Understanding the environmental risks from the High-Tech industry

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The global High-Tech market increased from $4 trillion in 2008 to $6 trillion in 2018 and could reach $16 trillion by 2030. To support the market growth, High-Tech industries rely increasingly on a critical group of elements, usually known as Technology-Critical Elements (TCEs). This group includes rare earth elements (REEs), platinum group elements, and others (e.g., Ga, Te, Tl). Despite their scarcity and uncertain supply, TCEs are experiencing high dissipative losses into ecosystems throughout their lifecycle (mining to end-of-life High-Tech products, or e-waste). First, while not currently a major producer of REEs, Canada has some of the largest REE reserves (15 million tonnes) and has several advanced exploration projects underway. The anticipated growth in Canada of TCE mining industries is an environmental concern. Moreover, the progressively burdensome disposal of e-waste is recently recognized as having potentially severe and unforeseen impacts on the natural environment. Despite their low concentrations in the environment, TCEs could be highly bioaccumulated in aquatic organisms (up to a million times) and transferred up the food web. However, little is known about their environmental geochemistry and fate because of deficient analytical procedures capable of accurately detecting and identifying their speciation in the aquatic environment, especially seawater. This hinders us from evaluating their mobility and toxicity. This research will provide insights into the environmental risks of TCE from the High-Tech industry through three related topics: (i) development of analytical procedures, (ii) environmental geochemistry, bioavailability and trophic transfer in aquatic food webs, and (iii) isotopic mixing models for estimating source proportions in natural environments. First, the development of novel methodological workflows is essential in furthering TCE research within and beyond this study. Second, these developments will enable both laboratory experiments and field studies along the St-Lawrence Seaway to provide novel insights into the environmental cycles of TCEs to better evaluate their environmental fate. Finally, we will develop the first generation of quantitative isotopic models to track emissions of TCEs in Canada, as source tracking is crucial for managing emissions throughout the lifecycle of TCEs. As Hi-Tech industrial sectors are strategic for the Canadian economy, so too is the capacity to determine the impacts and sources of environmental contamination. The research will provide essential knowledge, databases, and expertise critical to policy development and regulatory management. This knowledge will guide planning for Hi-Tech industries and waste recycling/disposal facilities in Canada, as well as inform the debate over Canada's role in mining and processing TCEs. This research will put Canada at the forefront of generating tangible knowledge for both high-tech waste and TCE mining management.