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The state of art of the mineral-resource base of strategic solid mineral deposits in Russia in general, and in Siberia in particular, is reviewed. Special attention is paid to the perspectives of the development of a resource base of Li, rare-earth metals (REMs), and ordinary and impact diamonds in Siberia. The characteristics of some deposits and scenarios of their exploration are estimated taking into account the quality of ores, geographical position, the state of infrastructure, and level of technologies of ore processing and the final product. The perspectives of the development of the Nb and REM resource base are assessed within the Tomtor pluton and the territory of the Udzha Uplift in general. The summarized results on multiannual regional field and laboratory studies of the distribution and variations in the composition of Cr-pyrope, which is most informative among index minerals for the recognition of the diamond potential of kimberlites and which was sampled from intermediate reservoirs of various ages of the Siberian Platform, are presented. Based on these results, the areas with possible new fields of potentially diamondiferous Middle Paleozoic kimberlites are revealed. The mineralogy of impact diamonds of the Popigai astrobleme and its explosion zone is described, and their technological characteristics are estimated. The visions of a new large region of the mining industry based on the strategic mineral resource base are substantiated for the territory of the Lena–Khatanga interfluve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear fuel is both the densest form of energy in its virgin state and, once used, one of the most hazardous materials known to humankind. Though commonly viewed as a waste—with over 300,000 tons stored worldwide and an additional 7–11,000 tons accumulating annually—spent nuclear fuel (SNF) represents a significant potential source of scarce, valuable strategic materials. Beyond the major (U and Pu) and minor (Np, Am, and Cm) actinides, which can be used to generate further energy, resources including the rare earth elements (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, and Tb), platinum group metals, (Ru, Rh, Pd, and Ag), noble gases (He, Kr, and Xe), and a range of isotopes useful for medical and energy generation purposes are also produced during fission. One reason for the accumulation of so much SNF is the low uptake of SNF recycle (or reprocessing), primarily due to the high capital and operational costs alongside concerns regarding proliferation and wastes generated. This study will highlight the predominantly overlooked potential for the recovery of strategic materials from SNF, which may offset costs and facilitate advanced waste management techniques for minimised waste volumes, thus increasing the sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle on the path towards Net Zero. Potential challenges in the implementation of this concept will also be identified.

The military defense was one of the main variables that explains the creation of public companies and the intervention of the State in Argentina in the 20th century. The Armed Forces managed an important part of Argentine industry and had a notable influence on the orientation of economic policy. However; within this concern for the basic industry not all forces acted in the same way. In addition to giving an account of the general role of the military industries, we will conduct a comparative study of basic petrochemicals (where the Army took direct involvement) and aluminum (developed by private capital driven by Air Force). In sum, we are interested to appreciate both the mechanisms used and the achievements made with these two "tactics" derived from the same "strategy", born of the military need to ensure the local provision of "strategic materials", whose results effectively modified the industrial structure of Argentina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear fuel is both the densest form of energy in its virgin state and, once used, one of the most hazardous materials known to humankind. Though commonly viewed as a waste—with over 300,000 tons stored worldwide and an additional 7–11,000 tons accumulating annually—spent nuclear fuel (SNF) represents a significant potential source of scarce, valuable strategic materials. Beyond the major (U and Pu) and minor (Np, Am, and Cm) actinides, which can be used to generate further energy, resources including the rare earth elements (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, and Tb), platinum group metals, (Ru, Rh, Pd, and Ag), noble gases (He, Kr, and Xe), and a range of isotopes useful for medical and energy generation purposes are also produced during fission. One reason for the accumulation of so much SNF is the low uptake of SNF recycle (or reprocessing), primarily due to the high capital and operational costs alongside concerns regarding proliferation and wastes generated. This study will highlight the predominantly overlooked potential for the recovery of strategic materials from SNF, which may offset costs and facilitate advanced waste management techniques for minimised waste volumes, thus increasing the sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle on the path towards Net Zero. Potential challenges in the implementation of