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Critical Raw Materials: summary of the ESED report  

Review by David Owen
TreatChem Limited
[email protected]
ECG Bulletin January 2022
The RSC’s 20-page Environment, Sustainability and Energy Division (ESED) August 2021 report, Decarbonisation: materials and circularity challenges for clean technologies (The role of Critical Raw Materials in reaching net-zero emissions), examines what is needed to balance free will in markets whilst managing the resource base of critical raw materials.
 
The challenge is to reset our economic perspective, moving away from a linear economic model and towards a circular economic model. This may prove more difficult than anticipated because economic imperatives and international self-interest may be bigger obstacles than science-based solutions can address. It will require some lateral thinking about cooperation between government, industry, and the scientific community to introduce these changes.
 
A significant amount of research and development is dedicated to the design of recovery technologies such as novel chemistries, engineering, reimagining product life cycles, and the recovery of potentially valuable minor components lost by current waste management techniques.
 
 
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​This is all good, but without a coherent strategy to enable cooperation between competing companies to find the most viable way forward, the objectives are in danger of becoming unfulfilled because of vested self-interests or ‘beggar thy neighbour’ policies and practice.
 
The power to resolve these challenges lies with international and local politicians. To ensure the system works for everyone, with little or no inequality between providers of services, they will need to ensure accurate and thorough information sharing takes place, and best practices are applied.

The report recommends that the competition between ideas about how best to recycle particular materials is best left between academia and industry. However, there needs to be a significant, legally enforceable framework to direct participants to best practices. This framework will ensure positive outcomes, not only in recovering materials of reusable quality, but also in ensuring planning permission is granted for the sites that will conduct the recycling and the disposal of by-product waste in an ecologically sound and economic fashion.
 
Reference
Decarbonisation: materials and circularity challenges for clean technologies (The role of Critical Raw Materials in reaching net-zero emissions), ESED, RSC, August 2021; available for free online.
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  • Home
  • About
    • Committee >
      • Professional Qualifications
    • Annual reports
  • Environmental Briefs
  • Distinguished Guest Lectures
    • 2024 Killer Threads >
      • Thomas Stanton
      • Raquel Prado
    • 2023 Water, water, everywhere – is it still safe to drink? The pollution impact on water quality >
      • Rivers of life
      • Fiona Regan
    • 2022 Disposable Attitude: Electronics in the Environment >
      • Steve Cottle
      • Ian Williams
      • Fiona Dear
    • 2019 Radioactive Waste Disposal >
      • Juliet Long
    • 2018 Biopollution: Antimicrobial resistance in the environment >
      • Andrew Singer
      • Celia Manaia
    • 2017 Inside the Engine >
      • Frank Kelly
      • Claire Holman
      • Jacqui Hamilton
      • Simon Birkett
    • 2016 Geoengineering >
      • Alan Robock
      • Joanna Haigh
      • David Santillo
      • Mike Stephenson
    • 2015 Nanomaterials >
      • Eugenia Valsami-Jones
      • Debora F Rodrigues
      • David Spurgeon
    • 2014 Plastic debris in the ocean >
      • Richard Thompson
      • Norman Billingham
    • 2013 Rare earths and other scarce metals >
      • Thomas Graedel
      • David Merriman
      • Michael Pitts
      • Andrea Sella
      • Adrian Chapman
    • 2012 Energy, waste and resources >
      • RAFFAELLA VILLA
      • PAUL WILLIAMS
      • Kris Wadrop
    • 2011 The Nitrogen Cycle – in a fix?
    • 2010 Technology and the use of coal
    • 2009 The future of water >
      • J.A. (Tony) Allen
      • John W. Sawkins
    • 2008 The Science of Carbon Trading >
      • Jon Lovett
      • Matthew Owen
      • Terry barker
      • Nigel Mortimer
    • 2007 Environmental chemistry in the Polar Regions >
      • Eric Wolff
      • Tim JICKELLS
      • Anna Jones
    • 2006 The impact of climate change on air quality >
      • Michael Pilling
      • GUANG ZENG
    • 2005 DGL Metals in the environment: estimation, health impacts and toxicology
    • 2004 Environmental Chemistry from Space
  • Articles, reviews & updates
    • Articles
    • Reviews
    • Updates
  • Meetings
    • Upcoming meetings
    • Meeting reports
  • Resources
  • Index