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Sustainable Exploitation of Materials Resources: Future Challenges and Opportunities in Raw Materials along the whole Value Chain. Andrea Ferrari D’ Appolonia S.p.A. Raw Materials what are we talking about.
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Sustainable Exploitation of Materials Resources:Future Challenges and Opportunities in Raw Materials along the whole Value Chain Andrea Ferrari D’Appolonia S.p.A.
RawMaterialswhat are wetalkingabout • From the Mineral extraction to the final products the transformation is achieved via a number of steps
RawMaterialswhat are wetalkingabout • From mine to market, 4 to 8 different steps can be identified • Market 1 to 3 steps 1 step Manufacturing Companies • Mining & Extraction Traders & Distributors Refiners & Processors 1 to 3 steps 1 step
Challenges: Materials and the Criticality if • Something can go wrong in almost every step along the value chain • Lack of availability of a specific raw material for the needed use • WHAT
Challenges: Scarcity and Criticality • How much is still left? • When will this mineral run out? • Mineral scarcity: not about depleting existing stocks but about the amount of extraction that becomes profitable under existing market conditions • Reserves are to be intended in dynamic and not in static way related to mainly three parameters: • The technical/economical feasibility of the extraction, influencing and influenced by the final market price • The exact knowledge where resources are located • The political dimension, giving rise to barriers, distortion of free market dynamics and finally tightening supply, making mineral scarcity no longer a trade-issue but an issue of strategic interest
Challenges: Scarcity and Criticality • Criticality is a parameter related to a series of factors affecting the possibility to industries of developed Countries to access Raw Materials applied in high technology or green economy • EC Raw Materials Initiative, July 2010
Challenges: Scarcity and Criticality • economy applications • EC Raw Materials Initiative, July 2010
Challenges: Scarcity and Criticality • Economic causes • Increasing demand (population x wealth) • Increasing use of water and energy • Non-transparent, imperfect markets • Physical causes • Steep demand increases for hi-tech • Many critical metals are byproducts • Geopolitical causes • Unevenly distributed • Strategic behaviour rising economies • EU-27 strongly dependent on import of Raw Materials
Challenges: Sustainability of Supply • Many challenges, as identified from the Strategic Research Agendas of the ETPs, are relating to issues associated with Raw Materials • Sustainability of supply is turnkey aspect, associated to availability of raw materials for technical applications • Challenges in the field of Raw Materials are priorities for SRAs and European initiatives
Challenges: Sustainability of Supply • ETP SMR (Sustainable Mineral Resources) Nov-2011 • Metals for strategic energy technologies • Strategic Ambition 1: exploration and inventory of resources • Strategic Ambition 2: mineral extraction from land and sea bed deposits • Strategic Ambition 3: mineral processing; new ore and concentrates processing technologies • Strategic Ambition 4: metallurgy/metals recovery • Strategic Ambition 5: recycling
Challenges: Sustainability of Supply • Water ETP / 2010 • Sustainable water management for industry • Closing the water cycle. • WATERBORNE / May 2011 • need for sophisticated mechanised support to exploit the sub-sea environment to greater and greater depths, deep-sea mining operations
Challenges: Sustainability of Supply • PhotovoltaicsSRA / 2011 • Development of high throughput, energy conversion efficient optimized processing for production of solar cells • ERTRAC (European Road Transport Research Advisory Committee) Oct 2009 • The availability and cost of non-renewable resources critical to road transport will drive recycling and development of alternative technologies
Challenges: Sustainability of Supply • ENIAC (European Nanoelectronics Initiative) 2010 • Sustainable and Efficient Energy Generation • Reduction of Energy Consumption
Challenges correlated to Megatrends ECONOMY AND POLITICS MEGATRENDS SOCIETY AND DEMOGRAPHY MEGATRENDS BIOSPHERE MEGATRENDS NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Economy and PoliticsMegatrends Green energy Improved manufacturing processes Waste-energy-food-water management CO emissions reduction Growth of mineral demand - need to R&D in this field Asian aviation growth Cloud computing Water management 2
Society and demographyMegatrends New Internet technology Drone wars Clinical enhancement Intelligent Highways and New Urban Mobility Solutions Human machine interface Energy Saving Attitude Intelligent Buildings / Domotic
BiosphereMegatrends Climate Change Shortage of Drinking Water Soil Erosion and Desertification Increasing Environmental Pollution Environmental Technologies Shortage of Oil
RelevantChallengesin the Future Framework • Analysis of the Megatrends provides a clearer vision on the mutual influence between our everyday actions and the long terms global consequences • Decision makers are given the opportunity to gain overview on the implications on the chain of materials – products – wastes into the more complex aspects of the global process value chain • Concepts like recycling (closing the materials circle) and substituting (alternative cycle) are integrated in future frameworks
Opportunities: Exploration - MiningResources • Building a Pan-European 3D geological mineral resource model • DeepSeaMining • seafloor mining tools • waste material management • hyperbaric effects • local pre-treatment of material • Ultra DeepMining • underground drones or robots • machine concentrating several unit operations • backfilling
Opportunities: Processing • Increase materials efficiency and transformation capacity • hydrometallurgy • pyrometallurgy • flexible processing and refinement • tailings management • Water Management • integrated water management and purification • CO2-free thermal metals production • capturing CO2 streams inside the process • alternative processes • alternative energies
Opportunities: RecyclingResources • Integration of different technologies for high efficiency extraction of precious and critical raw materials from wastes • Mineral residuals • Spent Catalysts • WEEE • Urban mining • Collection logistics organization • Regional and Country level legislative support
Opportunities: Substitution • Focussed on Critical Raw Materials • REE • PGM • Tungsten, Indium, Beryllium, graphite ... • Hi-tech solutions • Value-chain evaluation of the relevant cost-effectiveness • Uncertainty of resources and modification of the scenario induced by substitution itself
Challenges – Opportunities:Value-Chainimplications Materials Products Wastes
FacingChallenges: developmentofOpportunities • European Raw Materials Strategy • Launched 2008 • Updated February 2011 • Non-energy, non-agricultural raw materials • Recommendations (2010): • Updated data on raw materials • Increase supply by stimulating recycling and substitution • Active mining policy • Secure supply byinternational diplomacy aimed at free trade
FacingChallenges: developmentofOpportunities • 4 (out of 7) Flagship Initiatives are related to Raw Materials strategy • An industrial policy for the globalisation era • An agenda for new skills and jobs • Resource Efficient Europe • Innovation Union • Turning Research into new and better services and products • Integrating technology, processes, best practices, standards... • Novel concept: European Innovation Partnership • EIP announced 29th February 2012
FacingChallenges: developmentofOpportunities • Speeding up breakthrough innovation • By bringing actors together across research and innovation • Across the whole value chain • Non-technology aspects • Improving RM knowledge database • Promoting resource efficiency • Promoting international collaboration
Thanksforyourattention andrea.ferrari@dappolonia.it