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Suggested Citation:"7 General Observations." National Research Council. 2012. The Role of the Chemical Sciences in Finding Alternatives to Critical Resources: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13366.
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7

General Observations

Throughout the workshop, speakers made general observations about the issues associated with critical materials and the role of the chemical sciences in addressing those issues. These observations are gathered in this final chapter to capture the broad themes emerging from the workshop. These themes should not be seen as consensus conclusions of the workshop and are associated here with the speaker who made that observation.

  • The level of criticality for a material depends on many factors, including physical availability, cost, importance in use, supply risk, concentration within a country, coproduction, potential for substitution, and environment and social concerns. (Eggert)
  • The level of criticality for a material can change over time as the factors affecting criticality change. (Eggert)
  • The importance of these factors differs from one material or element to another. (Eggert)
  • Different groups have different definitions of critical materials depending on their needs and circumstances. (Eggert)
  • Markets respond to both supply and demand signals but with time lags. (Eggert)
  • Government has an essential role to play in pushing for undistorted international trade, streamlining regulation, facilitating the collection and dissemination of information, and facilitating research and development. (Eggert)
  • The chemical sciences have an important influence on critical materials through research and development involving substitution, improvements in extraction and recovery, and improvements in manufacturing and recycling. (Eggert)
  • Governmental policies also have a major influence on criticality, including policies on domestic production and processing, stockpiling, education, and diplomacy. (Bauer)
  • Even if the price of a critical material is a small fraction of a catalyst, supply constraints can interfere with that application of the material. (Stevens)
  • Research can reduce or eliminate the use of a critical material in a catalyst and thereby reduce or eliminate the effects of price or supply disruptions. (Chen)
  • Replacing expensive metals with inexpensive metals in catalysts can produce significant savings and be more environmentally benign. (Bullock)
  • Even in long-established applications like automotive catalytic converters, continued research can reduce the demand for precious metals, even where complete replacement of those metals is not yet feasible. (Lambert)
  • Proven reserves of rare earths are growing rapidly, and one solution to tight supplies is to increase mining. (Shinar)
  • Demand for some critical materials will soar if the world acquires a significant fraction of its energy from photovoltaics. (Zweibel)
  • Resources constraints could be a critical factor in the development of grid-scale energy storage technologies. (Bradwell)
  • Issues that need to be considered in establishing critical materials policies include trade restrictions, the extended times needed to develop new technologies, costs, and environmental impacts. (Whitacre)
Suggested Citation:"7 General Observations." National Research Council. 2012. The Role of the Chemical Sciences in Finding Alternatives to Critical Resources: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13366.
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Suggested Citation:"7 General Observations." National Research Council. 2012. The Role of the Chemical Sciences in Finding Alternatives to Critical Resources: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13366.
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Page 45
Suggested Citation:"7 General Observations." National Research Council. 2012. The Role of the Chemical Sciences in Finding Alternatives to Critical Resources: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13366.
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Page 46
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The Chemical Sciences Roundtable (CSR) was established in 1997 by the National Research Council (NRC). It provides a science oriented apolitical forum for leaders in the chemical sciences to discuss chemistry-related issues affecting government, industry, and universities. Organized by the National Research Council's Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, the CSR aims to strengthen the chemical sciences by fostering communication among the people and organizations - spanning industry, government, universities, and professional associations - involved with the chemical enterprise. One way it does this is by organizing workshops that address issues in chemical science and technology that require national attention.

In September 2011, the CSR organized a workshop on the topic, "The Role of Chemical Sciences in Finding Alternatives to Critical Resources." The one-and-a-half-day workshop addressed key topics, including the economic and political matrix, the history of societal responses to key mineral and material shortages, the applications for and properties of existing minerals and materials, and the chemistry of possible replacements. The workshop featured several presentations highlighting the importance of critical nonfuel mineral and material resources in history, catalysis, agriculture, and electronic, magnetic, and optical applications.

The Role of the Chemical Sciences in Finding Alternatives to Critical Resources: A Workshop Summary explains the presentations and discussions that took place at the workshop. In accordance with the policies of the NRC, the workshop did not attempt to establish any conclusions or recommendations about needs and future directions, focusing instead on issues identified by the speakers.

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