Technology-critical element
{{Short description|Chemical element critical to modern and emerging technologies}}
A technology-critical element (TCE) is a chemical element that is a critical raw material{{Cite book|title=Report on Critical Raw Materials for the EU. Report of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Defining Critical Raw Materials|last=European Commission|publisher=European Commission|year=2014}}{{Cite journal|url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00244-021-00892-6|title=Technology-Critical Elements: An Emerging and Vital Resource that Requires more In-depth Investigation|first1=Duc Huy|last1=Dang|first2=Montserrat|last2=Filella|first3=Dario|last3=Omanović|date=November 1, 2021|journal=Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology|volume=81|issue=4|pages=517–520|via=Springer Link|doi=10.1007/s00244-021-00892-6}} for modern and emerging technologies,{{Cite book|last=U.S. Department of Energy|title=Critical Materials Strategy|publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |location=Washington, D.C.}}{{cite web |title=Technology Critical Elements and their Relevance to the Global Environment Facility |url=https://stapgef.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/TCEs%20and%20their%20Relevance%20to%20the%20GEF_web.pdf |access-date=10 July 2022}}{{cite journal |last1=Dang |first1=Duc Huy |last2=Filella |first2=Montserrat |last3=Omanović |first3=Dario |title=Technology-Critical Elements: An Emerging and Vital Resource that Requires more In-depth Investigation |journal=Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology |date=1 November 2021 |volume=81 |issue=4 |pages=517–520 |doi=10.1007/s00244-021-00892-6 |pmid=34655300 |s2cid=238995249 |language=en |issn=1432-0703|doi-access=free |bibcode=2021ArECT..81..517D }} resulting in a striking increase in their usage.{{Cite book|last=APS (American Physical Society) and MRS (The Materials Research Society)|url=http://www.aps.org/policy/reports/popa-reports/upload/elementsreport.pdf|title=Energy Critical Elements: Securing Materials for Emerging Technologies|publisher=APS|year=2011|location=Washington, D.C.}}{{Cite book|last=European Commission|title=Critical Raw Materials for the EU. Report of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Defining Critical Raw Materials|year=2010}}{{Cite book|last=Resnick Institute|url=http://resnick.caltech.edu/docs/R_Critical.pdf|title=Critical Materials for Sustainable Energy Applications|publisher=Resnick Institute for Sustainable Energy Science|year=2011|location=Pasadena, CA|access-date=2019-02-14|archive-date=2018-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114002852/http://resnick.caltech.edu/docs/R_Critical.pdf|url-status=dead}} Similar terms include critical elements,{{Cite book|title=Critical Metals Handbook|last=Gunn|first=G.|publisher=Wiley|year=2014}} critical materials, energy-critical elements and elements of security.{{Cite book|title=Elements of Security. Mitigating the Risks of U.S. Dependence on Critical Minerals|last=Parthemore|first=C.|publisher=Center for New America Security|year=2011}}
Many advanced engineering applications, such as clean-energy production, communications and computing, use emergent technologies that utilize numerous chemical elements.
In 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) created the Critical Materials Institute to address the issue.{{cite web |last1=Turner |first1=Roger |title=A Strategic Approach to Rare-Earth Elements as Global Trade Tensions Flare |url=https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/a-strategic-approach-to-rare-earth-elements-as-global-trade-tensions-flare |website=www.greentechmedia.com |date=21 June 2019}} 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.{{Cite journal|last1=Cobelo-García|first1=A. |last2=Filella|first2=M. |last3=Croot|first3=P. |last4=Frazzoli|first4=C. |last5=Du Laing|first5=G. |last6=Ospina-Alvarez|first6=N. |last7=Rauch|first7=S. |last8=Salaun|first8=P. |last9=Schäfer|first9=J. |date=2015|title=COST action TD1407: network on technology-critical elements (NOTICE)—from environmental processes to human health threats|journal=Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res.|volume=22|issue=19|pages=15188–15194 |doi=10.1007/s11356-015-5221-0 |pmid=26286804|pmc=4592495|bibcode=2015ESPR...2215188C }} {{CC-notice|cc=by4}}
A study estimated losses of 61 metals to help the development of circular economy strategies, showing that usespans of, often scarce, tech-critical metals are short.{{cite news |title=New life cycle assessment study shows useful life of tech-critical metals to be short |url=https://techxplore.com/news/2022-05-life-tech-critical-metals-short.html |access-date=23 June 2022 |work=University of Bayreuth |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Charpentier Poncelet |first1=Alexandre |last2=Helbig |first2=Christoph |last3=Loubet |first3=Philippe |last4=Beylot |first4=Antoine |last5=Muller |first5=Stéphanie |last6=Villeneuve |first6=Jacques |last7=Laratte |first7=Bertrand |last8=Thorenz |first8=Andrea |last9=Tuma |first9=Axel |last10=Sonnemann |first10=Guido |title=Losses and lifetimes of metals in the economy |journal=Nature Sustainability |date=19 May 2022 |volume=5 |issue=8 |pages=717–726 |doi=10.1038/s41893-022-00895-8 |bibcode=2022NatSu...5..717C |s2cid=248894322 |language=en |issn=2398-9629|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03702553/file/I2M-NS-Charpentier-2022.pdf }}
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
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- cerium
- dysprosium
- erbium
- europium
- gadolinium
- holmium
- lanthanum
- lutetium
- neodymium
- praseodymium
- promethium
- samarium
- scandium
- terbium
- thulium
- ytterbium
- yttrium
}}
The six platinum-group elements
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Twelve assorted elements
{{columns-list|colwidth=8em|
- antimony
- beryllium
- caesium
- cobalt
- gallium
- germanium
- indium
- lithium
- niobium
- tantalum
- tellurium
- tungsten
}}
Elements such as oxygen, silicon, and aluminum (among others) are also vital for electronics, but are not included in these lists due to their widespread abundance.
Applications of technology-critical elements
TCEs have a variety of engineering applications in fields such as energy storage, electronics, telecommunication, and transportation.{{Cite book|last1=Ali|first1=S.|title=Technology Critical Elements and the GEF, A STAP Advisory Document|last2=Katima|first2=J.|publisher=Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel to the Global Environment Facility|year=2020|location=Washington, DC.}} 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.
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.{{Cite book|last1=Ali|first1=S.|title=Technology Critical Elements and their Relevance to the Global Environment Facility|last2=Katima|first2=J.|publisher=Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel to the Global Environment Facility|year=2020|location=Washington, DC.}}
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.
Deforestation caused by mining results in the release of stored carbon from the ground to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2).