scholarly journals The Critical Raw Materials Issue between Scarcity, Supply Risk, and Unique Properties

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).

2013 ◽  
Vol 773 ◽  
pp. 954-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Yang ◽  
Hong Luo Zhu ◽  
Lin Wei Ma ◽  
Zheng Li

This manuscript aims to apply the method of criticality matrix to evaluate critical raw materials for China. The matrix includes two dimensions, the supply risk evaluated by net import dependency and import concentration, and the economic importance evaluated by value-added value of consumption sectors. The results indicate that the most critical raw materials for China are Chromite, Cobalt, Manganese, Nickel, Iron ore, and Niobium & Tantalum.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 899
Author(s):  
Pavel Novák ◽  
Tiziano Belezze ◽  
Marcello Cabibbo ◽  
Ernst Gamsjäger ◽  
Manfred Wiessner ◽  
...  

The Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) list has been defined based on economic importance and supply risk by the European Commission. This review paper describes two issues regarding critical raw materials: the possibilities of their substitution in iron-based alloys and the use of iron-based alloys instead of other materials in order to save CRMs. This review covers strategies for saving chromium in stainless steel, substitution or lowering the amounts of carbide-forming elements (especially tungsten and vanadium) in tool steel and alternative iron-based CRM-free and low-CRM materials: austempered ductile cast iron, high-temperature alloys based on intermetallics of iron and sintered diamond tools with an iron-containing low-cobalt binder.


I chose this title because, as your Chairman has emphasized, this is a historic occasion. More than 50 years ago Ernest Rutherford used this title when he returned to New Zealand in 1914 and lectured here, in Canterbury College. On that occasion he talked about the spontaneous disintegrations that radioactive nuclei undergo, with the emission of α, β and γ radiation; how one radioactive element changes into another and how uranium and thorium eventually transform to various isotopes of lead. The understanding of the laws of radioactive change was the result of collaboration between Rutherford & Soddy in a long series of experiments at McGill; this was the first of three of Rutherford’s most important results-the other two were: ‘the discovery of the nucleus of the atom following experiments of Geiger & Marsden at Manchester’ and ‘the detection of nuclear interactions’. Under the same title as used by Rutherford here in 1914 I want tonight to talk about how the chemical elements of which the Earth and Sun are made, may have evolved. As a start I would like to present to you in figure 1 some of the facts that need explaining — the relative abundance of the 300 or so naturally occurring types of atom — the isotopes of the various chemical elements. Their relative abundance tells us something about how the elements must have evolved. The graph displayed shows the results appropriate to the Solar System. One realizes that terrestrial or meteoritic abundances are seriously distorted by loss of volatile materials - but most of one’s data is collected from the Earth and meteorites, so we have to put up with it. The distribution, corrected as well as possible for the loss of volatile materials, is often called the ‘universal’ abundance for the elements, but this is overstating its significance.


1975 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 395-407
Author(s):  
S. Henriksen

The first question to be answered, in seeking coordinate systems for geodynamics, is: what is geodynamics? The answer is, of course, that geodynamics is that part of geophysics which is concerned with movements of the Earth, as opposed to geostatics which is the physics of the stationary Earth. But as far as we know, there is no stationary Earth – epur sic monere. So geodynamics is actually coextensive with geophysics, and coordinate systems suitable for the one should be suitable for the other. At the present time, there are not many coordinate systems, if any, that can be identified with a static Earth. Certainly the only coordinate of aeronomic (atmospheric) interest is the height, and this is usually either as geodynamic height or as pressure. In oceanology, the most important coordinate is depth, and this, like heights in the atmosphere, is expressed as metric depth from mean sea level, as geodynamic depth, or as pressure. Only for the earth do we find “static” systems in use, ana even here there is real question as to whether the systems are dynamic or static. So it would seem that our answer to the question, of what kind, of coordinate systems are we seeking, must be that we are looking for the same systems as are used in geophysics, and these systems are dynamic in nature already – that is, their definition involvestime.


Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Sebastiano Trevisani

Modern Earth Scientists need also to interact with other disciplines, apparently far from the Earth Sciences and Engineering. Disciplines related to history and philosophy of science are emblematic from this perspective. From one side, the quantitative analysis of information extracted from historical records (documents, maps, paintings, etc.) represents an exciting research topic, requiring a truly holistic approach. On the other side, epistemological and philosophy of science considerations on the relationship between geoscience and society in history are of fundamental importance for understanding past, present and future geosphere-anthroposphere interlinked dynamics.


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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1037
Author(s):  
Se-Jin Choi ◽  
Ji-Hwan Kim ◽  
Sung-Ho Bae ◽  
Tae-Gue Oh

In recent years, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have continued worldwide. In the construction industry, a large amount of CO2 is generated during the production of Portland cement, and various studies are being conducted to reduce the amount of cement and enable the use of cement substitutes. Ferronickel slag is a by-product generated by melting materials such as nickel ore and bituminous coal, which are used as raw materials to produce ferronickel at high temperatures. In this study, we investigated the fluidity, microhydration heat, compressive strength, drying shrinkage, and carbonation characteristics of a ternary cement mortar including ferronickel-slag powder and fly ash. According to the test results, the microhydration heat of the FA20FN00 sample was slightly higher than that of the FA00FN20 sample. The 28-day compressive strength of the FA20FN00 mix was approximately 39.6 MPa, which was higher than that of the other samples, whereas the compressive strength of the FA05FN15 mix including 15% of ferronickel-slag powder was approximately 11.6% lower than that of the FA20FN00 mix. The drying shrinkage of the FA20FN00 sample without ferronickel-slag powder was the highest after 56 days, whereas the FA00FN20 sample without fly ash showed the lowest shrinkage compared to the other mixes.


Clay Minerals ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Gonzalez ◽  
E. Galan ◽  
A. Miras ◽  
P. Aparicio

AbstractAn attempt has been made to assess new potential applications for the Bailén clays, traditionally used for manufacturing bricks, based on mineralogical, chemical, particle size, plasticity and firing results. Raw materials and mixtures used by the local factory were selected and tested with the addition of some diatomite, feldspar or kaolin. Based on their properties, clay materials from Bailén might be suitable for making porous red wall tiles, clinker, vitrified red floor tiles and porous light-coloured wall tiles by pressing; the first could be manufactured from the raw materials and mixtures currently used by the local manufactures. On the other hand, stoneware shaped by extrusion, such as perforated bricks, facing bricks and roofing tiles, can be also manufactured from the mixtures used at the factory if they contain 20-25% carbonate and small amounts of iron oxides; lightweight bricks require black and yellow clays with diatomite.


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.


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