🌱 What are materials?
Materials are substances or mixtures of substances. In practice, they are commonly the components used to produce consumer goods or end products. Materials are sometimes processed or made into parts, before they are used to make end products.[i] Across the board, “materials are essential in construction and manufacturing, from buildings and bridges to cars and electronics”.[ii] The term “materials” is very broad, and – for example – both minerals and metals are considered materials.
🌱 What are minerals?
Minerals are naturally occurring substances that have a crystalline structure.[iii] They are inorganic solids, which can consist of “either a single chemical element or a combination of chemical elements”.[iv] Many minerals contain metallic elements. This makes minerals a primary source for metals.[v] There are over 3000 different minerals, and each one has a “specific chemical formula”. This means they consist of given elements in very specific proportions. Minerals are not man-made, but they are formed naturally through different geological processes.[vi]
🌱 What are metals?
Metals are pure elements. This means that “[t]hey are not mixtures of different elements, but rather single elements” – such as aluminum, copper, iron, and gold.[vii] Metals are extracted from minerals or ores, through different technical and chemical processes.[viii] They typically have a shiny appearance and a certain resistance to corrosion. Metals are good conductors of both heat and electricity, which is also why they are commonly used in electronics and renewable energy technologies. Moreover, metals are malleable, which means they can be pressed or hammered into shape without cracking or breaking. They are also ductile, which means they can fairly easily be drawn out into thin wires.[ix] For their practical application, metals are often combined together to make alloys. These alloys are “tailored to meet specific demands, such as strength or heat resistance”.[x]
🌱 What is needed for modern technologies?
Overall, “[m]etals and minerals have played a crucial role in building the modern world”.[xi] Diverse materials, minerals, and metals are, for example, needed to produce both electronics and renewable energy technologies. Unsurprisingly, “[t]he types of […] resources used vary by technology”.[xii] Due to the energy transition, the significance of certain materials, minerals, and metals has increased significantly. Cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, and rare earth elements are, for example, “all essential for the production of low-carbon technologies, such as wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles”. In line with this, the demand for these materials is expected to continue to grow significantly.[xiii]
Learn more about recent discoveries of minerals and metals here.
[i] https://www.britannica.com/money/visible-trade#ref229550
[ii] https://ourworldindata.org/metals-minerals
[iii] https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/mining-metals/critical-minerals
[iv] https://www.geologyin.com/2016/03/what-is-difference-between-rock-mineral.html
[v] https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/mining-metals/critical-minerals
[vi] https://www.geologyin.com/2016/03/what-is-difference-between-rock-mineral.html
[vii] https://www.geologyin.com/2016/03/what-is-difference-between-rock-mineral.html
[viii] https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/mining-metals/critical-minerals
[ix] https://www.geologyin.com/2016/03/what-is-difference-between-rock-mineral.html
[x] https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/mining-metals/critical-minerals
[xi] https://ourworldindata.org/metals-minerals
[xii] https://www.iea.org/topics/critical-minerals
[xiii] https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/mining-metals/critical-minerals