Sustainability and design considerations for critical minerals in clean energy technologies

The 13th Japan/Korea International Symposium on Resources Recycling and Materials Science 第13回資源リサイクルと材料科学に関する日韓国際シンポジウム, 開催日：2015年05月13日(水)-05月15日(金) , 場所：京都ガーデンパレス, 主催：環境資源工学会、韓国地質資源研究院 (KIGAM))In order to address concerns over global warming, and to mitigate localized pollutants and energy security issues, a variety of clean energy technologies are being proposed or proliferated globally. Many of these technologies -- e.g. fuel cells, photovoltaics, wind turbines -- rely on critical minerals with concerns over physical, economic or politically-driven scarcity. This paper discusses some of the key minerals and technologies, and highlights important strategies for sustainable design considerations. The potential benefits and barriers of alternative sources of relevant minerals are discussed with relation to recycling and deep ocean resources