The challenge for the next few years will be to increase the recovery rate of REE metals. Unep, the United Nations development program, has in fact launched a new alarm regarding the exhaustion of Rare Earth Elements (rare elements of the earth).
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
The first thing an ecologist learns is that the resources are not infinite. The second is that they can become: just find a way to recycle them. The challenge of the next few years will be to increase the recovery percentage of REE metals. L'Unep, the United Nations development program, has indeed sounded a new alarm regarding theexhaustion of Rare Earth Elements (rare elements of the earth).
We are talking about Lithium, Neodymium, gallium, Indian, palladium, silicon names that say little, but which are fundamental for the electronics industry and for the development of the so-called green economy. THE photovoltaic panels, batteries for electric cars, the energy saving lamps and many other technologies typical of the green economy contain varying quantities of these often irreplaceable raw materials.
The dizzying growth of economies like that Indian and Chinese created an equally staggering increase in the domanda at REE. And it is precisely in China that the game will be played: 97% of world production comes from the Asian country, and this despite 42% of the fields are outside the Chinese territory. The reasons are the very low price of labor and the government's investment in mining. One way out of this situation is undoubtedly the recycling of REEs. To date only the1% of the total is recovered [source Unep], but much more could be done. Of the palladium, for example, between 50 and 90% could come back into circulation, while currently only 5-10% are recycled.
In addition to ensuring a future for humanity, the recovery of REEs it brings enormous advantages from an environmental point of view. Without considering the damage to the landscape and the ecosystem caused by the numerous ones mines and quarries for extraction, energy saving of an object produced with raw material recycled compared to the equivalent from extracted raw materials it is 2 to 10 times lower. Just to get an idea of the savings margins, just think that the 1300 million tons of metal extracted every year generate emissions equal to 2,2 billion CO2!
The only way forward, if we want to continue using PCs, i mobile phones, the batteries, the appliances and so on, therefore remains the recycling.
Roberto Zambon
- Download the UNEP report on REE metals
- Download the UNEP report on the recycling of REE metals
