Metal Stocks in Society report

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Metal Stocks in Society: Scientific Synthesis
TypeIndependent scientific assessment
PublicationMay 2010, International Resource Panel
Website www.resourcepanel.org

The report Metal Stocks in Society: Scientific Synthesis [1] was the first of six scientific assessments on global metals to be published by the International Resource Panel (IRP) of the United Nations Environment Programme. The IRP provides independent scientific assessments and expert advice on a variety of areas, including:

Contents

About the report

Metals were an early priority for the International Resource Panel, since little was known about them, their impacts, their economic importance or their scarcity. The report aimed to calculate the amount of metals present in society and assess the potential for utilising in-use stock to offset demand from virgin metal. Knowing how much metal stock there is in use, and how long the lifespan of the metal is, can help planners know when these metal stocks will enter recycling or waste streams. It suggested that these 'mines above ground' had growing potential for future metals supply; the authors found that there is about 50 kg of above-ground copper for every person on earth, and more than two tons of iron per capita. [2] However, they noted that enormous disparities in global metals stocks existed between developed and developing nations including Brazil, China and India. [3]

Calculating ‘anthropogenic stocks’ of metals already in use in society is a precursor to stimulating efforts to increase recycling. The authors reported that very little information is presently known about different metals, making it difficult for policy makers to develop and plan recycling systems. However, what is known is that recycling can not only reduce negative impacts on the environment but also save energy. For example, 95% of the energy used to make aluminium from bauxite ore is saved by using recycled material. [4]

The authors quantified per capita stocks of the following metals, for some countries (stocks were mostly quantified for developed countries but data was also available for some developing nations).

Extant in-use metal-stock estimations for the major engineering metals:

MetalNumber of estimatesPercentage of all estimatesGlobal per capita stock (kg) MDC per capita stock LDC per capita stock
Aluminium97.480350–50035
Copper3427.035–55140–30030–40
Iron1310.722007000–140002000
Lead2016.4820–1501–4
Steel0.87085
Stainless steel54.180–18015
Zinc1411.5n/a80–20020–40

Reasons for recycling

Some primary stocks of rare but useful metals are already running low. For example, rhenium only occurs at seven parts per billion in the Earth’s crust, making it one of the rarest elements on the planet. However, its high melting point of 3,186 °C makes it valuable in the manufacture of jet engines. Demand for the metal is rising, with increasing air travel, but its rarity means increasing extraction is not simple. This is where recycling comes in; rhenium is one of the few metals that has witnessed a rise in recycling rates. It is likely that recycling will become a more viable option than extraction for other metals in future, saving energy, cutting greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere and reducing negative impacts on the environment. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metal</span> Type of material

A metal is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. These properties are all associated with having electrons available at the Fermi level, as against nonmetallic materials which do not. Metals are typically ductile and malleable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mining</span> Extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth

Mining is the extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or feasibly created artificially in a laboratory or factory. Ores recovered by mining include metals, coal, oil shale, gemstones, limestone, chalk, dimension stone, rock salt, potash, gravel, and clay. The ore must be a rock or mineral that contains valuable constituent, can be extracted or mined and sold for profit. Mining in a wider sense includes extraction of any non-renewable resource such as petroleum, natural gas, or even water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural resource</span> Resources that exist without actions of humankind.

Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. On Earth, it includes sunlight, atmosphere, water, land, all minerals along with all vegetation, and wildlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recycling</span> Converting waste materials into new products

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the properties it had in its original state. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse gas emissions. It can also prevent the waste of potentially useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reducing energy use, air pollution and water pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste management</span> Activities and actions required to manage waste from its source to its final disposal

Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process and waste-related laws, technologies, and economic mechanisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic geology</span> Science concerned with earth materials of economic value

Economic geology is concerned with earth materials that can be used for economic and industrial purposes. These materials include precious and base metals, nonmetallic minerals and construction-grade stone. Economic geology is a subdiscipline of the geosciences; according to Lindgren (1933) it is “the application of geology”. It may be called the scientific study of the Earth's sources of mineral raw materials and the practical application of the acquired knowledge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrap</span> Recyclable materials left over from manufactured products after their use

Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered metals, and non-metallic materials are also recovered for recycling. Once collected, the materials are sorted into types – typically metal scrap will be crushed, shredded, and sorted using mechanical processes.

