Barriers to and uncertainties in understanding and quantifying global critical mineral and element supply
Brian McNulty, Simon M. Jowitt
Abstract
emissions and mitigate against anthropogenic climate change. In this contribution we review the by-product nature of the critical minerals and elements and the inherant uncertainties in reported critical mineral and element annual production as well as the relationships between these commodities and main-product metals and associated concentrates. We explore the geological and geographical barriers to critical mineral and element supplies, as well as how the lack of available data and the uncertainties in the data that are available hinder our ability to estimate global resources with confidence.
Topics & Concepts
Element (criminal law)Earth scienceEnvironmental scienceNatural resource economicsBiochemical engineeringNanotechnologyEngineeringGeologyEconomicsPolitical scienceMaterials scienceLawExtraction and Separation ProcessesRadioactive element chemistry and processingGeochemistry and Geologic Mapping