On the Possibilities of Critical Raw Materials Production from the EU’s Primary Sources
Sufficient supplies of critical raw materials (CRMs) for rapidly developing technologies, e.g., Li-ion batteries, wind turbines, photovoltaics, digitization, etc., have become one of the main economic challenges for the EU. Due to growing import dependency and associated risk of supply disruptions o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Resources |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/5/50 |
| _version_ | 1797533799366524928 |
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| author | Ewa Lewicka Katarzyna Guzik Krzysztof Galos |
| author_facet | Ewa Lewicka Katarzyna Guzik Krzysztof Galos |
| author_sort | Ewa Lewicka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sufficient supplies of critical raw materials (CRMs) for rapidly developing technologies, e.g., Li-ion batteries, wind turbines, photovoltaics, digitization, etc., have become one of the main economic challenges for the EU. Due to growing import dependency and associated risk of supply disruptions of these raw materials from third countries, there is a need to encourage their domestic production. This is an important starting point for EU value chains crucial for the sustainable economic growth of the whole Union. This contribution has evaluated the possibilities of CRMs supply from the EU’s primary sources. A three-step approach, including an assessment of CRMs’ importance for the EU’s economic growth, their significance in at least two of the three strategic industrial sectors (i.e., renewable energy, e-mobility, defense and aerospace), and their potential availability from EU mineral deposits, has been applied. Results of the analysis have shown that, of 29 critical mineral raw materials (according to the 2020 EC list), the potential to develop manufacturing from the Union mineral deposits exists for 11 CRMs, i.e., cobalt, graphite (natural), HREE, LREE, lithium, magnesium, niobium, PGMs, silicon metal, titanium, and tungsten, while some other CRMs, namely gallium, germanium, indium, and vanadium can be recovered as by-products. Measures to mitigate EU import dependency have been also proposed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:20:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-293880f5327d46c78aeb4cca9be59b56 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-9276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:20:45Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Resources |
| spelling | doaj.art-293880f5327d46c78aeb4cca9be59b562023-11-21T20:04:16ZengMDPI AGResources2079-92762021-05-011055010.3390/resources10050050On the Possibilities of Critical Raw Materials Production from the EU’s Primary SourcesEwa Lewicka0Katarzyna Guzik1Krzysztof Galos2Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, J. Wybickiego 7A, 31-261 Kraków, PolandMineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, J. Wybickiego 7A, 31-261 Kraków, PolandMineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, J. Wybickiego 7A, 31-261 Kraków, PolandSufficient supplies of critical raw materials (CRMs) for rapidly developing technologies, e.g., Li-ion batteries, wind turbines, photovoltaics, digitization, etc., have become one of the main economic challenges for the EU. Due to growing import dependency and associated risk of supply disruptions of these raw materials from third countries, there is a need to encourage their domestic production. This is an important starting point for EU value chains crucial for the sustainable economic growth of the whole Union. This contribution has evaluated the possibilities of CRMs supply from the EU’s primary sources. A three-step approach, including an assessment of CRMs’ importance for the EU’s economic growth, their significance in at least two of the three strategic industrial sectors (i.e., renewable energy, e-mobility, defense and aerospace), and their potential availability from EU mineral deposits, has been applied. Results of the analysis have shown that, of 29 critical mineral raw materials (according to the 2020 EC list), the potential to develop manufacturing from the Union mineral deposits exists for 11 CRMs, i.e., cobalt, graphite (natural), HREE, LREE, lithium, magnesium, niobium, PGMs, silicon metal, titanium, and tungsten, while some other CRMs, namely gallium, germanium, indium, and vanadium can be recovered as by-products. Measures to mitigate EU import dependency have been also proposed.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/5/50critical raw materialsmineral depositsthe EUsupply riskvalue chainsemerging technologies |
| spellingShingle | Ewa Lewicka Katarzyna Guzik Krzysztof Galos On the Possibilities of Critical Raw Materials Production from the EU’s Primary Sources Resources critical raw materials mineral deposits the EU supply risk value chains emerging technologies |
| title | On the Possibilities of Critical Raw Materials Production from the EU’s Primary Sources |
| title_full | On the Possibilities of Critical Raw Materials Production from the EU’s Primary Sources |
| title_fullStr | On the Possibilities of Critical Raw Materials Production from the EU’s Primary Sources |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the Possibilities of Critical Raw Materials Production from the EU’s Primary Sources |
| title_short | On the Possibilities of Critical Raw Materials Production from the EU’s Primary Sources |
| title_sort | on the possibilities of critical raw materials production from the eu s primary sources |
| topic | critical raw materials mineral deposits the EU supply risk value chains emerging technologies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/10/5/50 |
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