EU
Thierry Salmona, President of the European Industrial Minerals Association, describes how
the industry is an integral part of the Europe 2020 strategy…
A mineral requirement
192
Every morning when you wake up, it probably never
crosses your mind that your alarm clock is powered
by batteries containing minerals (graphite), and is
probably made of mineral-based (calcium carbonate)
composite plastics. Nor are you particularly interested –
especially at that time of day – by the fact that your home
is built of (clay) bricks and (silica) blocks. Additionally, the
fact that the paint covering the bedroom walls is made of
minerals (calcium carbonate, kaolin, talc), as is the
sanitary-ware and floor and wall tiles in your bathroom
(ball-clay, kaolin, feldspar, silica), no doubt seems of little
importance. Although your toothpaste contains very
carefully engineered minerals (precipitated calcium
carbonate) to give it the right level of abrasion, texture and
softness, you just see it as plain old toothpaste. Finally,
when you dress, it’s highly unlikely that you give a thought
to the minerals (zeolite) in the detergent that softened the
water in the washing machine.
This is the fate of industrial minerals: they are the
unsung heroes of our daily lives; nobody notices them but
life wouldn’t be the same without them. Minerals
contribute to the growth of our economy by being
amongst the most indispensable materials, present in
nearly every manufactured product. In the EU, for
example, €1.5trillion of manufacturing added value
depends directly on minerals.
With the exception of graphite and fluorspar, no
industrial minerals have been listed by the European
Commission as a critical raw material, despite being
essential to our economy. Imagine a region where no
aggregates could be mined or no clay extracted: the cost of
construction would skyrocket and jeopardise the local
economy. For example, consider the Europe 2020 strategy
outlined by the Commission, and think of the minerals
that it will require. Even though the strategy doesn’t
mention minerals, it is split up into seven flagships, all of
which require them:
Innovation: electric cars, for example, will require graphite
for their batteries, and talc or other minerals for their
plastic components, not to mention the sophisticated
electronic devices that will require many minerals, such as
rare earths.
Youth on the move (education): this will require paper;
computers; and the all important sneakers, the soles of
which have clay and other minerals to thank for their
mechanical properties.
Digital society: a mobile phone contains up to 40 minerals,
a personal computer up to 60.
Resource efficient Europe (climate, energy and mobility):solar energy needs quartz pebbles for silicon, high purity
quartz for crucibles, silicon carbide for sawing wafers, and
silica for glass encapsulation. Wind turbines need many
minerals, from rare earth for their magnets to fibreglass
(silica, clay) to fill the blades. Fossil fuels, meanwhile, need
lime and limestone for pollution reduction.
An industrial policy for the globalisation era (competitiveness):because they are present in so many everyday products, as
well as having a key role to play in the development of
innovative and technological solutions, minerals are a
prerequisite for competitiveness. Whilst they represent
only a small proportion of the finished products in which
they are contained, the recent situation of rare earths
shows that this may rapidly become a critical issue.
An agenda for new skills and jobs: this will obviously
increase demand for training and education, requiring more
schools, paper and computers, all dependent upon minerals.
European platform against poverty: 80 million people in
Europe live below the poverty threshold, and 100 million
people are homeless. Fighting poverty will require
housing, which means aggregates, mortars and bricks all
containing silica will be needed on a large scale.
Minerals are mined. The general public often associates
mining with environmental disruption. Minerals are also a
natural resource, and therefore are not renewable. So, an
important issue for not only policymakers, but also for the
public, is how minerals support the overall sustainability
of our economies. I would like to focus on two examples to
show how minerals not only contribute to the growth of
our economy, but also to its sustainability, and the
contribution of the minerals industry to the preservation
of biodiversity, as well as the recycling of minerals.
The minerals industry has long been involved in many
initiatives aimed at promoting biodiversity, such as the
Countdown 2010 initiative and the Natura 2000 guidelines
for the non-energy extractive industry. The sector is
committed to the promotion and exchange of good
practices, with more than 200 case studies accessible
through the European Minerals Day website. The industry
also approaches biodiversity from a scientific standpoint
and cooperates with specialists to develop scientific
evidence. Moreover, in many cases, mineral quarries – far
Public Service Review: European Union: issue 22
ENVIRONMENT
193
from destroying biodiversity – provide new habitats for
rare species. Biodiversity preservation plans are often part
of the rehabilitation plan that is now mandatory before a
mining project is initiated.
As regards resource efficiency, the first condition is
resource availability: a missing resource is not an
efficient one. It therefore follows that resource efficiency
improvement will require easier access to resources. For
example, assume a given area of Europe is refusing to allow
quarries to open, for whatever reason. Construction and
industry will continue in this area with materials sourced
from other regions, with all the resulting inefficiencies that
long haul transportation implies for the economy.
The mining industry has a positive impact on resource
efficiency through continuous improvement programmes.
A well operated quarry yields higher volumes of useful
minerals, whilst at the same time using less energy and
less ore. The efficiency of materials has also greatly
improved: one example is the progression of the ratio of
magnesia per ton of steel production from 23kg to 10kg
depending on the operation.
Contrary to common belief, minerals can be, and are,
recycled: Kaolin in paper is recycled with the paper, talc in
polypropylene is recycled with the plastic, construction
and demolition materials are recycled into aggregates,
and so on. So, through these three mechanisms, minerals
contribute to resource efficiency, and they do so in
increasingly significant amounts. Recent case studies and
calculations were carried out, and studied minerals
recyclability is between 40-50%.
If we apply the criteria of resource efficiency, recyclability,
and environmental footprint, there is no doubt that minerals
are high sustainability materials. They are also resource
efficient, and industry is striving to make minerals ever more
environmentally friendly, meaning that substances that have
a stronger carbon footprint or environmental impact are
increasingly replaced. Minerals are recyclable. So, minerals
are highly sustainable. Therefore, when it comes to public
procurement, products incorporating minerals as functional
fillers (paint, plastics, rubber, adhesive caulks and sealants,
etc) or as the main constituents (ceramics, refractory,
abrasive materials) should be the obvious choice for
decision-makers. They are good solutions from both an
economical and an ecological standpoint.
The mineral industry is dynamic, encourages best
practices, contributes to EU sustainability efforts and
provides the necessary raw materials for the wellbeing of
European citizens – and it will help Europe to build a
sustainable future.
ENVIRONMENT
Public Service Review: European Union: issue 22
Thierry SalmonaPresidentEuropean Industrial Minerals Association(IMA-Europe)Tel: +32 (0)2 210 44 [email protected]
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Solar energy needs quartz pebbles for silicon, high purity quartz for crucibles, silicon carbide for sawing wafers, and silica for glass
encapsulation
A well operated quarry yields higher volumes of useful minerals, whilstat the same time using less energy and less ore
© Reproduced with the kind permission of publicservice.co.uk Ltd 2011