Elemental's platinum group metals recycling factory in Poland.
Embracing 'urban mining', companies like Elemental is turning waste into wealth, advancing sustainable practices in the metal recovery sector
Critical metal. No, that's not a genre of music made by pessimistic goths.
Critical metals aremetals that are essential to the economy and society. They are key components in EVs, renewable energy technologies and electronics, such as phones and computers.
As the name suggests, these elements are critical to life as we know it. It's also true that, because the demand for these metals is so high, the supply of them is at risk.
Which metals are critical metals?
Every metal sits on a spectrum of criticality, depending on the amount it is used in products as well as its scarcity or abundance.
Which metals are classified as critical depends on who you ask. In the EU, there are 25 critical metals. They are: antimony, arsenic, aluminium, beryllium, bismuth, cobalt, copper, gallium, germanium, hafnium, heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), light rare earth elements (LREEs), lithium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, niobium, platinum, scandium, silicon, strontium, tantalum, titanium, tungsten and vanadium.
It's worth noting that some materials like copper and nickel are included as "strategic raw materials" even though they don't meet the typical criticality thresholds. The EU regularly updates this list to reflect changes in economic importance and supply risks associated with these materials.
What's more, the demand for these metals is set to skyrocket. As global sustainability efforts ramp up, more and more critical metals will be required to build the technology necessary for decarbonisation.
Addressing this subject, UN Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres says:“A world powered by renewables is a world hungry for critical minerals."
So, what solutions are there to this problem?
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
What is urban mining?
In contrast toconventional miningmethods (which are laden with ESG dilemmas) the recycling sector offers a path to reduce new extraction processes, significantly cutting waste and lessening the carbon footprint linked to metal production.
Urban mining, which involves salvaging metals from discarded products, is rapidly gaining traction as a sustainable alternative for sourcing these precious materials.
Elemental Holding takes the lead in this innovative movement, operating in over 35 countries, including Europe, the US, the Middle East and Asia. Elemental excels in extracting essential metals from electronic waste and used automotive catalytic converters.
By forging connections between small-scale suppliers and large-scale consumers, Elemental is establishing a globally interconnected network that benefits both the supply and demand sides of the metal materials market.
The company explains its role as a facilitator: "We act as a translator between small suppliers and large customers while ensuring proximity to all our partners and leveraging a global commercial network for both input and output materials."
Elemental Holding emphasises the importance of urban mining in the quest for a net zero future, citing the potential scarcity of critical metals required for carbon-neutral technologies within the coming decades.
A pioneering step in battery recycling
The demand for battery metals like lithium, cobalt and nickel is currently huge, fuelled by the EV boom. In response, Elemental has set up the European Union's first car battery recycling plant in Zawiercie, Poland.
This state-of-the-art facility focuses on reprocessing lithium-ion batteries, extracting essential metals from EVs and similar waste sources. Collaborating with Polish research bodies, Elemental is pushing the boundaries of recycling technology.
Recognised by both the Polish National Centre for Research and Development and the European Commission, Elemental is making significant strides towards sustainable mobility across the EU, being one of the 18 companies acknowledged by the European Commission for their efforts in European Industrial Policy.
With its battery recycling plant, Elemental hopes to breathe new life into the precious materials used to make old technology
Besides, the company is progressing in recycling platinum group metals (PGMs), crucial for reducing vehicle emissions through their use in catalytic converters. With dwindling global PGM reserves, recycling becomes increasingly paramount.
Last year, Elemental processed over 6,000 tonnes of spent catalysts, with a substantial contribution from its expansion in the US, showcasing the scale of its recycling operations.
"The content of platinum in one ton of ore is 2-6g, while in one ton of catalysts there is approximately 2kg of platinum group metals," the company reveals.
A matrix of the short-term criticality of metals | Credit: The US Department of Energy
With stricter emission regulations and the emerging green hydrogen market, demand for PGMs is poised to increase. Platinum's vital role in green hydrogen production heralds the beginning of a low-carbon economy.
Elemental insists that in our climate-challenged world, discarding waste that contains valuable metals is a missed opportunity, pushing the agenda for more comprehensive recycling practices.
A matrix showing the medium-term criticality of various metals | Credit: The US Department of Energy
Guiding the renewable revolution towards justice
António Guterres is excited by the opportunity that urban mining represents and with the progress that is already being made. However, he warns that this process must not come at the cost of vulnerable people:
"For developing countries, critical minerals are a critical opportunity – to create jobs, diversify economies, and dramatically boost revenues. But only if they are managed properly. The race to net zero cannot trample over the poor. The renewables revolution is happening – but we must guide it towards justice.”
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