offer energy in the range of 550 Wh/kg, which is significantly better than most lithium-ion batteries, which are in the range of 150–260 Wh/kg.