Technology-critical element

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A technology-critical element (TCE) is a chemical element that is critical to emerging technologies.[1] Technology-critical elements are elements for which a striking acceleration in usage has emerged, relative to past consumption.[1][2][3][4] Many advanced engineering applications, such as clean-energy production, communications and computing, use emergent technologies that utilize numerous chemical elements.[2] Other similar terms used in literature include: critical elements,[5] critical materials,[1] critical raw materials,[3][6] energy critical elements[2] and elements of security.[7]

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) created the (CMI) to address the issue.[8] In 2015, the European COST Action TD1407 created a network of scientists working and interested on TCEs, from an environmental perspective to potential human health threats.[9]

List of technology-critical elements[]

The set of elements usually considered as TCEs vary depending on the source, but they usually include:

Seventeen rare-earth elements

Six platinum-group elements

Twelve assorted elements

Applications of technology-critical elements[]

TCEs have a variety of engineering applications in fields such as energy storage, electronics, telecommunication, and transportation.[10] These elements are utilized in cellular phones, batteries, solar panel(s), electric motor(s), and fiber-optic cables. Emerging technologies also incorporate TCEs. Most notably, TCEs are used in the data networking of smart devices tied to the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation.[10]

Sample uses of technology-critical elements (excluding rare-earth) [9]
Element Compound Applications
Gallium GaAs, GaN Wafers for (a) integrated circuits in high-performance computers and telecommunications equipment and (b) LEDs, photodetectors, solar cells and medical equipment
Trimethyl Ga, triethyl Ga Epitaxial layering process for the production of LEDs
Germanium Ge Substrate for wafers for high-efficiency photovoltaic cells
Ge single crystals Detectors (airport security)
Hafnium Hf Aerospace alloys and ceramics
HfO2 Semiconductors and data storage devices
Indium In2O5Sn Transparent conductive thin film coatings on flat-panel displays (e.g. liquid crystal displays)
CuNbGaSe (CIGS) Thin film solar cells
Niobium HSLA ferro-Nb (60 % Nb), Nb metal High-grade structural steel for vehicle bodies
NiNb Superalloys for jet engines and turbine blades
Nb powder, Nb oxide Surface acoustic wave filters (sensor and touch screen technologies)
Platinum group elements Pd, Pt, Rh metals Catalytic converters for the car industry
Pt metal Catalyst refining of petroleum and magnetic coating of computer hard discs
Ir Crucibles for the electronics industry
Os alloys High wear applications such as instrument pivots and electrical contacts
Tantalum Ta oxide Capacitors in automotive electronics, personal computers and cell phones
Ta metal Pacemakers, prosthetic devices
Tellurium CdTe Solar cells
HgCdTe, BiTe Thermal cooling devices and electronics products
Zirconium Zr Ceramics for solid oxide fuel cells, jet turbine coatings, and smartphones

Environmental considerations[]

The extraction and processing of TCEs may cause adverse environmental impacts. The reliance on TCEs and critical metals like cobalt can run the risk of the “green curse,” or using certain metals in green technologies whose mining may be damaging to the environment.[11]

The clearing of soil and deforestation that is involved with mining can impact the surrounding biodiversity through land degradation and habitat loss. Acid mine drainage can kill surrounding aquatic life and harm ecosystems. Mining activities and leaching of TCEs can pose significant hazards to human health. Wastewater produced by the processing of TCEs can contaminate groundwater and streams. Toxic dust containing concentrations of metals and other chemicals can be released into the air and surrounding bodies of water.

The mining of TCEs can also exacerbate climate change. Considerable amounts of greenhouse gases can be emitted from burning fossil fuels and processing ore. Deforestation caused by mining results in the release of stored carbon from the ground to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2).[11]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Department of Energy. Critical Materials Strategy. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Energy.
  2. ^ a b c APS (American Physical Society) and MRS (The Materials Research Society) (2011). Energy Critical Elements: Securing Materials for Emerging Technologies (PDF). Washington, D.C.: APS.
  3. ^ a b European Commission (2010). Critical Raw Materials for the EU. Report of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Defining Critical Raw Materials.
  4. ^ Resnick Institute (2011). Critical Materials for Sustainable Energy Applications (PDF). Pasadena, CA: Resnick Institute for Sustainable Energy Science.
  5. ^ Gunn, G. (2014). Critical Metals Handbook. Wiley.
  6. ^ European Commission (2014). Report on Critical Raw Materials for the EU. Report of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Defining Critical Raw Materials. European Commission.
  7. ^ Parthemore, C. (2011). Elements of Security. Mitigating the Risks of U.S. Dependence on Critical Minerals. Center for New America Security.
  8. ^ Turner, Roger (21 June 2019). "A Strategic Approach to Rare-Earth Elements as Global Trade Tensions Flare". www.greentechmedia.com.
  9. ^ a b Cobelo-García, A.; Filella, M.; Croot, P.; Frazzoli, C.; Du Laing, G.; Ospina-Alvarez, N.; Rauch, S.; Salaun, P.; Schäfer, J. (2015). "COST action TD1407: network on technology-critical elements (NOTICE)—from environmental processes to human health threats". Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 22 (19): 15188–15194. doi:10.1007/s11356-015-5221-0. PMC 4592495. PMID 26286804.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  10. ^ a b Ali, S.; Katima, J. (2020). Technology Critical Elements and the GEF, A STAP Advisory Document. Washington, DC.: Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel to the Global Environment Facility.
  11. ^ a b Ali, S.; Katima, J. (2020). Technology Critical Elements and their Relevance to the Global Environment Facility. Washington, DC.: Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel to the Global Environment Facility.
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