Sustainable Minerals and Metals for a Low-Carbon Future

Sovacool, Benjamin K.; Ali, Saleem H.; Bazilian, Morgan; Radley, Ben; Nemery, Benoît; Okatz, Julia

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3513313

Cited by 41 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…They should also have a favorable mineralogy for separation of ore from gangue and should be reasonably low in the radioactive elements Th and U (4,7). Our need for responsible mining and greater resilience to global supply-chain disruption necessitates diversification of mining localities (1,6,9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rare earth element mobility in and around carbonatites controlled by sodium, potassium, and silica

et al. 2020

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Carbonatites and associated rocks are the main source of rare earth elements (REEs), metals essential to modern technologies. REE mineralization occurs in hydrothermal assemblages within or near carbonatites, suggesting aqueous transport of REE. We conducted experiments from 1200°C and 1.5 GPa to 200°C and 0.2 GPa using light (La) and heavy (Dy) REE, crystallizing fluorapatite intergrown with calcite through dolomite to ankerite. All experiments contained solutions with anions previously thought to mobilize REE (chloride, fluoride, and carbonate), but REEs were extensively soluble only when alkalis were present. Dysprosium was more soluble than lanthanum when alkali complexed. Addition of silica either traps REE in early crystallizing apatite or negates solubility increases by immobilizing alkalis in silicates. Anionic species such as halogens and carbonates are not sufficient for REE mobility. Additional complexing with alkalis is required for substantial REE transport in and around carbonatites as a precursor for economic grade-mineralization.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rare earth element mobility in and around carbonatites controlled by sodium, potassium, and silica

et al. 2020

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“…Energy sector innovation is where most progress is achievable 4 , but since renewable energies currently account for only 17% of global energy consumption 5 , significant production increases must occur to phase out fossil fuel use 6 . However, the production of renewable energies is also material-intensivemuch more so than fossil fuels 7 -meaning that future production will also escalate demand for many metals [8][9][10][11] . It is unlikely that these new demands will be met by diverting use from other sectors or from recycling materials alone 12,13 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Renewable energy production will exacerbate mining threats to biodiversity

et al. 2020

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Renewable energy production is necessary to halt climate change and reverse associated biodiversity losses. However, generating the required technologies and infrastructure will drive an increase in the production of many metals, creating new mining threats for biodiversity. Here, we map mining areas and assess their spatial coincidence with biodiversity conservation sites and priorities. Mining potentially influences 50 million km 2 of Earth's land surface, with 8% coinciding with Protected Areas, 7% with Key Biodiversity Areas, and 16% with Remaining Wilderness. Most mining areas (82%) target materials needed for renewable energy production, and areas that overlap with Protected Areas and Remaining Wilderness contain a greater density of mines (our indicator of threat severity) compared to the overlapping mining areas that target other materials. Mining threats to biodiversity will increase as more mines target materials for renewable energy production and, without strategic planning, these new threats to biodiversity may surpass those averted by climate change mitigation.

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“…Improvements in material efficiency and recycling are not sufficient to meet the increasing demand for ETMs 9 . Demand would have to be met through significant growth in resource extraction.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Research that expresses concern about the implications of increased ETM extraction does so without the support of global quantitative data (e.g., ref. 9 ). Discussions about risk at the source of extraction instead focus on emblematic cases of metals mined in conflict or post-conflict zones.…”

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confidence: 99%

The social and environmental complexities of extracting energy transition metals

et al. 2020

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Environmental, social and governance pressures should feature in future scenario planning about the transition to a low carbon future. As low-carbon energy technologies advance, markets are driving demand for energy transition metals. Increased extraction rates will augment the stress placed on people and the environment in extractive locations. To quantify this stress, we develop a set of global composite environmental, social and governance indicators, and examine mining projects across 20 metal commodities to identify the co-occurrence of environmental, social and governance risk factors. Our findings show that 84% of platinum resources and 70% of cobalt resources are located in high-risk contexts. Reflecting heightened demand, major metals like iron and copper are set to disturb more land. Jurisdictions extracting energy transition metals in low-risk contexts are positioned to develop and maintain safeguards against mining-related social and environmental risk factors.

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Sustainable Minerals and Metals for a Low-Carbon Future

Cited by 41 publications

References 3 publications

Rare earth element mobility in and around carbonatites controlled by sodium, potassium, and silica

Rare earth element mobility in and around carbonatites controlled by sodium, potassium, and silica

Renewable energy production will exacerbate mining threats to biodiversity

The social and environmental complexities of extracting energy transition metals

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