Rare metals

Our society is more dependent on rare metals than ever before: mobile phones, flat screens, digital cameras, cars and wind turbines would hardly be conceivable in their current form and functionality without rare metals, as these materials have exceptional properties. Platinum, for example, is used in car catalytic converters, while tantalum is used in the production of aircraft turbines or microcapacitors in mobile phones. Indium is used in combination with tin as a transparent conductor in flat screens and lithium is a key element in rechargeable batteries.

The question of how the increasing global demand for these elements can be met in the medium to long term is the subject of controversial debate. It is evident that various factors influence supply: for example, deposits of rare metals that are worth mining are often limited to a few areas, resulting in politically and economically critical dependencies. In addition, rare metals are not usually mined on their own, but are produced as by-products in the extraction of other elements. The supply of rare metals is therefore not only controlled by the immediate demand for the specific element.

This is aggravated by the fact that rare metals are only beginning to be returned to the material cycle. There are many reasons for this: lithium, for example, is so cheap that recycling it is hardly worthwhile. Indium can only be recovered with great effort because it occurs in very low concentrations in individual electronic devices. The problem with tantalum, on the other hand, is that in pyrometallurgical recycling processes this element passes into the slag as a residue and is difficult to recover from it.

The specific examples in this publication show that the current handling of rare metals can lead to critical situations in the future. Approaches for a more sustainable handling of these important elements are therefore needed. This requires a better understanding of the relevant material cycles as well as targeted and coordinated measures that are institutionalised internationally. As a country with few raw materials, Switzerland also has a great interest in finding sustainable solutions in this area. As an important centre of research, it can make a concrete contribution to solving the problems that lie ahead.

Rare metals - Executive summary in German

Rare metals - Study in German

Métaux rares - Executive summary in French