The significance of energy consumption in environmental impact of rare earth elements recovery from tailings and mining waste
The significance of energy consumption in environmental impact of rare earth elements recovery from tailings and mining waste
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DOI：
10.1051/e3sconf/201910802011
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发表时间：
2019-09
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
K. Kossakowska;K. Grzesik
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
K. Kossakowska;K. Grzesik
稀土元素(REE)被确定为欧盟经济的关键原材料。稀土目前不是在欧盟生产的，而有几个来源没有得到适当的解决。在ENVIREE项目中，来自新坎克伯格(瑞典)和科瓦斯(葡萄牙)的尾矿被确定为富含稀土，并被选作回收加工之用。采用生命周期评价(LCA)方法对稀土回收的环境影响进行了评价。本研究的目的是详细分析几种不同的REE回收发电方案的情景。该研究讨论了能源使用在对环境的总体影响中所占的份额，同时考虑到欧盟国家电力生产结构的多样化。能源使用是对所研究案例的整体环境影响的一个重要因素。它在总环境负担中所占的份额高达47%。结果表明，采用欧洲的平均电力方案产量可能会导致LCA结果的偏差。为获得准确的生命周期评价结果，应选择某些国家的当地能源生产方案。
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.