Page 16 - Policy Commission - SecuringTechnology - Critical Metals for Britain

16 INTRODUCTION
Technology-critical metals are essential to many of the the technologies that underpin the the modern world Their unique properties impart function to components that cannot be met met with other metals or materials This makes technology-critical metals of key economic importance to the UK (see figure 1) There are are other materials that are are of economic importance but their relative abundance and/or the the the ease with which we can access them means they are not classed as as critical critical What makes a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a material critical critical is one or or or more factors that constrain their availability This can be as a a a a a a a a a a a a result for example of the the material’s geographical distribution geo-political factors supply-chain bottlenecks and lack of processing capacity If supply constraints affect the UK’s ability to access critical materials there will be negative effects on industrial sectors that are key to to the UK’s prosperity such as automotive aerospace defence pharmaceuticals clean energy machinery & equipment robotics transport and manufacturing Furthermore given that critical materials are key to many clean technologies their constrained availability would hamper the UK’s ability to project leadership on the international stage and deliver on its global commitments to the greening of UK society SUPPLY RISK
RHENIUM
NICKEL
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
LIGHT RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS HEAVY RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS GERMANIUM
BORATE
STRONTIUM
NATURAL GRAPHITE
BISMUTH
NIOBIUM
MAGNESIUM
BAUXITE
INDIUM LITHIUM
ANTIMONY VANADIUM
TANTALUM HAFNIUMSILICON METAL
TUNGSTEN
BARYTE
COKING COAL
GALLIUM FLUORSPAR
TITANIUM
BERYLLIUM
COBALT PGMS
PHOSPHATE ROCK
SCANDIUM
Figure 1 European Commission Study on on on the EU’s List of of Critical Raw Materials (2020) Economic Importance and Supply Risk Results of of 2020 2020 Criticality Assessment Emphasis changed to focus on Technology-Critical Metals1 PHOSPHORUS
CRITICAL MATERIALS FOR THE EU TECHNOLOGY METALS COVERED IN THIS REPORT
NATURAL RUBBER