scholarly journals Potential Benefits and Constraints of Development of Critical Raw Materials’ Production in the EU: Analysis of Selected Case Studies

Resources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Guzik ◽  
Krzysztof Galos ◽  
Alicja Kot-Niewiadomska ◽  
Toni Eerola ◽  
Pasi Eilu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Abandoned Mines ◽  
Social Constraints ◽  
Cost And Benefit Analysis ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Critical Raw Materials

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.

scholarly journals The significance of energy consumption in environmental impact of rare earth elements recovery from tailings and mining waste

2019 ◽  
Vol 108 ◽  
pp. 02011
Author(s):  
Karolina Kossakowska ◽  
Katarzyna Grzesik
Keyword(s):  
Rare Earth ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Rare Earth Elements ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Lca Results ◽  
Critical Raw Materials

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are identified as critical raw materials for the European Union economy. REEs are not currently produced in the EU, while there are several sources not properly addressed. Within the ENVIREE project tailings from New Kankberg (Sweden) and Covas (Portugal) were identified as rich in REEs and chosen for recovery processing. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to evaluate the environmental impact of REEs recovery. The aim of this study is the detailed analysis of several scenarios with different electricity production schemes of REE recovery. The study discusses the share of energy use in the overall impact on the environment, taking into account diversification in the electricity production structure among EU countries. The energy use is a significant contributor to the overall environmental impact of studied cases. Its share in the total environmental burden is reaching up to 47%. The results show that applying the average electricity scheme production for Europe may lead to biased LCA results. For the accurate LCA results the local production schemes of energy for certain countries should be chosen.

Legacy deposits: can a small-scale mining paradigm contribute to the re-processing mining wastes to supply critical raw materials?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Bodin ◽  
Guillaume Bertrand ◽  
Patrick D'Hugues
Keyword(s):  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Feasibility Studies ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mining Wastes ◽  
Critical Metals ◽  
Preliminary Information ◽  
Mineral Wastes ◽  
Critical Raw Materials

<p>In line with the perspective of the Raw Material Initiative launched in 2008 by the European Commission to ensure access to and supply of critical raw materials in Europe, the H2020-funded IMPaCT project (Grant no. 730411) aims to develop a Switch-On Switch-Off (SO-SO) concept as an emergence of a new modern small-scale mining paradigm. Its ultimate goal is to increase the viability of many critical metals hosted in small primary deposits, particularly in Europe, by developing a modularized mobile plant (MMP) concept that can economically operate different type of ores in different types of geological and geographical contexts.</p><p>In addition, the project addresses the prospect of applying the SO-SO concept and the small-scale mining paradigm with regard to the reprocessing of mineral wastes in Europe. A dataset of legacy deposits of interest for the SO-SO concept was drawn from the ProMine Anthropogenic Concentration (AC) database (built during the European FP7 ProMine project) used as the data source and by applying a sequential-rating as a methodology to rank records and to highlight potential targets.</p><p>Apart from national mining wastes registries, the ProMine AC database remains so far the most exhaustive and reliable attempt at a consolidated pan-European database regarding mining wastes. Despite data shortcoming in the ProMine AC database, this study proposes potential targets of mineral wastes for the SO-SO concept in Europe and provides with preliminary information on location, type of waste, commodities content, tonnage and their potential.</p><p>To put into perspective the application of the SO-SO concept and the small-scale mining paradigm in regards with mineral wastes reprocessing, this study also proposes generic flowsheets to address specific potential targets identified among the records from the ProMine AC database and based on the preliminary information available. However, the relevancy and completeness of these information still require a case-by-case assessment. As a result, this methodology falls into a scoping approach that could be applied ahead of (pre)feasibility studies.</p><p>Combining the re-exploitation of a primary ore deposit along with the reprocessing of its wastes inherited from previous mining and ore processing activities is of great interest in seeking social acceptance. Eventually, in such perspective, a cross survey of the potential of both primary deposits, using the ProMine Mineral Deposits (MD) database, and secondary deposits, using the ProMine AC database, therefore appears as a relevant scoping strategy ahead of implementing small-scale mining.</p>

In the Loop – Sustainable, Circular Product Design and Critical Materials

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 664-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Whalen ◽  
◽  
David Peck
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Engineering Technology ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Research Company ◽  
Technology Applications ◽  
Critical Materials ◽  
Automation Technology ◽  
Critical Raw Materials

Globally there is increasing concern about a range of materials which have been termed critical materials. This paper defines critical materials as single elements, which are metals, at risk of supply constraints, financially costly, price volatile, deemed economically important and difficult to substitute as a result of their special or unique properties. These metals are used in engineering, technology applications, and product designs. They are widely used and of high value in the field of Automation Technologies. Previous studies have shown that awareness and understanding about critical materials in companies is low. This paper outlines a novel approach to address the company gap in knowledge through the development and testing of a specially developed serious game called ‘In the Loop: The Critical Raw Materials Game.’ Developed from prior research, company case studies, and literature, the game serves as a catalyst for informed discussion about the topic of critical materials. The results of the testing demonstrate the applicability of the approach to the automation technology field and present a roadmap going forwards.

