Critical metals and minerals in the Nordic countries of Europe: diversity of mineralization and green energy potential

Abstract

Europe is mainly relying on imports of critical raw materials (CRM) for its industry, not least the vital ones for emerging green energy technologies. Among the main metal and mineral producers in Europe today, the Nordic countries (here: Greenland, Norway, Sweden and Finland) share a diverse geology with various deposit types formed over a long geological time span. This has led to large near-future potential with regards to CRM production. Based on current knowledge and datasets, we assess the Nordic geological potential for the CRMs which are specifically relevant for green technologies, namely: cobalt, graphite, hafnium, lithium, niobium, platinum-group metals, rare earth elements, silicon, tantalum, titanium, and vanadium, describing the most important deposits, their setting and characteristics. Several Nordic CRM resources stand out in a European and even global context, such as the giant REE(-Nb-Ta-Hf) deposits in Greenland, while the REE-Nb-(Hf) deposits at Fen (Norway) and Norra Kärr (Sweden) are very significant for Europe; Finland has the only major cobalt production, while Norway has very significant graphite and titanium resources and production. Furthermore, Sweden, Finland and Greenland have very large vanadium resources. Additionally, we conclude that the Nordic research and exploration potential for most CRMs is large.

Critical Raw Material Resource Potentials in Europe

“…The mineral resources targeted extend beyond the current EU CRM list and include minerals and metals (e.g., lithium (Li), tantalum (Ta), and niobium (Nb)) that are strategic for the European downstream industry in the mid-to long-term [39,40]. Assessments for CRM on the national basis, such as for Germany, Poland, Portugal, the Nordic Countries [41][42][43][44] are the basis for the findings. Secondary resources, in terms of historical mining wastes and potential by-products, were also considered [35][36][37][38].…”

The REE-Zr-U-Th Minerals of the Maronia Monzodiorite, N. Greece: Implications on the Saturation and Segregation Mechanisms of Critical Metals in Intermediate–Mafic Compositions

“…The criticality of REE in Europe highlights the urgent need for domestic exploration and exploitation of REE deposits. The limited occurrence of REE mineral resources within Europe is mainly restricted in the Nordic countries [6], which poses challenges for ensuring a stable and sustainable supply of these essential elements. To overcome this challenge, it is crucial to promote research in targeting REE-enriched formations.…”

Leaching of rare earth elements from phosphate rock using sulfuric acid: Process optimization and kinetic studies

“…Rare earth elements (REEs) is a group of elements that identified by the European Union's (EU) experts as a one of the critical materials (Jonsson et al, 2023). The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry define the REEs as a group of 17 elements (15 lanthanides, scandium and yttrium (Jowitt et al, 2018).…”