this concept will also be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic led to a sharp drop in energy demand and reduced CO2 emissions in 2020. In contrast, 2021 is characterized by a strong and extremely fast recovery of the global economy and an increase in demand for products and services. Because economic growth is strongly correlated with energy consumption, global demand for electricity, oil and natural gas quickly surpassed pre-pandemic levels, driving prices to their highest levels in a decade in Europe, the United States, and major Asian markets. The imbalance between supply and demand in the energy market from 2021 has carried over into 2022, with energy prices holding record-high levels even before Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. Rising energy prices have fueled inflation, strong consumer demand, rising wages, higher housing and food costs, and low-interest rates. Along with disrupted supply chains, higher transport costs, and longer delivery times, there have been restrictions on industrial production in vital sectors. One of the reasons is the lack of strategic materials. The availability of these materials is essential to progress in advanced and clean energy technologies, so any supply disruption has repercussions for the economy, national security, implementation of green energy programs, and other initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-strength aluminum alloys with lithium as the main alloy have been developed worldwide to reduce the weight of the components used in the aerospace industry. This addition considerably reduces the alloy's final weight and improves the mechanical properties by rendering it heat-treatable. Currently, these materials are not produced in the country, and it is difficult to import them because they are strategic materials. The present work aims to show the results obtained in studying the effects of cooling speed controlling the aforementioned material. The analysis and evaluation of the results were carried out through micrographs and hardness tests. The appearance of Widmanstätten structures with an inconsistent interface is observed when cooling slowly after total annealing, which makes subsequent plastic forming unfeasible. By using quench after annealing, the formation of Widmanstätten structures is inhibited, significantly improving the workability of the alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the relationship between energy transition and Great Power rivalry. Topics include the endowment of some countries and regions in the world with geographic advantages, importance of political agency and willingness to invest in renewable energy technologies like lack of a resource access can be compensated via a critical materials strategy and foreign policy, and dialogue between energy and climate modelers.

The article focuses on the fact that policy failures in the U.S. may be attributed to the limitation of military systems studies and the manner in which policymakers use them. The military systems studies have the self-imposed limitation of playing down the broader political factors is defensible up to a point in the attempt to deal with a critical portion of the overall problem. The chief difficulties arise in the transition from the suboptimized analytical studies to decision making. In this respect, analysts may have been remiss in failing to appreciate the crucial role of bureaucratic structures. The system studies even when stated to be limited and suboptimized were inevitably incorporated a number of non-technical assumptions though typically in a tangential and implicit fashion.

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Certain non-energy materials have been identified as being critical to the manufacturing sector and wider economy due to having a high risk of supply disruption combined with high economic importance. The criticality of specific raw materials is becoming increasingly acute as the escalating use of resources is driven by an increasing global population. Critical materials are vital elements in the value chain yet their supply risk may often be ineffectively addressed by traditional supply chain management strategies. Most research to date has been focused at a national or industrial policy level thus many manufacturers are unaware if their operations are at risk from critical materials at a product level. This paper presents a framework that takes a systematic approach to identifying, assessing and mitigating risk associated with critical materials bilaterally along the value chain to facilitate manufacturers in the identification, assessment and mitigation of critical material supply risk. This paper also describes how the framework can be facilitated for application in industry through preliminary design specifications towards a development of a decision support tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on critical materials (CMs) which comprises of rare earth elements and precious and specialty metals with details on their sourcing and possible engineering challenges. Topics discussed include their limited availability and high prices, the method of improving their supply chain and details on their byproduct sources. Topics including their recycling and reduction of their price-related risks and market concentration risks are also discussed.