PROBLEM OF FOOD WASTE IN THE POLICIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION FOOD SECURITY

2017 ◽  
Vol XIX (3) ◽  
pp. 24-28
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Biernat-Jarka ◽  
Paulina Trębska
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Europe Today ◽  
The Eu

The aim of the paper was to present initiatives which leads the European Union in the framework of food safety policy in the area of preventing and reducing levels of food waste. These activities take place both at national, regional and local level in the EU. Food waste occurs in each stage of growing raw materials and production to the consumption. The scale of food waste is huge. Approximately 140 billion tons of food is wasted every year in Europe today. This article reviews the literature in this area and analysis of secondary sources from FAO and Eurostat.

scholarly journals The Role of Poland in the European Union Supply Chain of Raw Materials, Including Critical Raw Materials

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Galos ◽  
Alicja Kot-Niewiadomska ◽  
Jarosław Kamyk
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Elemental Sulfur ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Mineral Raw Materials ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Critical Raw Materials

The EU’s demand for numerous mineral raw materials is growing intensively, while the security of their supplies (mostly form outside the EU) is often at high risk. This is especially the case for critical raw materials (CRMs). Poland is now and may be in the future the most important supplier of numerous mineral raw materials to other EU countries. This is especially the case for coking coal, copper, silver and elemental sulfur. This article briefly evaluates the current and future possibilities for the supply of these raw materials from Poland to the EU market.

scholarly journals Paths of the urban regeneration process in Central and Eastern Europe after EU enlargement - Poland and Bulgaria as comparative case studies

Spatium ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Przemysław Ciesiółka ◽  
Angel Burov
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Urban Regeneration ◽  
Eu Enlargement ◽  
Local Planning ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Local Case ◽  
The Eu

The enlargement of the EU towards Central-Eastern Europe in the years 2004 and 2007 and the related EU funds provided new opportunities and created new challenges to both big metropolitan cities and smaller settlements. One of the particularly important challenges was to define appropriate national and local policies for the urban regeneration of neglected areas, which were abundant in this part of Europe. The objective of the paper is to analyze and evaluate actions taken in Bulgaria and Poland at the national and local level in the field of urban regeneration after the countries? accession to the EU. The paper compares the general national and local planning approaches and capacity building for urban regeneration in the context of regulative and procedural issues. The local case studies represent two types of urban areas under regeneration: the metropolitan core cities Pozna? and Sofia and medium-sized non-core towns of Pi?a and Gabrovo. The results are in the form of a concurrent evaluation of both the achievements and negative effects resulting from the national and local processes in the envisaged and the recently implemented activities with regard to the regeneration of deprived urban neighborhoods and areas.

European experience in transition to circular economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.V. Ratner
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
National Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
European Experience ◽  
General Scientific ◽  
The Eu

Subject. The article considers the concept of circular economy, which has originated relatively recently in the academic literature, and is now increasingly recognized in many countries at the national level. In the European Union, the transition to circular economy is viewed as an opportunity to improve competitiveness of the European Union, protect businesses from resource shortages and fluctuating prices for raw materials and supplies, and a way to increase employment and innovation. Objectives. The aim of the study is to analyze the incentives developed by the European Commission for moving to circular economy, and to assess their effectiveness on the basis of statistical analysis. Methods. I employ general scientific methods of research. Results. The analysis of the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy enabled to conclude that the results of the recent research in circular economy barriers, eco-innovation, technology and infrastructure were successfully integrated into the framework of this document. Understanding the root causes holding back the circular economy development and the balanced combination of economic and administrative incentives strengthened the Action Plan, and it contributed to the circular economy development in the EU. Conclusions. The measures to stimulate the development of the circular economy proposed in the European Action Plan can be viewed as a prototype for designing similar strategies in other countries, including Russia. Meanwhile, a more detailed analysis of barriers to the circular economy at the level of individual countries and regions is needed.

scholarly journals How Far Away Are World Economies from Circularity: Assessing the Capacity of Circular Economy Policy Packages in the Operation of Raw Materials and Industrial Wastes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4394
Author(s):  
Margarita Ignatyeva ◽  
Vera Yurak ◽  
Alexey Dushin ◽  
Vladimir Strovsky ◽  
Sergey Zavyalov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Industrial Wastes ◽  
New Guidelines ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Degree Level ◽  
The Eu

Nowadays, circular economy (CE) is on the agenda, however, this concept of closed supply chains originated in the 1960s. The current growing quantity of studies in this area accounts for different discourses except the holistic one, which mixes both approaches—contextual and operating (contextual approach utilizes the thorough examination of the CE theory, stricture of the policy, etc.; the operating one uses any kind of statistical data)—to assess the capacity of circular economy regulatory policy packages (CERPP) in operating raw materials and industrial wastes. This article demonstrates new guidelines for assessing the degree level of capacity (DLC) of CERPPs in the operation of raw materials and industrial wastes by utilizing the apparatus of the fuzzy set theory. It scrupulously surveys current CERPPs in three regions: the EU overall, Finland and Russia; and assesses for eight regions—the EU overall, Finland, Russia, China, Greece, France, the Netherlands and South Korea—the DLC of CERPPs in operating raw materials and industrial wastes. The results show that EU is the best in CE policy and its CERPP is 3R. The following are South Korea and China with the same type of CERPP. Finland, France and the Netherlands have worse results than EU with the type of CERPP called “integrated waste management” because of the absence of a waste hierarchy (reduce, recover, recycle). Russia closes the list with the type of CERPP “basic waste management”.

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