Material flow analysis (MFA), also referred to as substance flow analysis (SFA), is an analytical method to quantify flows and stocks of materials or substances in a well-defined system. MFA is an important tool to study the bio-physical aspects of human activity on different spatial and temporal scales. It is considered a core method of industrial ecology or anthropogenic, urban, social and industrial metabolism. MFA is used to study material, substance, or product flows across different industrial sectors or within ecosystems. MFA can also be applied to a single industrial installation, for example, for tracking nutrient flows through a waste water treatment plant. When combined with an assessment of the costs associated with material flows this business-oriented application of MFA is called material flow cost accounting. MFA is an important tool to study the circular economy and to devise material flow management. Since the 1990s, the number of publications related to material flow analysis has grown steadily. Peer-reviewed journals that publish MFA-related work include the Journal of Industrial Ecology, Ecological Economics, Environmental Science and Technology, and Resources, Conservation, and Recycling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural resource economics</span> Supply, demand and allocation of the Earths natural resources

Natural resource economics deals with the supply, demand, and allocation of the Earth's natural resources. One main objective of natural resource economics is to better understand the role of natural resources in the economy in order to develop more sustainable methods of managing those resources to ensure their availability for future generations. Resource economists study interactions between economic and natural systems, with the goal of developing a sustainable and efficient economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green growth</span> Economic growth that is environmentally sustainable

Green growth is a concept in economic theory and policymaking used to describe paths of economic growth that are environmentally sustainable. It is based on the understanding that as long as economic growth remains a predominant goal, a decoupling of economic growth from resource use and adverse environmental impacts is required. As such, green growth is closely related to the concepts of green economy and low-carbon or sustainable development. A main driver for green growth is the transition towards sustainable energy systems. Advocates of green growth policies argue that well-implemented green policies can create opportunities for employment in sectors such as renewable energy, green agriculture, or sustainable forestry.

Recycling can be carried out on various raw materials. Recycling is an important part of creating more sustainable economies, reducing the cost and environmental impact of raw materials. Not all materials are easily recycled, and processing recyclable into the correct waste stream requires considerable energy. Some particular manufactured goods are not easily separated, unless specially process therefore have unique product-based recycling processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Resource Panel</span>

The International Resource Panel is a scientific panel of experts that aims to help nations use natural resources sustainably without compromising economic growth and human needs. It provides independent scientific assessments and expert advice on a variety of areas, including:

Recycling Rates of Metals: A Status Report was the 2nd of six scientific assessments on global metals to be published by the International Resource Panel (IRP) of the United Nations Environment Programme. The IRP provides independent scientific assessments and expert advice on a variety of areas, including:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decoupling Natural Resource Use and Environmental Impacts from Economic Growth report</span>

The report Decoupling Natural Resource Use and Environmental Impacts from Economic Growth is one of a series of reports researched and published by the International Resource Panel (IRP) of the United Nations Environment Programme. The IRP provides independent scientific assessments and expert advice on a variety of areas, including:

<i>Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production</i> Organization

Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production: Priority Products and Materials is a scientific assessment published in 2010 by the International Resource Panel (IRP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report assessed the environmental impact of several activities, including food production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eco-economic decoupling</span> Concept for economic growth without environmental damage

In economic and environmental fields, decoupling refers to an economy that would be able to grow without corresponding increases in environmental pressure. In many economies, increasing production (GDP) raises pressure on the environment. An economy that would be able to sustain economic growth while reducing the amount of resources such as water or fossil fuels used and delink environmental deterioration at the same time would be said to be decoupled. Environmental pressure is often measured using emissions of pollutants, and decoupling is often measured by the emission intensity of economic output.

The report Environmental Risks and Challenges of Anthropogenic Metals Flows and Cycles was the third of six scientific assessments on global metals to be published by the International Resource Panel (IRP) of the United Nations Environment Programme. The IRP provides independent scientific assessments and expert advice on a variety of areas, including:

Sustainable Materials Management is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire lifecycles. It represents a change in how a society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By looking at a product's entire lifecycle new opportunities can be found to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goal 12</span> 12th of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to ensure responsible consumption and production

Sustainable Development Goal 12, titled "responsible consumption and production", is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015. The official wording of SDG 12 is "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns". SDG 12 is meant to ensure good use of resources, improve energy efficiency and sustainable infrastructure, provide access to basic services, create green and decent jobs, and ensure a better quality of life for all. SDG 12 has 11 targets to be achieved by at least 2030, and progress towards the targets is measured using 13 indicators.

Inclusive wealth is the aggregate value of all capital assets in a given region, including human capital, social capital, public capital, and natural capital. Maximizing inclusive wealth is often a goal of sustainable development. The Inclusive Wealth Index is a metric for inclusive wealth within countries: unlike gross domestic product (GDP), the Inclusive Wealth Index "provides a tool for countries to measure whether they are developing in a way that allows future generations to meet their own needs".

References

  1. Metal Stocks in Society: Scientific synthesis, 2010, International Resource Panel, UNEP
  2. UN panel sees future shortage of specialty metals Patrick Worsnip, Reuters, 13 May 2010.
  3. UN report highlights disparities in global metal stocks, Metal Bulletin, 19 May 2010
  4. Aluminium’s rubbish recycling rate, Carolyn Fry, Tread Lightly, The Guardian, 22 February 2008
  5. Babbage: Rare metals, Recycling ‘’The Economist’’ 29 May 2011