Approval of a 60 per cent Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) concrete mix by VicRoads for road and transport projects across Victoria marks a major shift in allowable low-carbon binders for state infrastructure. The mix, developed and trialled with Geoquest Australia, replaces the majority of Portland cement with SCMs such as fly ash and slag, cutting embodied carbon while maintaining performance to VicRoads specifications. Designers and contractors can now specify substantially higher SCM contents on VicRoads projects without seeking project-by-project exemptions.

Latrobe Magnesium has secured a non-dilutive prepayment from its US distribution partner Metal Exchange LLC to advance its Latrobe Valley magnesium production project, which uses fly ash from brown coal power generation as feedstock. The funding supports commissioning of LMG’s initial commercial plant designed to produce magnesium ingots and supplementary products such as cementitious material from waste residues. For mining and materials engineers, the deal signals growing commercial backing for ash-to-magnesium processing as an alternative to conventional dolomite- or magnesite-based routes.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft programme is driving demand for advanced alloys, with aluminium‑lithium in the crew module to cut mass, titanium for primary structural members, and nickel‑based superalloys in engines to withstand extreme thermal loads. These specifications exemplify how deep-space missions are tightening requirements on fatigue life, high‑temperature creep resistance and weldability in lightweight alloys. For miners and metallurgical suppliers, the mix of Al‑Li, titanium and high‑nickel feedstocks signals sustained demand for high‑purity ores and tightly controlled processing routes.