Getting Energy Minerals from Urban Mining
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Main Examination General Studies Question Paper 1
Energy Minerals & Resources
Foreword:
- At one time, only gold, silver, aluminium, copper were considered the most important metals. Now battery minerals and rare earth elements are the new fuel of progress. Semiconductors, lithium-ion batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, hydrogen cars, and almost every device in electronic equipment rely on energy minerals.
- The way environment-friendly development is being given priority all over the world, sustainable development cannot be imagined without self-reliance in energy minerals.
Energy Minerals:
- Such minerals, through which energy is obtained, are called energy minerals.
- Cobalt, Lithium, Coal, Petroleum, Natural gas, Uranium, Thorium, Beryllium, Ilmenite, Graphite etc. are examples of energy minerals.
- At present, energy minerals are divided into two categories. First, battery minerals which include Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel and Graphite. Second, seventeen rare earth elements, including Neodymium, Prasodymium, Dysprosium, etc.
India's position in terms of Energy Minerals:
- At present, India has to import 96 percent of its total lithium requirement. But some time ago evidence of huge reserves of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium has been found in Reasi district of Jammu.
- Lithium reserves of 1600 tonnes have been confirmed in Mandya district of Karnataka. If there is success in fully exploiting these mining projects, then India will come in the category of lithium exporting countries. India has almost negligible production of cobalt, a key component of lithium-ion batteries.
- In 2021, more than two billion 50 million cobalt was exported. India is working on a policy to mine Cobalt in Congo and Australia.
- India's production of nickel, used in gas turbines and rocket engines, lithium-ion batteries, stainless steel, various metals and electro-magnetic coatings, is still negligible.
- Only Odisha has 93 percent reserve of nickel found in the country.
- Three per cent nickel is found in Jaduguda, Keonjhar, East Singhbhum of Jharkhand and Kifere of Nagaland.
- The second group of energy minerals is of 17 rare earth elements. India's share in its global market may be one per cent, but it has the fifth largest reserve.
About Urban Mines:
- Urban mining refers to such a process, under which minerals and metals are extracted from the waste of electronic items. In urban mining, the pile of e-waste proves to be a source of rare minerals.
- Professor Hideo Nanjyo of Tohuku University, Japan, first used the term urban mining in 1980.
- This system of urban mining promotes reuse and recycling of any material.
Significance of Urban Mining:
- In the last few years, China has built a large urban mining infrastructure on the basis of its strategy and 'advanced refining technology' in the matter of energy minerals. Through this, China is getting battery minerals from old electronic equipment and items. Urban mining is the driving force behind China's 75 percent share of the global supply chain for the battery mineral alone.
- The Central American country of Costa Rica has no reserves of lithium, but has been able to get enough lithium from urban mining, which has enabled it to become an exporter. Similarly, Japan is the leader in sourcing various metals from automobile components. Seeing the potential of urban mining, the G-7 countries have entered into a mineral security partnership. On the initiative of Canada, 'Sustainable Critical Mineral Agreement' and 'Critical La Materials Club' have been established by the European Union.
E-waste:
- According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2017, India generates about two million tonnes of e-waste annually.
- India is the fifth largest producer of e-waste after the US, China, Japan and Germany. In 2016-17, India was able to dispose of only 0.036 MT of the total e-waste.
- According to the Economic Survey of 2018, gold worth Rs 6 thousand 900 crore can be obtained from urban e-waste.
- Electronic scrap is a good source of expensive metals like Lithium, Cobalt, Copper, Aluminium, Silver and Palladium.
- According to the American Environmental Protection Agency, 300 grams of gold can be extracted from one metric ton of mobile. In conventional mining only two or three grams of gold is obtained per ton from gold ore.
Energy Mineral Challenges in India:
- Lack of technology related to nickel extraction is a major challenge before India.
- India has few high quality graphite reserves. At present it is about 35 thousand kilo tonnes. While the demand is six times more, one has to depend on exports.
- Self-sufficiency in energy minerals is no longer just about achieving production capacity from conventional mining. Countries which do not have naturally available energy minerals, those countries are also becoming self-sufficient in these precious minerals. Urban mining has emerged as a strong system behind this.
- According to the Paris Agreement held in 2015, the demand for minerals hidden under the earth will be four times more in the next twenty years. The major challenge is meeting the demand for copper for laying transmission lines and lithium for e-vehicles, silicon for solar panels and zinc for wind turbines.
- Lithium-ion batteries power everything from smart phones to electric cars. The International Energy Agency says that electric cars use up to six times more fossil fuels than CNG cars. Similarly, offshore wind turbines require nine times as much minerals as gas-based power plants.
Way Forward:
Battery Waste Management Rules 2022
- To promote urban mining, this rule was implemented by the Ministry of Environment last year, but for its successful implementation some important steps will be required.
- First, the system for collecting e-waste should be easy and strong. Because a common man is not aware of where and how to hand over the unused electronic equipment.
- Second, technology has to be acquired that can easily extract precious metals from old objects. The 'National Metrological Laboratory' has invented such a technique, by which 95 percent pure cobalt is obtained from lithium ion batteries. Such technology has to be developed for recycling other energy minerals.
- Third, it is not necessary that the quality of metals obtained from old objects is the same as before. In such a situation, options have to be prepared as to how and where these minerals and metals can be used again.
- Fourth, from the product to the projects should be designed in such a way that it is easy to recover the minerals and expensive elements used in it.
- • Fifth, every sector from the manufacturing sector to urban mining should be brought under the purview of urban mining, where there are opportunities for resource generation from waste. For example, steel from building construction, rare minerals such as manganese, nickel and chromium from the automobile industry can be recovered. For this, urban mining companies will have to be set up.
- Sixth, India currently spends Rs 14 billion on rare earth and battery mineral exploration, while the US, Australia and Canada spend about Rs 82 billion. Financial institutions focused on urban mining of energy minerals can be set up.
- As per FICCI report, India has been able to mine 10 per cent of its potential for batteries and rare earth elements. India needs to pursue investment and technology transfer projects with major producers of the energy mineral. Just like India has earned success by investing in Russia's Sakhalin oil project.
- Establishment of Khanij Videsh India Limited undertaking and the success it is getting is a big step in this direction. In view of the importance of urban mining, India will have to promote mining at the domestic level along with being self-sufficient in the technology related to it.
Source- Jansatta
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Mains Exam Question:
- Explain the position of India in terms of energy minerals.
- Write the importance of urban mining in obtaining mineral metals from e-waste.