Metale strategiczne to surowce, które odgrywają kluczową rolę w przemyśle i są niezbędne do rozwoju gospodarczego i technologicznego, a ich odzyskiwanie ma krytyczne znaczenie dla przyszłości gospodarki.
Dynamicznie rozwijająca się branża recyklingu odpowiada na wyzwania związane z rosnącym zapotrzebowaniem na surowce, potrzebą ochrony środowiska, oraz koniecznością przeciwdziałania zmianom klimatycznym. Odgrywa kluczową rolę w promowaniu gospodarki obiegu zamkniętego, zmniejszając zależność od surowców pierwotnych i ograniczając emisję gazów cieplarnianych poprzez efektywniejsze wykorzystanie zasobów w gospodarce.
Nasze Metale
Lit
Lit to miękki, srebrzystobiały metal alkaliczny, który w standardowych warunkach jest najlżejszym pierwiastkiem stałym.
Kobalt, podobnie jak nikiel, występuje w skorupie ziemskiej tylko w postaci chemicznie związanej, z wyjątkiem niewielkich złóż znajdujących się w stopach naturalnego meteorytowego żelaza.
Lithium is an alkali metal which, under standard conditions, is the lightest solid element on Earth. Its name is derived from the Greek “lithos”, meaning stone. It is highly reactive and flammable, and must be stored in a vacuum and inert atmosphere. The mineral is white to grey but, when thrown into fire, it flares bright crimson. It is so soft that it can be cut with a kitchen knife, and so low in density that it floats on water. It is also solid at a wide range of temperatures, with one of the lowest melting and highest boiling points of all metals.
Industrial role
Lithium is an important part of our daily lives. Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are widely used in mobile phones, laptops and various pieces of digital equipment. However, it is the rise of the electric vehicles industry that makes this metal the very key to bringing global industries closer to being emissions neutral. Lithium is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries, for example in heart pacemakers, toys and clocks. When alloyed with aluminium and magnesium, the metal improves their strength and makes them lighter. Lithium oxide is widely applied in the glass and ceramics industry. Lithium-based drugs are also widely used in medicine to treat depression and mood disorder.
Natural presence
Lithium does not occur as the metal in nature but is found combined in small amounts in various igneous rocks and in the waters of many mineral springs. The metal’s major miners are Australia, Chile and China. Critical as growing access to lithium is in the modern industry, the hard mining of this metal is a significant source of pollution and has negative environmental and social impacts. This proves the key role of recycling in the entire lithium value chain.
COBALT
Cobalt is a silvery-blue transition metal. In the form of a free element, it is hard and lustrous. Its name is derived from the German term “Kobald”, meaning goblin or evil spirit. That is because the original smelting process gave off poisonous arsenic-containing fumes. Cobalt-based pigments have been used since ancient times for jewellery and paints, as well as to impart a distinctive blue tint to glass. However, it was not until 1735 when a Swedish chemist, Georg Brandt, isolated cobalt making it the first metal with a recorded discoverer.
Industrial role
Just as in ancient times, cobalt is still used in pigments as it gives a distinctive deep blue colour to glass, ceramics, inks and paints. However, its main industrial role is now in the production of lithium-ion batteries which power laptops, mobile phones and electric cars. The use of cobalt is critical as it increases the battery’s life and density, as well as keeps its structure stable when it is charged and discharged. Cobalt-based metals are also used in the manufacture of magnetic, wear-resistant and high-strength alloys applied where severe conditions prevail. The metal also has multiple roles in modern medicine – a manmade isotope, Cobalt-60, is commonly used in cancer treatments.
Natural presence
Cobalt may be commonly found in the soil, in mineral deposits and on the seafloor, yet it is combined with other elements, such as nickel, copper, iron or arsenic. It is considered a critical raw material as there are few places where it is abundant enough to be mined (it is usually collected as a byproduct of mining for other metals). The world’s top cobalt producing country is the Democratic Republic of Congo which accounts for more than 70% of global output.
NICKEL
Nickel is a hard and ductile metal which is silvery-white in colour with a slight golden tinge. It belongs to the group of transition metals. A good conductor of electricity and heat, it is one of only four elements – together with cobalt, iron and gadolinium – that are ferromagnetic, which means they are magnetised easily at room temperature. Nickel is resistant to corrosion even at high temperatures. Its name is derived from the German “Kupfernickel”, meaning “copper spirit”, as it was copper that people first tried to extract from the mineral.
Industrial role
Nickel plays a vital role in the development of a wide variety of materials for industrial, infrastructural, military and aerospace applications. Because of its ability to withstand very high temperatures, nickel is one of the key elements of highly-specialised alloys, both steel and non-iron ones, which are known for their great strength, as well as resistance to heat, corrosion and oxidation. Nickel is also an essential component of various pieces of electronic equipment, solar panels and rechargeable batteries, including those used in the hybrid and electric vehicles industry. It has also a long history of being used in coins – the famous US five-cent piece (known as a “nickel”) is 25% nickel and 75% copper.