Raw materials deemed critical are defined as having potential issues in their supply, limited substitutes, and applications of importance, namely in clean energy, defense, healthcare, and electronics. Disruptions in supply of critical materials can have serious negative repercussions for firms, consumers, and economies. One potential set of mitigation strategies for firms dealing with criticality issues is the implementation of circular economy principles in their supply chain, operations, and end-of-life management. This work conducts a literature review combined with case study analysis to examine how certain firms assess and monitor their vulnerability to critical material supply chain issues and provides specific business examples for integrating circularity strategies. Results indicate the potential for risk reduction that could be gained from implementation of these strategies; specifically recycling, for example, can provide an in-house source (for prompt or fabrication scrap) or at least domestic source (for post-consumer scrap) for critical materials; up to 24% for the case of indium usage in China. Just in time manufacturing techniques have the potential to both exacerbate supply issues (by encouraging low inventory or needed resources for manufacturing) and improve supply issues by introducing resiliency in the supply chain indicating that approach of firms in undertaking these strategies is important. Many cases reviewed show other quantifiable secondary benefits beyond risk reduction, such as economic savings, reduction in energy consumption, and improved corporate social responsibility via enhanced supply chain oversight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive component-level assessment of several strategic and minor metals (SaMMs), including copper, manganese, magnesium, nickel, tin, niobium, light rare earth elements (LREEs; lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, and samarium), cobalt, silver, tungsten, heavy rare earth elements (yttrium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium), and gold, use in the 2013 model year Ford Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, and F-150 is presented. Representative material contents in cars and light-duty trucks are estimated using comprehensive, component-level data reported by suppliers. Statistical methods are used to accommodate possible errors within the database and provide estimate bounds. Results indicate that there is a high degree of variability in SaMM use and that SaMMs are concentrated in electrical, drivetrain, and suspension subsystems. Results suggest that trucks contain greater amounts of aluminum, nickel, niobium, and silver and significantly greater amounts of magnesium, manganese, gold, and LREEs. We find tin and tungsten use in automobiles to be 3-5 times higher than reported by previous studies which have focused on automotive electronics. Automotive use of strategic and minor metals is substantial, with 2013 vehicle production in the United States, Canada, EU15, and Japan alone accounting for approximately 20% of global production of Mg and Ta and approximately 5% of Al, Cu, and Sn. The data and analysis provide researchers, recyclers, and decision-makers additional insight into the vehicle content of strategic and minor metals of current interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just before the First World War, 70% of the globe’s copper was mined or processed in the U.S. At that time, nearly the same percentage of copper was consumed in Europe – the vast majority of which originated from American mines. At first glance, a trade dynamic of this sort would appear to strongly favour the position of U.S. producers; surprisingly, sources indicate that control of the world’s copper trade was largely the prerogative of a select group of German metal trading companies – the largest and most influential among them was Metallgesellschaft (MG). The following essay explores the competitive dynamics among producers, consumers, and intermediary groups. It argues that U.S. producers were only able to gain substantive control over the supply and marketing of copper in the wake of the economic disruption caused by the Great War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of elements from the periodic table are being used in a growing number of products, enabling new material and product functionalities. Materials of high importance and high supply risks are usually referred to as critical materials. Many materials that are often considered critical are used in ways leading to their dissipative loss along the product life cycle. So far, the issue of material dissipation has been dealt with mainly on a rather aggregated level. Detailed knowledge on the occurrence and amount of dissipative losses in the life cycle of specific products is only scarcely available. Addressing this, a substance flow analysis of different critical metals along the life cycle of selected products is presented in this article. With regard to products used in Germany, the flows of indium and gallium used in copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) photovoltaic cells, germanium used in polymerization catalysts, and yttrium used in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been analyzed. The results comprise detailed knowledge about the life cycle stages in which dissipative losses occur and about the receiving media. In all case studies, a complete or almost complete dissipative loss can be observed, mainly to landfills and other material flows. In all case studies, material production can be identified as hotspots for dissipative losses. In two case studies fabrication and manufacturing (F&M for CIGS and TBCs) and in one case study end of life (polymerization catalysts) can be identified as further hotspots for dissipative losses. In addition, actions for reducing dissipation along the life cycle are discussed, targeting aspects such as the recovery of critical metals as by-products, efficiency in F&M processes, and lack of recycling processes. Lack of economic incentives to apply more-efficient technologies and processes already available is a key aspect in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmaceutical Quality-by-Design is a risk-based approach of drug development relying on the understanding of both the product and the process. This state of the art analyzes 24 studies published during the last ten years. A risk modeling of the nanomaterial formulation and manufacturing is firstly presented. After a brief history of the QbD approach, its basic components are recalled in a second part. The most critical material attributes, process parameters, quality variables