Critical Materials

This book covers a new frontier of research in Critical Materials that provides insight in terms of the possible sustainable mitigation strategies, the complexity, broadness and multi-disciplinarity of the subject. By exploring in both 'systems view' and 'in-depth materials view' in light of the circular economy, this book tackles the problem of sustainable usage of materials that is closely intertwined with the energy issue and climate change. Topics covered include: geopolitics of materials, the energy-materials nexus, definitions of the criticality of materials, circular product design, the development of alternative materials (substitution), sustainable mining and recycling.
Contents:General Introduction into Critical MaterialsPart I: Geopolitics and the Energy — Materials Nexus:The Geopolitics of Materials: How Population Growth, Economic Development and Changing Consumption Patterns Fuel GeopoliticsThe Changing Geopolitics of EnergyMaterials for Electrochemical Energy Storage DevicesPart II:Defining Critical Materials:A Historical Perspective of Critical Materials: 1939 to 2006Defining the Criticality of MaterialsIdentifying Supply Chain Risks for Critical and Strategic MaterialsIn Search of an Appropriate Criticality Assessment of Raw Materials in the Dutch Economy Part III: Critical Material Mitigation Strategies:Circular Product Design; Addressing Critical Materials Through DesignMaterial Design for Substitution Case Study: Replacing Niobium by Vanadium in Nano-SteelsSubstitution Case Study: Nanomaterials-Based Transparent ElectrodesSustainability in MiningPart IV: Recycling as a Critical Material Mitigation Strategy:How to Get Stuff Back?Challenges in Advanced Solid Waste SeparationHydro- and Pyro-Metallurgy for RecyclingFrom Waste to Resource: Recovery of Rare Earths from Bauxite Residue (Red Mud)
Readership: This book is intended for a broad audience, including students, policymakers and material scientists.Critical Materials;Circular Economy;Sustainability;Resource-Efficiency;Recycling;Mining;Geopolitics;Mitigation Strategies;Underlying Causes0Key Features:This book provides the reader a deeper understanding of the underlying causes of Critical Materials and provides the reader insight into possible sustainable mitigation strategiesThis book provides a comprehensive view on Critical Materials, since it provides both a systems view which considers the geopolitical, economic, energy and environmental aspects of materials, and an in-depth materials view, which considers the mechanical, chemical, and physical properties, the processing and the microscopic structure of materialsThis book is quite unique as it extensively discusses mitigation strategies