TELF AG examines some of the most common materials in the international lists of critical minerals
Five key resources
For some years now, also thanks to the economic and industrial centrality of raw materials, many nations and international institutions have begun to draw up lists of materials considered to be of great strategic importance for economic development and achieving climate objectives. Looking more carefully at these lists (which are constantly updated), it is possible to identify some resources that appear more often than others and seem to have attracted the attention of most international players due to their strategic value and evident usefulness in some specific industrial sectors. Among these, two seem to dominate the scene in this particular historical juncture: the electric vehicle industry and the renewable energy sector, on which a good part of the success of the global energy transition seems to depend.
According to a study by the Critical Minerals Institute, among the resources that appear in most international lists, there are five in particular, common to almost all of these lists: these are cobalt, gallium, graphite, rare earth, and platinum group metals, all more or less directly involved in the production processes related to the electric vehicle industry, and in particular some essential components of the machines, and in the production of important energy infrastructures such as solar panels and wind turbines, without forgetting the precious contribution in the field of advanced electronics.
Over the years, cobalt has increasingly emerged as one of the key resources for future mobility, mainly thanks to its role in producing lithium batteries for electric vehicles. Another possible field of application of this resource is directly linked to renewable energy storage systems, which make it possible to use it during periods of intermittency of energy sources. The largest reserves of this precious resource are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which also holds the most relevant production shares. At the same time, China still boasts excellent expertise in refining processes. Another resource involved in battery production processes is graphite, in its natural and synthetic form. This material is instrumental in producing anodes that make up lithium-ion batteries and is mainly produced in China. Regarding exports, Beijing surpasses this resource’s other major global producers: Germany, Japan, the United States, and South Korea.
Rare earths and gallium
The Critical Minerals Institute also talks about metals belonging to the platinum group, such as palladium and platinum itself, which, until now, have been noted above for their usefulness in producing catalytic converters for traditional cars. In a future dominated by electric vehicles, these metals could find concrete application spaces in the creation of fuel cells. According to recent estimates by the US Geological Survey, 210,000 kg of palladium were produced globally in 2022, of which 80,000 kg came from South Africa alone. This nation is also a leader in platinum production, which would have made around 140,000 kg in the same year.
Other elements that appear in most international lists are rare earths, which has had the opportunity to establish itself over the years, particularly in the advanced technology sector, but also in energy infrastructure and the production of motors for electric vehicles. One of its best-known applications, which has to do with the production processes of magnets, plays a role of primary importance in the functioning of wind turbines and electric motors. Finally, gallium, although less known than the other four resources, is equally strategic for some specific industrial processes. This resource, obtained as a by-product of the processing of zinc and bauxite, is used in the production of LEDs and semiconductors and is produced almost entirely in China.
