New Book: Critical Materials and Sustainability Transition

The growing demand for critical minerals is primarily driven by the energy transition and the rapid expansion of technologies such as smartphones, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels. As societies transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions, the need for these minerals has intensified. However, the extraction and processing of many critical minerals often involve complex geological conditions, high environmental impact, and challenges in terms of supply chain reliability.

As the demand for critical minerals increases, so do concerns about their environmental and social impact. The extraction of these minerals often involves practices that can harm ecosystems and local communities. Efforts are being made to develop more sustainable mining techniques and recycling processes to mitigate these impacts.

MEI's Critical Minerals '24 in Cape Town in November will explore innovative methods and flowsheets for processing critical minerals from primary and secondary sources and by recycling, particularly from waste electrical and electronic equipment, the most challenging aspect in aiming for a circular economy.

The importance of critical minerals is highlighted in a new book Critical Materials and Sustainability Transition, edited by Arda Işıldar, Eric D. van Hullebusch and Donald Huisingh, which investigates various aspects of critical mineral governance in the context of sustainability transition. Perspectives around the critical metal requirements of sustainability transition in a forward-looking manner are given and the following questions are discussed:

• What role do the critical raw materials play in the transition to a sustainable economy and energy systems transformation?
• What are the bottlenecks in achieving a sustainable critical material supply?
• How do the critical minerals enable renewable energy transition and sustainable development? What is their role in the sustainability transition?
• How is mineral criticality assessed? And how critical are minerals? What are some regional differences in terms of critical mineral availability, processing capacity, and the supply chain?
• What strategy should be followed in deciding between primary raw materials and secondary raw materials in supplying critical raw materials for the transition to a sustainable economy?
• What is the (known) critical material budget, and how does it fit with the climate pledges?

The authors of the chapters of this book take a multi-perspective approach and provide insights from industrial ecology, environmental engineering, and sustainable management of natural resources. The information provided will help readers to understand critical metal requirements of present and future key technologies and will help societies to develop and implement sustainable supply strategies.

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