Natural presence
Although nickel is abundant on Earth, it is concentrated below the Earth’s crust rather than in it. The minerals from which most nickel is extracted are iron and nickel sulphides, such as pentlandite. As the global need for high-grade nickel is rising, the conventional mining supply from the existing and planned projects is expected to fall short of demand by the mid-2020s, which is one of the reasons why the green production of nickel from waste is necessary to grow.
PLATINUM
Platinum is a dense, malleable and highly unreactive metal with a silverish-white appearance. A member of the platinum group of metals, it has remarkable resistance to corrosion, even at high temperatures, and is therefore considered a noble metal. In ancient times, people from Egypt and the Americas would often mix it with gold for jewellery or decoration. It was first referred to in the 1550s by Julius Scaliger, an Italian physician, who described a new metal from Central America that wouldn’t melt and called it “little silver” (“platina” in Spanish).
Industrial role
Platinum plays a vital role in the automotive industry as it neutralises harmful emissions in vehicle exhausts. Acting in a catalytic converter, platinum allows the complete combustion of low concentrations of unburned hydrocarbons from the exhaust into carbon dioxide and water vapour. It is also critical in the petroleum industry and the upcoming hydrogen economy. Hydrogen created through the electrolysis of water is referred to as “green” hydrogen, and platinum is used as a catalyst in the electrolysis process. The metal is also widely applied in jewellery and glassmaking, as well as in production of laboratory equipment, dental tools, coins, electrical contacts and electrodes.
Natural presence
Platinum is one of the rarest elements – there are only about five parts of this metal per billion by weight in the Earth’s crust. It occurs mostly in nickel and copper ores along with some native deposits. South Africa accounts for about 80% of the world’s production. Because of its scarcity in the Earth’s crust, only a few hundred tonnes of platinum are mined annually, which – given its value and role – makes it highly important to fully recycle and reuse this metal.
RHODIUM
Rhodium is a hard, silvery-white element, one of the six platinum group metals. It is classified as a noble metal, meaning that it does not react to oxygen easily, acts as a good catalyst and is resistant to corrosion and oxidation. Due to a high melting point, rhodium is unaffected by air and water up to 600 degrees Celsius. With only one naturally occurring isotope, it is considered the world’s rarest and most valuable precious metal. The name rhodium comes from the Greek word “rhodon”, meaning rose (named for the rose-red colour of its salts).
Industrial role
Approximately 80% of rhodium production is used in automotive catalytic converters in order to meet strict emission norms and tackle air pollution. Rhodium, often together with platinum and palladium, effectively reduces nitrogen oxide in exhaust gas. Because rhodium is inert against corrosion and most aggressive chemicals, it is widely alloyed with other platinum group metals and applied in high-temperature and corrosion-resistive coatings. For example, when alloyed with platinum, rhodium is used in aircraft turbine engines. It has various applications in the chemical industry. Due to its tarnishing resistance features, rhodium is also used as a finish for jewellery and mirrors.
Natural presence
Rhodium is very rare, only occurring up to one part per 200 million in the Earth’s crust. Naturally occurring rhodium is found as a free metal, as well as in ores with other platinum group and noble metals. It is commonly obtained as a by-product from mining and refining of platinum, copper and nickel. South Africa accounts for around 80% of global rhodium mined supply, followed by Russia. World rhodium production from mines is only about 30 tonnes per year.
PALLADIUM
Palladium is a rare metal which is lustrous and silvery-white. Palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals (PGMs). They are all excellent catalysts and share important chemical properties, but palladium has the lowest melting point and is the least dense of them. Palladium was discovered in 1803 by an English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after Pallas – an asteroid which had just been discovered in 1802 and the ancient Greek goddess Pallas Athena.
Industrial role
More than half the current supply of palladium is used in catalytic converters in order to convert harmful gases in automobile exhaust into harmless substances. It is widely used in the electronics industry in ceramic capacitors, which are found in various pieces of equipment, such as laptops and mobile phones. These consist of layers of palladium sandwiched between layers of ceramic. Apart from that, palladium is used in medicine, chemical applications and groundwater treatment. Palladium is also a key component of fuel cells, which react hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity, heat and water. The metal is also applied in jewellery (white gold often results from gold being alloyed with palladium).
Natural presence
Ore deposits of palladium are very rare. Most of it is extracted commercially as a by-product of nickel, copper and zinc refining. As its natural deposits are hard to find and exploit sustainably, recycling, mostly from scrapped catalytic converters, is an important source of palladium. In 2021, approximately 200 metric tons of palladium was produced worldwide. Russia had been the metal’s leading global producer in recent years, but ranked second in 2021 next to South Africa.
