Critical raw materials and the circular economy

This report is a background document used by several European Commission services to prepare the EC report on critical raw materials and the circular economy, a commitment of the European Commission made in its Communication ‘EU action plan for the Circular Economy’. It represents a JRC contribution to the Raw Material Initiative and to the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. It combines the results of several research programmes and activities of the JRC on critical raw materials in a context of circular economy, for which a large team has contributed in terms of data and knowledge developments. Circular use of critical raw materials in the EU is analysed, also taking a sectorial perspective. The following sectors are analysed in more detail: extractive waste, landfills, electric and electronic equipment, batteries, automotive, renewable energy, defence and chemicals and fertilisers. Conclusions and opportunities for further work are also presented

Surface Sulphination Of Germanium Oxide Based Materials

The effect of oxygen substitution for sulphur has been investigated in germanium and boron based glasses containing heavy metal oxides (Sb 2O3). After heat treatment under H2S flow, the colour of the glass (powder and bulk) changes from colourless to yellowish indicative of union exchange. The oxygen substitution for sulphur has been confirmed by the presence of a new Raman band located at 340 cm-1 corresponding to a Ge-S and Sb-S bond vibration. The influence of the borate addition has been studied. XPS measurements have shown (i) the oxidation of Sb3+ to Sb5+ during the melting which increases with an increase of boron content and (ii) the reduction of Sb5+ to Sb 3+ during the sulphination, resulting in the departure of more than one oxygen union upon replacement by one sulphur und in the absence of weight gain. It has been clearly demonstrated that sulphination near the oxide glass transition temperature can lead to the formation of oxysulphide glass materials

Surface sulphination of germanium oxide based materials

The effect of oxygen substitution for sulphur has been investigated in germanium and boron based glasses containing heavy metal oxides (Sb2O3)..

Surface sulphination of germanium oxide based materials

The effect of oxygen substitution for sulphur has been investigated in germanium and boron based glasses containing heavy metal oxides (Sb2O3)..

Thermodynamic analysis of glass-forming ability in a Ca-Mg-Zn ternary alloy system

A thermodynamic analysis of the onset driving force for crystallization of super-cooled liquid has been conducted to explain strong composition dependency of the glass forming ability in the Ca-Mg-Zn ternary alloy system observed experimentally. In addition to the onset driving force, other energetic and kinetic factors are discussed to explain the observed glass stabilities. The universality of this method is discussed, thus establishing an analytic approach for determining the most stable glass in a given alloy system