and measurement technologies are reviewed. Specific deficiencies are also emphasized such as the absence of prior risk assessment, production scale-up, process analytical technology and control strategy. Finally, perspectives and development priorities are drawn to improve the implementation of this integrative approach of quality and safety in nanomedicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was carried out to understand the impact of formulation and process variables on the quality of oral disintegrating films (ODF) using Quality by Design (QbD) approach. Lamotrigine (LMT) was used as a model drug. Formulation variable was plasticizer to film former ratio and process variables were drying temperature, air flow rate in the drying chamber, drying time and wet coat thickness of the film. A Definitive Screening Design of Experiments (DoE) was used to identify and classify the critical formulation and process variables impacting critical quality attributes (CQA). A total of 14 laboratory-scale DoE formulations were prepared and evaluated for mechanical properties (%elongation at break, yield stress, Young’s modulus, folding endurance) and other CQA (dry thickness, disintegration time, dissolution rate, moisture content, moisture uptake, drug assay and drug content uniformity). The main factors affecting mechanical properties were plasticizer to film former ratio and drying temperature. Dissolution rate was found to be sensitive to air flow rate during drying and plasticizer to film former ratio. Data were analyzed for elucidating interactions between different variables, rank ordering the critical materials attributes (CMA) and critical process parameters (CPP), and for providing a predictive model for the process. Results suggested that plasticizer to film former ratio and process controls on drying are critical to manufacture LMT ODF with the desired CQA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the commonly-used solid dosage forms, pharmaceutical tablets have been widely used to deliver active drugs into the human body, satisfying patient's therapeutic requirements. To manufacture tablets of good quality, diluent powders are generally used in formulation development to increase the bulk of formulations and to bind other inactive ingredients with the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). For formulations of a low API dose, the drug products generally consist of a large fraction of diluent powders. Hence, the attributes of diluents become extremely important and can significantly influence the final product property. Therefore, it is essential to accurately characterise the mechanical properties of the diluents and to thoroughly understand how their mechanical properties affect the manufacturing performance and properties of the final products, which will build a sound scientific basis for formulation design and product development. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanical properties of the widely-used pharmaceutical diluent powders, including microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powders with different grades (i.e., Avicel PH 101, Avicel PH 102, and DG), mannitol SD 100, lactose monohydrate, and dibasic calcium phosphate, were performed. The powder compressibility was assessed with Heckel and Kawakita analyses. The material elastic recovery during decompression and in storage was investigated through monitoring the change in the dimensions of the compressed tablets over time. The powder hygroscopicity was also evaluated to examine the water absorption ability of powders from the surroundings. It was shown that the MCC tablets exhibited continuous volume expansion after ejection, which is believed to be induced by (1) water absorption from the surrounding, and (2) elastic recovery. However, mannitol tablets showed volume expansion immediately after ejection, followed by the material shrinkage in storage. It is anticipated that the expansion was induced by elastic recovery to a limited extent, while the shrinkage was primarily due to the solidification during storage. It was also found that, for all powders considered, the powder compressibility and the elastic recovery depended significantly on the particle breakage tendency: a decrease in the particle breakage tendency led to a slight decrease in the powder compressibility and a significant drop in immediate elastic recovery. This implies that the particle breakage tendency is a critical material attribute in controlling the compression behaviour of pharmaceutical powders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce several new resilience metrics for quantifying the resilience of critical material supply chains to disruptions and validate these metrics using the 2010 rare earth element (REE) crisis as a case study. Our method is a novel application of Event Sequence Analysis, supplemented with interviews of actors across the entire supply chain. We discuss resilience mechanisms in quantitative terms-time lags, response speeds, and maximum magnitudes-and in light of cultural differences between Japanese and European corporate practice. This quantification is crucial if resilience is ever to be taken into account in criticality assessments and a step toward determining supply and demand elasticities in the REE supply chain. We find that the REE system showed resilience mainly through substitution and increased non-Chinese primary production, with a distinct role for stockpiling. Overall, annual substitution rates reached 10% of total demand. Non-Chinese primary production ramped up at a speed of 4% of total market volume per year. The compound effect of these mechanisms was that recovery from the 2010 disruption took two years. The supply disruption did not nudge a system toward an appreciable degree of recycling. This finding has important implications for the circular economy concept, indicating that quite a long period of sustained material constraints will be necessary for a production-consumption system to naturally evolve toward a circular configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses trends in sales management at the time of publication. According to the author, sales management has been dominated by war and defense as a result of World War II. The author forecasts that the war will continue to dominate sales management in 1942. A number of predictions are made for the field of merchandising due to the war effort. The author predicts the possible full stoppage of production for products that call for the use of critical materials. Also predicted are the substitution of materials, simplification of product lines and the redesign of packaging and container policy.

