2024关键矿物回收扩大回收和城市矿业的战略研究报告英文版-国际能源署IEA_163页_7mb

Summary of "Recycling of Critical Minerals" by the International Energy Agency (IEA)

Core Content

The IEA report titled "Recycling of Critical Minerals" examines the importance of scaling up recycling and urban mining to support the clean energy transition. As the global shift to renewable energy accelerates, new mines and refining capacities will be necessary to meet the demand for essential minerals like copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements. However, recycling is crucial in ensuring supply security, sustainability, and reducing environmental and social impacts of mining and refining.

Main Views

• Recycling is essential for critical mineral supply chains, especially in regions with limited resources or high clean energy deployment.
• Recycling can reduce the need for new mines by 25–40% by 2050 in the Announced Pledges Scenario (APS), helping to lower emissions and investment costs.
• Economic and policy support is key to making recycling more viable and scalable.
• Battery recycling is a major growth area, with China leading the development of recycling infrastructure and capacity.
• E-waste and mine waste represent significant untapped potential for metal recovery, but current collection and processing rates are insufficient.
• Copper recycling is especially critical, as it is central to many clean energy technologies and its secondary supply share is expected to rise from 17% to 40% by 2050.
• Cross-border waste trade and regulatory frameworks need to be harmonised to ensure efficient and sustainable secondary markets.
• Circular economy principles should be integrated beyond recycling to reduce waste and enhance sustainability.

Key Information

Current Recycling Status

• Recycling rates for critical minerals have stagnated or declined in many regions.
• Copper secondary supply share dropped from 37% in 2015 to 33% in 2023.
• Nickel secondary supply share also fell from 33% to 26% over the same period.
• Aluminium is an exception, with a modest increase in recycling share due to well-established waste management systems.

Battery Recycling

• Battery recycling is an emerging commercial opportunity, with nickel and cobalt showing high recovery rates.
• In 2023, recycled battery metal volumes reached 40% for nickel and cobalt, and 20% for lithium.
• EV and storage batteries are expected to become the primary feedstock for recycling by 2050, with 90% of global feedstock expected to come from these sources.
• China leads in battery recycling capacity, accounting for 80% of global pretreatment and material recovery capacity in 2023.
• LFP batteries (lithium iron phosphate) have lower material value, requiring tailored business models and regulatory support to ensure proper recycling.

E-Waste and Mine Waste

• E-waste contains valuable metals worth around USD 90 billion in 2022, but only USD 28 billion was recovered.
• Only 80 out of 193 countries had e-waste regulations in June 2023, indicating a need for more robust policy actions.
• Mine waste contains significant amounts of critical minerals, and reprocessing could turn environmental liabilities into resources.
• Mine waste volume is expected to increase by 90% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.

Policy Recommendations

• Develop detailed long-term policy roadmaps to guide the expansion of recycling.
• Harmonise waste management and recycling policies to create efficient secondary markets.
• Strengthen domestic infrastructure with incentives and mandates.
• Encourage traceability, standards, and certifications to boost the use of recycled materials.
• Provide targeted financial support for technology innovation, R&D, and workforce training.
• Strengthen recycling systems in emerging and developing economies.
• Tackle data and information gaps to support better decision-making.
• Adopt a holistic approach beyond recycling, including circular design, repair, and reuse.
• Address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues for recyclers.

Conclusion

The report underscores that recycling is not a substitute for mining, but a complementary source that can enhance supply security, reduce environmental impact, and support economic development in regions with limited mineral resources. Policy momentum is growing, but more comprehensive and coordinated efforts are needed to fully realise the potential of critical minerals recycling. The Clean Energy Transitions Programme and IEA Working Party on Critical Minerals have played key roles in shaping this analysis, and international collaboration is vital to achieving sustainable and secure mineral supply chains.