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Articles on Raw materials

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Raw materials are key for the climate transition. Electric vehicles, for example, require cobalt, nickel, lithium, and manganese for their batteries and platinum for fuel cells. IM Imagery/Shutterstock

Our research reveals the scale of the EU’s dependency on imports for critical minerals needed for the green transition - here’s how that can change

The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act came into force on 23 May, marking the bloc’s largest attempt to secure its own source of materials needed for the green transition.
A crane carrying with melting steel at the blast furnace Schwelgern 2 at ThyssenKrupp steel mill in Duisburg , Germany (December 12, 2014). Patrik Stollarz/AFP

The ‘circularity paradox’ in the European steel industry

Europe recycles 70% of its steel, but much is exported, turning what should be a circular process into a linear one. Instead, materials need to be circularity-ready the moment they’re manufactured.
Cities like Melbourne are a store for such huge amounts of resources that they could be used as urban mines. Donaldytong (own work)/Wikimedia

With the right tools, we can mine cities

With an ever-increasing cost to extract dwindling raw materials, it’s time to look at cities as urban mines. We’re developing the tools to do that.
intelfreepress

Have we hit ‘peak stuff’?

Researchers calculate whether we’re using less materials, or whether we’re just shipping it in from abroad.
Zambia’s success in building its food processing sector depends on tapping into procurement strategies of retail chains such as Shoprite. Reuters/Salim Henry

Can Zambia escape the clutches of the resource curse?

Zambia’s drive to build its industrial capabilities has made steady progress. But it runs up against the history of economies that are dominated by mineral resources and landlocked countries.
All that glitters is not aluminium, iron, copper, or selenium, unfortunately. Arenamontanus

Metals and minerals will be the next finite resource shortfall

We are now looking forward to a low-carbon society where fossil fuels are at least partially replaced with renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, geo-thermal and tidal. Fossil fuels are a finite…

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