The current situation and prospects for innovation-based economic development in the North of Russia have been studied. The organizational-economic mechanism of technological modernization of industry is shown. An analysis is made of scientific and technological foundations of improving the efficiency of the mining complex. Conceptual approaches to the formation of the national reserve of strategic materials and to manpower coverage of innovative activities have been worked out

The current situation and prospects for innovation-based economic development in the North of Russia have been studied. The organizational-economic mechanism of technological modernization of industry is shown. An analysis is made of scientific and technological foundations of improving the efficiency of the mining complex. Conceptual approaches to the formation of the national reserve of strategic materials and to manpower coverage of innovative activities have been worked out

The cobalt crisis at the end of 20th century and the recent rare earth elements debate in World Trade Organisation (WTO) both showed the importance of certain materials to numerous industries and even to the economy, defence and politics of individual countries. This fact prompted some authorities to launch organisations which focus on these critical materials and conduct studies on them. A good understanding of current or potential future situations of criticality of materials can help stakeholders to make better decisions to mitigate the criticality issues or take measures in advance. Furthermore, a review of critical materials studies provides a global view of this research area and be served as a reference material for future critical material studies. However, there is not yet a comprehensive study on diagnosis of criticality. Only some studies focused on finding critical materials in one specific region, country or offering recommendations accordingly. Also no product level methodology is available publicly. Therefore, the purposes of this study are (1) to show existing works about critical materials; (2) to help readers who want to carry on a critical materials study by showing: extract definitions of criticality as well as methodologies for determining the critical materials, including dimensions, data sources etc.; (3) to illustrate a criticality research area map as well as research gaps. Studies on critical materials are still at an early stage, evaluation methodologies can be improved and more sectors and regions need critical materials studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platinum-group metals (PGMs) are technological and economic enablers of many industrial processes. This important role, coupled with their limited geographic availability, has led to PGMs being labeled as "critical materials". Studies of future PGM flows have focused on trends within material flows or macroeconomic indicators. We complement the previous work by introducing a novel technoeconomic model of substitution among PGMs within the automotive sector (the largest user of PGMs) reflecting the rational response of firms to changing prices. The results from the model support previous conclusions that PGM use is likely to grow, in some cases strongly, by 2030 (approximately 45% for Pd and 5% for Pt), driven by the increasing sales of automobiles. The model also indicates that PGM-demand growth will be significantly influenced by the future Pt-to-Pd price ratio, with swings of Pt and Pd demand of as much as 25% if the future price ratio shifts higher or lower even if it stays within the historic range. Fortunately, automotive catalysts are one of the more effectively recycled metals. As such, with proper policy support, recycling can serve to meet some of this growing demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of technologies that contribute to the proper disposal and treatment of electronic waste is not just an environmental need, but an opportunity for the recovery and recycle of valuable metals and critical materials. Value elements in electronic waste include gold, palladium, silver, copper, nickel, and rare earth elements. This paper presents a technical assessment of the steps involved in a scheme that enables efficient recovery of value and critical materials from scrap mobile electronics. An electrochemical recovery process, based on the regeneration of ferric ion as a weak oxidizer, is studied for the selective recovery of base metals while leaving precious metals for separate extraction at reduced chemical demand. A separate process recovers rare earth oxides from magnets in electronics. Recovery and extraction efficiencies ca. 90% were obtained for the extraction of base metals from the non-ferromagnetic fraction in the two different solution matrices tested (sulfuric and hydrochloric acid). The effect of the pre-extraction of base metals in the increase of precious metals extraction efficiency was verified. On the other hand, the extraction of rare earths from the ferromagnetic fraction, performed by means of anaerobic extraction in acid media, was assessed for the selective recovery of rare earths. A comprehensive flow sheet was developed to process electronic waste to value products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing industrial and academic interests in the choice of wood fibres as reinforcing fillers in polymer composites; in preference to synthetic fibres; is premised on their excellent mechanical properties, low density, abundance and recyclability. The interface and the functional performance of wood polymer composites (WPCs) can be controlled by appropriate selection of surface modification techniques for wood fibers, materials and processing parameters depending on the specifications for different technological applications. Meanwhile, resultant alterations in the interface and functional performance of WPCs even when the same wood fiber specie is incorporated into different polymeric matrix had been attributed to materials and processing challenges. In this overview, materials and processing challenges (poor bonding and degradation at wood fiber/polymer interface, fiber damage during processing, poor wettability and high moisture absorption) which affect WPCs' interface and functional performance are elucidated with the remedial measures proffered. The appropriateness of various materials and processing parameters for WPC's interface and functional performance is elucidated in an attempt to contribute to the development and promotion of sustainable and competitive potentials of WPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]