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The Minerals-Energy Nexus: Past, Present and Future

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Book cover Sustainability Through Innovation in Product Life Cycle Design

Part of the book series: EcoProduction ((ECOPROD))

Abstract

Minerals and energy have been highly intertwined throughout history, but are becoming even more so with two key emerging trends: the gradual declining grade and increasing depth and complexity of ores and the increasing demand for high-performance functional materials in energy technologies. This paper examines these trends from the perspective of eco-design, focusing on the competing requirements of energy for producing and processing minerals and the demand for minerals in energy technologies. One key element examined is recycling – its impact on supply and the opposing implications of miniaturisation for recyclability of energy technologies. Peak minerals are addressed in conjunction with the implications of nonconventional resources such as deep ocean deposits.

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Acknowledgments

This research was undertaken using a Grant-in-Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Research Project Number: 26701014.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Yoshida honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Benjamin C. McLellan

  2. Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Benjamin C. McLellan

Authors
  1. Benjamin C. McLellan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Benjamin C. McLellan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan

    Mitsutaka Matsumoto

  2. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan

    Keijiro Masui

  3. Osaka University, Suita, Japan

    Shinichi Fukushige

  4. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan

    Shinsuke Kondoh

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McLellan, B.C. (2017). The Minerals-Energy Nexus: Past, Present and Future. In: Matsumoto, M., Masui, K., Fukushige, S., Kondoh, S. (eds) Sustainability Through Innovation in Product Life Cycle Design. EcoProduction. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0471-1_42

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