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Lack of renewable energy metals could hold up net zero goals
In the search for cleaner energy, we need to give power to the people.
With demand for minerals like lithium and copper rising higher than ever, giving communities a greater say over mining could help to speed up the transition to net zero.
Mining is all about taking materials out of the ground. But it needs to do more to give back.
Over the next 25 years, vast increases in the metals used to make electric cars, wind turbines and solar panels are needed to meet net zero goals. However, opening mines to extract these minerals is often controversial, with no easy answers on how to balance their effects on the landscape, communities and wildlife.
As a result, it can take decades for new mines to open, meaning that there may not be enough of the metals needed to replace fossil fuelled cars, heating and power plants.
A new paper, published in the journal Minerals, suggests that getting people more involved could offer a way forward. With better community engagement, the process of opening, operating and cleaning up mines can be accelerated, ensuring the supply of critical minerals.
Professor Richard Herrington, who leads research into ‘Resourcing the Green Economy’ at the Natural History Museum, says, ‘While many governments have announced net zero plans, the resource costs need to be considered. Where is the metal going to come from? How do we get it out of the ground in a way that is positive for people and planet?’
‘Ultimately, we are going to have to mine new materials, but we need to consider the social aspects of this. By better explaining why mining is necessary, and giving local communities more of a voice, we can make sure that the process of extracting crucial minerals is as seamless as possible.’
Lithium is a metal used to produce rechargable batteries whose importance has only been recognised in recent decades. Image © Steve Morfi/Shutterstock.
Metals for a greener world
Our modern world is powered by a variety of different elements. From the copper wires in our homes to the lithium in batteries, these vital minerals are crucial to stop things from grinding to a halt.
They’ve become even more important in recent years as the world looks towards a net zero future. Electric cars, wind turbines and solar panels all rely on metals like manganese and neodymium to work, and as demand has rocketed globally, supply has struggled to keep up.
Previous research from Richard suggests that we will need much more of these metals than we currently have. For instance, in the UK alone over 200,000 tonnes of cobalt will be needed to switch fossil-fuelled vehicles to electric equivalents, which is twice the world’s entire supply.
As demand is going up, however, finds are going down. The discovery of deposits of metals like copper has declined in recent years, despite efforts to find new reserves.
‘We’ve probably got a lot of what was near the [surface] now,’ Richard says. ‘It’s likely we’ll have to go deeper for minerals, as well as exploring new areas to get the materials we need.’
The opening of new mines, however, is a controversial process. Mining is associated with pollution and habitat loss, with open cast mines needing large areas of land and high volumes of water which can threaten the biodiversity of the surrounding area.
More recently, proposals to mine the deep sea have also caused fierce debate. While the deep sea is rich in rare metals, extracting them might damage its fragile and little understood ecosystems.
Nevertheless, the metals still have to come from somewhere. Choosing where isn’t easy, but this decision needs to be made sooner, rather than later, to provide the resources necessary to fight climate change.
While recycling may help to provide substantial amounts of metals in the long term, it will take years to build up sufficient stocks. Image © Morten B/Shutterstock.
What about recycling metals?
While recycling will help to provide supplies of these metals in the long term, it’s not currently able to keep up with demand. Recycling rates for many metals are below 50%, with minerals like lithium having levels that are near non-existent.
Part of the problem is that the true value of these elements has only recently been appreciated. While lithium has historically been used in medicine, its extraction on an industrial scale only started with the beginning of the electronic era.
As a result, it’s expected that it will take at least another decade for levels of lithium and similar metals to build up to levels where recycled components will be able to supply a significant amount of demand.
In the meantime, demand for these materials might be met by reopening old mines. In Cornwall, for instance, former china clay and metal mines have the potential to be a source of lithium, replacing supplies currently imported from South America and Australia.
‘If we bring mining home, then we can bring big environmental and economic benefits to this country by not having to ship materials halfway around the world,’ Richard says. ‘We shop local for food, so why don’t we do the same for minerals?’
Richard suggests that reopening mines would be one aspect of a wider ‘cradle-to-cradle’ process, where resources taken out of the ground should be re-used and recycled rather than thrown away.
‘We need to have a concept of zero waste in mining,’ Richard says. ‘Everything taken out of the ground should have a use, with byproducts taken for other industries. Even if there isn’t an obvious use, the materials can be treated and put back to help restore the site once extraction is finished.’
Cleaning up the waste of past mining could also supply mineral demands as recycling ramps up. It’s estimated there are 282 billion tonnes of waste known as tailings worldwide, containing millions of tonnes of unrefined metals.
It’s thought that, for copper alone, there could be enough of the element left in tailings to supply the entire world’s demand for two years.
Researchers are also working on ways to extract metals before they can get into the tailings. Scientists at the Natural History Museum, for instance, are looking at how nature-based solutions could contribute to this.
‘We’ve been looking at how microbes can be used in processing wastewater to extract metals and remove pollutants,’ Richard explains. ‘Potentially, this could provide a new source of income for mines, as well as reducing their impact on the environment.’
At the same time as increasing the supply of metals, it’s also important to reduce the demand by using them more efficiently. Together, this can ensure that a net zero future isn’t one that costs the Earth.
