Understanding the environmental risks from the High-Tech industry

了解高科技产业的环境风险

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-03058
• 负责人: Dang, Duc
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: Trent University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=765965
• 关键词: Understanding; environmental; risks; Tech; industry

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.

全球高科技市场从2008年的4万亿美元增加到2018年的6万亿美元，到2030年可能达到16万亿美元。为了支持市场增长，高科技产业越来越依赖于一组关键要素，通常称为技术关键要素(TCEs)。这一族包括稀土元素(REE)、铂族元素和其他元素(例如，Ga、Te、Tl)。尽管三氯乙烷稀缺，供应不确定，但在其整个生命周期(从采矿到报废的高科技产品或电子废物)，三氯乙烯正经历着对生态系统的高耗散损失。首先，虽然加拿大目前不是稀土的主要生产国，但它拥有一些最大的稀土储量(1500万吨)，并有几个正在进行的高级勘探项目。加拿大TCE采矿业的预期增长是一个环境问题。此外，最近人们认识到，日益繁重的电子垃圾处理对自然环境具有潜在的严重和不可预见的影响。尽管TCEs在环境中的浓度很低，但它们可以在水生生物中高度生物积累(高达100万次)，并沿食物链向上转移。然而，由于缺乏能够准确检测和识别其在水环境，特别是海水中的形态的分析方法，人们对它们的环境地球化学和去向知之甚少。这阻碍了我们评估它们的机动性和毒性。这项研究将通过三个相关主题对高科技行业的三氯乙烯的环境风险提供见解：(I)分析方法的发展，(Ii)环境地球化学、生物有效性和水生食物网中的营养转移，以及(Iii)用于估计自然环境中来源比例的同位素混合模型。首先，开发新的方法学工作流程对于在这项研究之内和之外进一步开展三氯乙烯研究至关重要。其次，这些发展将使圣劳伦斯海沿岸的实验室实验和实地研究能够为三氯乙烯的环境循环提供新的见解，以更好地评估它们的环境命运。最后，我们将开发第一代定量同位素模型来跟踪加拿大三氯乙烯的排放，因为来源跟踪对于在三氯乙烯的整个生命周期中管理排放至关重要。由于高科技工业部门对加拿大经济具有战略意义，因此确定环境污染的影响和来源的能力也是如此。这项研究将提供对政策制定和监管管理至关重要的基本知识、数据库和专业知识。这些知识将指导加拿大高科技产业和废物回收/处置设施的规划，并为关于加拿大在采矿和加工TCE中的作用的辩论提供信息。这项研究将使加拿大在为高科技废物和三氯乙烯采矿管理产生有形知识方面走在前列。