Abstract
Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are identified as critical raw materials for the European Union economy. REEs are not currently produced in the EU, while there are several sources not properly addressed. Within the ENVIREE project tailings from New Kankberg (Sweden) and Covas (Portugal) were identified as rich in REEs and chosen for recovery processing. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to evaluate the environmental impact of REEs recovery. The aim of this study is the detailed analysis of several scenarios with different electricity production schemes of REE recovery. The study discusses the share of energy use in the overall impact on the environment, taking into account diversification in the electricity production structure among EU countries. The energy use is a significant contributor to the overall environmental impact of studied cases. Its share in the total environmental burden is reaching up to 47%. The results show that applying the average electricity scheme production for Europe may lead to biased LCA results. For the accurate LCA results the local production schemes of energy for certain countries should be chosen.
Highlights
Rare Earth Elements (REE) include 15 lanthanides (La to Lu), scandium and yttrium
While REEs are highly relevant for high-tech industries and products, there is a significant risk of supply, REEs are considered as critical raw materials for EU economy [3]
After introducing energy production for Portugal (New Kankberg [PT] scenario) into the model the Damage to Human Health category indicator increased by 51%, Damage to Ecosystems category indicator is higher by 15% and Damage to Resources Availability category indicator raised by 49%
Summary
Rare Earth Elements (REE) include 15 lanthanides (La to Lu), scandium and yttrium. They share many chemical and physical properties and they are relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust, usually not concentrated in economically exploitable ores. The REE are essential for a wide range of applications, especially in so called green-technologies: electric vehicles, wind turbines, high strength magnets, catalysts, superconductors etc. Rare earth elements are not currently produced in the EU, while there are several REE containing materials still being not properly addressed. The ENVIREE project, funded by the ERA-MIN programme, addresses the exploitation of secondary sources such as tailings and mining waste. Within the project two secondary sources: tailings from New Kankberg (Sweden) and Covas (Portugal) were identified as rich in REEs and chosen for recovery processing
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