Alan Mclelland
description
Transcript of Alan Mclelland
Alan MclellandNamtec
Research Expenditure
Report
Critical Metals: Impact and Opportunities22nd March 2012
Dr Alan McLelland
New or Technology Metals
Indium
Lithium
Neodymium
Critical Metals
• Rate of usage is escalating
Rate of metal consumption
• Changes in the metals that we need
New metals
•Both Europe and the USA became significant net importers of raw materials / within finished goods• Low cost sources have got smart!
Sources have changed
What is the impact?• ‘Technology Metals’ have a key role for the future
• Offshore Wind – neodymium and dysprosium
• Nuclear – hafnium
• Solar – tellurium, gallium tellurium
• Electric Vehicles - neodymium and dysprosium, lithium, colbolt
• Aerospace – rhenium and ruthenium
• Flat Screen Displays – indium
• Electronics – huge array (gallium, tantalum, PTG)
Do we have a problem?
• If you are the seller – clearly not
• A key issue is we are setting out a future which builds in a reliance on these technology metals
• Supply scenario is currently far behind the projected need
• All can be mitigated• Don’t have use permanent magnets, don’t have to use lithium based batteries ……….
• Lot of attention to substitution but real concern over timescale and potential for success
What can we do?• ‘Nothing’ ‘problems too big for us’ ‘has to be government’
• Practical level
• Awareness of the role these play in your business and its future
• Can we use less?
• Can you substitute?
• Can you use a metal that is not derived as a by product?
• Manufacturing efficiency?
Let’s recycle?• Smart phone contains ~ 25mg gold
• How many?
• Equates to around 40 tonnes of gold
• 400 tonnes of silver, 14 tonnes of palladium, 14,000 tonnes of copper, 6000 tonnes of cobalt ………….• 1 product waste stream
• Commercially, does it have legs?
BUT
Let’s recycle?
• Capture very little – need it now
• Isolate and separate
• Capture of individual metals is technically challenging• small quantities, widely distributed, thin layers, combined into components, alloyed, physically integrated ……
• Area of considerable challenge, development but opportunity
• Are making progress but will it be in time?
• Ought to do better than today……..
Surely we can do better?
Thank You