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