Workers next to aluminum coils at a factory in Binzhou, Shandong Province, China, September 13, 2018. The photo was taken on September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
London, July 15 (Reuters)-Consumers' awareness of the carbon emissions from the production of energy transition metals will ultimately energize the recycling industry and stimulate the search for alternatives that may disrupt miners' gatherings.
Analysts at Wood Mackenzie estimate that with global warming limited to less than 2˚C, an additional 360 million tons of aluminum, 90 million tons of copper and 30 million tons of nickel will be required in the next 20 years.
Aluminum, copper and nickel are key materials for electric vehicles, and its sales are expected to soar in the next few years.
"We can reduce our carbon footprint by taking the recycling route," said Julian Keitel of Wood Mackenzie.
"There are a lot of new technologies, such as hydrogen and polymer energy storage, that can greatly change the pattern of clean energy."
Producing 1 ton of aluminum from scratch will result in an average of 17 tons of carbon emissions, compared to 0.6 tons of recycled or recycled aluminum.
Copper mining emits 2.3-2.5 tons of carbon per ton of metal, while smelting adds 1.65 tons, and the amount of recycled metal emissions is as high as 1.5 tons.
Plastics made from fossil fuels are a precedent for realizing the problems of metal extraction and production, and in the past 10 years, this has prompted consumers to consider recycling and substitution.
Metal consumption can also be reduced by, for example, shifting to sharing instead of individual vehicle ownership,
Simon Morris of Wood Mackenzie said in a press release: "The age of consumer awareness is likely to be the next chapter of social awakening-it is undoubtedly uncomfortable for those who hope for unconstrained metal demand. of."
Especially for electric vehicles, the challenge for automakers is how to operate at inelastic retail prices and obtain key minerals at affordable prices.
Morris said: "They will seek the greatest degree of innovation or frugality."
There are also very few examples of miners in recycling operations. One is Norsk Hydro (NHY.OL), an aluminum producer whose recycling business contributed NOK 1.4 billion to its EBITDA last year.
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