Anthropogenic mineral generation and its potential resource supply:The case of niobium  

作　　者：Xianlai ZENG Moisés Gómez Mahmoud BAKRY Yong GENG Jinhui LI 

机构地区：[1]School of Environment,Tsinghua University,Beijing 100084,China [2]School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Shanghai Jiao Tong University,Shanghai 200240,China [3]School of International and Public Affairs,Shanghai Jiao Tong University,Shanghai 200030,China

出　　处：《Science China Earth Sciences》2024年第8期2583-2591,共9页中国科学（地球科学英文版）

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.92062111&72394402)。

摘　　要：The strategy of carbon neutrality is reshaping the global landscape of resource flow and recycling.As the final sink of geological minerals,the proliferated anthropogenic minerals,also called secondary resources,play an increasingly important role in resource supply enrichment.Niobium is a critical metal that lacks full concern for its sustainability.The fundamental principle of niobium circularity is to recycle and maintain the material as close to the manufacturing process as possible.Here we estimate the niobium-containing applications lost at their end-of-life,underscoring the imperative to minimize such disposal.Additionally,we elucidate the extraction processes for scrap and alloy quantities throughout the industry's lifecycle.Drawing from anticipated waste generated by the majority of niobium applications,a forecast indicates a potential loss of approximately 168 kt by 2090 in the absence of recycling.Contrastingly,with a recycling efficiency of 90%for niobium,the projected loss diminishes to approximately 16 kt.We delve into the significance of niobium's circular economy and explore various aspects that demand further investigation for a seamless transition from linear to circular practices.

关 键 词：NIOBIUM Anthropogenic mineral Circular economy RECYCLING SUSTAINABILITY 

分 类 号：F416.1[经济管理—产业经济]