Rethinking Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Approaches to Ensure a Sustainable Supply of High-tech and Critical Raw Materials

Author(s):  
Yousef Ghorbani ◽  
Glen T. Nwaila ◽  
Steven E. Zhang ◽  
Jan Rosenkranz
Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1656
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Grilli ◽  
Daniele Valerini ◽  
Anca Elena Slobozeanu ◽  
Bogdan O. Postolnyi ◽  
Sebastian Balos ◽  
...  

Several applications where extreme conditions occur require the use of alloys often containing many critical elements. Due to the ever increasing prices of critical raw materials (CRMs) linked to their high supply risk, and because of their fundamental and large utilization in high tech products and applications, it is extremely important to find viable solutions to save CRMs usage. Apart from increasing processes’ efficiency, substitution, and recycling, one of the alternatives to preserve an alloy and increase its operating lifetime, thus saving the CRMs needed for its manufacturing, is to protect it by a suitable coating or a surface treatment. This review presents the most recent trends in coatings for application in high temperature alloys for aerospace engines. CRMs’ current and future saving scenarios in the alloys and coatings for the aerospace engine are also discussed. The overarching aim of this paper is to raise awareness on the CRMs issue related to the alloys and coating for aerospace, suggesting some mitigation measures without having the ambition nor to give a complete overview of the topic nor a turnkey solution.


2020 ◽  
pp. 20-24
Author(s):  
M.G. Baryshev ◽  
A.A. Zaporizhzhya ◽  
G.I. Kasyanov
Keyword(s):  

Resources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Guzik ◽  
Krzysztof Galos ◽  
Alicja Kot-Niewiadomska ◽  
Toni Eerola ◽  
Pasi Eilu ◽  
...  

Major benefits and constraints related to mineral extraction within the EU have been identified on the examples of selected critical raw materials’ deposits. Analyzed case studies include the following ore deposits: Myszków Mo-W-Cu (Poland), Juomasuo Au-Co (Finland), S. Pedro das Águias W-Sn (Portugal), Penouta Nb-Ta-Sn (Spain), Norra Kärr REEs (Sweden) and Trælen graphite (Norway). They represent different stages of development, from the early/grassroot exploration stage, through advanced exploration and active mining, up to reopening of abandoned mines, and refer to different problems and constraints related to the possibility of exploitation commencement. The multi-criteria analysis of the cases has included geological and economic factors as well as environmental, land use, social acceptance and infrastructure factors. These factors, in terms of cost and benefit analysis, have been considered at three levels: local, country and EU levels. The analyzed cases indicated the major obstacles that occur in different stages of deposit development and need to be overcome in order to enable a new deposit exploitation commencement. These are environmental (Juomasuo and Myszków), spatial (Juomasuo) as well as social constraints (Norra Kärr, Juomasuo). In the analyzed cases, the most important constraints related to future deposit extraction occur primarily at a local level, while some important benefits are identified mainly at the country and the EU levels. These major benefits are related to securing long-term supplies for the national industries and strategically important EU industry sectors.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1826
Author(s):  
Mihaela Girtan ◽  
Antje Wittenberg ◽  
Maria Luisa Grilli ◽  
Daniel P. S. de Oliveira ◽  
Chiara Giosuè ◽  
...  

This editorial reports on a thorough analysis of the abundance and scarcity distribution of chemical elements and the minerals they form in the Earth, Sun, and Universe in connection with their number of neutrons and binding energy per nucleon. On one hand, understanding the elements’ formation and their specific properties related to their electronic and nucleonic structure may lead to understanding whether future solutions to replace certain elements or materials for specific technical applications are realistic. On the other hand, finding solutions to the critical availability of some of these elements is an urgent need. Even the analysis of the availability of scarce minerals from European Union sources leads to the suggestion that a wide-ranging approach is essential. These two fundamental assumptions represent also the logical approach that led the European Commission to ask for a multi-disciplinary effort from the scientific community to tackle the challenge of Critical Raw Materials. This editorial is also the story of one of the first fulcrum around which a wide network of material scientists gathered thanks to the support of the funding organization for research and innovation networks, COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1197
Author(s):  
Dumitru Mitrica ◽  
Ioana Cristina Badea ◽  
Beatrice Adriana Serban ◽  
Mihai Tudor Olaru ◽  
Denisa Vonica ◽  
...  

The paper is proposing a mini-review on the capability of the new complex concentrated alloys (CCAs) to substitute or reduce the use of critical raw materials in applications for extreme conditions. Aspects regarding the regulations and expectations formulated by the European Union in the most recent reports on the critical raw materials were presented concisely. A general evaluation was performed on the CCAs concept and the research directions. The advantages of using critical metals for particular applications were presented to acknowledge the difficulty in the substitution of such elements with other materials. In order to establish the level of involvement of CCAs in the reduction of critical metal in extreme environment applications, a presentation was made of the previous achievements in the field and the potential for the reduction of critical metal content through the use of multi-component compositions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 333-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Senk ◽  
F.M. Meyer ◽  
T. Pretz ◽  
G. Abrasheva

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 712-718

<p>Re-Tek UK and its partners, Enscape Consulting and the University of West of Scotland commenced trials for the collection and recovery of critical raw materials from waste electrical and electronic (WEEE) products in July 2016. Sponsored by the EU LIFE funded project ‘Critical Raw Material Closed Loop Recovery’ coordinated by WRAP with EARN, ERP UK Ltd, KTN Ltd and Wuppertal Institute as beneficiaries. The trials are aimed at boosting the recovery of critical raw materials (CRMs) from household waste electrical and electronic products (WEEE) and Information Communications Technology (ICT) in particular, after functioning equipment is separated out for re-use. The new collection models provided residents with the opportunity to drop-off unwanted electrical and electronic appliances at a time and place that suits them, through a collaborative approach which encourages local authorities, educational establishments, businesses, and Social Enterprises, etc to act as hub sites. Hubs were designed to minimize product damage and encourage drop-off, rather than hoarding. Extraction methods developed after the collection phase of the trial looked at the opportunity to recover cobalt, gold and silver from ICT products, with the potential to inform how a more sustainable supply chain could be developed in Scotland. The elements studied were selected to demonstrate financial opportunity (gold/silver) and a strategic priority material (cobalt) for long term supply. These are based on bioleaching and electrochemical recovery using novel carbon based electrode systems, and chemical processing methods using extraction techniques with an assessment of pilot performance and scale up challenges. Our report is on the state of progress towards practical solutions to WEEE and CRM recovery.</p>


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