What Would a Circular Periodic Table Look Like?

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In this new age of technology, digitalisation, and e-mobility, lithium has become a strategic raw material. It is estimated that there will be a rise in demand by 10 to 50 times by 2050, compared to the current EU consumption. Such demand on the supply chain will put both nature and the people working with it in unhealthy conditions.

The Mendeleev periodic table was invented in 1869, and the elements were arranged according to atomic weight, leaving room for undiscovered elements to be identified later. It has been more than 150 years since the creation of the periodic table, which helped drive the industrialisation era. Now it is time to look at these elements through a new lens of sustainability and circularity. Which of these elements are meant to be drivers toward circularity, and which elements are not to be included in the recipe for our circular future?

There are 118 known elements, with fewer than 100 stable ones, and their abundance varies from less than 100 parts per million to more than 10,000 parts per million in the Earth’s crust and atmosphere. In addition, there are geographical limitations and environmental conditions that affect whether an element is fit for sustainability.

Elements of the Past

Not all elements we use excessively today are apt for a sustainable tomorrow. Some of these are facing supply risk, meaning either they have too little availability, or the concentration of these elements is in a geographical location unsuitable for global supply chains. Another reason is that some elements are toxic to humans and nature.

Indium is used in displays and thin-film solar cells due to its low availability. Permanent magnets in EVs, wind turbines, and robotics are heavily reliant on rare earth elements (REEs), as most of their supply chain is located in China, along with other critical raw materials. Elements like thallium, tungsten, and cobalt are also facing high supply risks. This means technologies developed with these materials should not be part of the circular economy, as a steady supply is not guaranteed.

There are also elements toxic to the environment, such as heavy metals like lead, used in cables and soldering, which are hazardous, and their occurrence in landfills is a significant concern. Another well-known hazardous element is mercury, which is used in lamps and causes environmental problems during extraction and processing. Cadmium, beryllium, and phosphorus are also harmful to the environment.

Materials for the Future

There are elements that help us achieve an economy based on renewable energy and emission reduction, lessening the impact on our planet.

Critical raw materials (CRMs), as the name suggests, are strategic elements for sectors such as renewable energy and e-mobility. Rare elements, due to their unique magnetic properties, are essential components in EVs and wind turbines for permanent magnets.

Lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, and magnesium are known as battery raw materials, crucial for energy storage systems. Lithium-ion batteries are used for electric transport systems.Platinum group metals are used as catalysts in fuel cells for energy conversion. In semiconductors and solar panels, photovoltaic materials such as silicon, indium, gallium, germanium, and tellurium are the main building blocks; they are also used in sensors.

Most metals have a chemically stable structure and can be melted and reforged many times without considerable loss of their desired properties. Elements like steel, aluminium, and copper are used as structural components and conductors for heat and electricity. Their ability to recycle and reuse makes them suitable for a circular economy. The same applies to glass, which is widely used in PV panels and the packaging industry.

Earth-abundant materials like iron and copper have the ability to replace various toxic and rare materials that are scarce and face geopolitical issues. Bio-based solvents like water are safer alternatives to volatile organic solvents, which are toxic and cause atmospheric pollution. Water can be used in chemical synthesis and processing. Incorporating these sustainable elements in the value chain should be a priority over using toxic, scarce elements with geographical issues.

Challenges Ahead

Replacing unfavourable elements with favourable ones is not easy, as many elements have unique properties that have no adequate substitutes. High performance and quality are required in high-tech applications. For example, REEs used in permanent magnets cannot be replaced easily. The same applies to substituting platinum in fuel cells due to its high cost and supply problems; finding a perfect substitute is not yet possible.

In the field of aeronautics, composite materials and alloys are designed to meet extreme conditions. Finding alternatives for these specialised needs requires significant research into suitable materials.

The economic system is also not ready for large-scale adoption, as in many cases, virgin materials cost less than recycled ones. According to the British Geological Survey, a smartphone contains around 70 elements in tiny quantities, and recycling them is not an easy or economically viable task at the moment.

Growing global consumption is another major problem. To meet the EU decarbonization goal, corresponding to a minimum of 2000 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, more materials will be needed for solar panels and wind turbines. Recycling wind turbine blades is complex, as the materials often get destroyed in the process.

Notable Changes

Despite these challenges, considerable actions have been taken in both policy and technology.

The EU aims to rely less on imports. Therefore, they have decided that 25% of critical raw materials (CRMs) should come from recycling by 2030. Focus is also shifting toward urban mining to recover valuable elements from landfills. Products like permanent magnets must include labelling that states material names, weights, and removal procedures to make them recycling-friendly.

The EU is also creating a database called the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) to collect data to help policymakers understand where materials come from and how to manage them effectively.

Policies like the Eco-design Directive ensure products are designed circularly from the beginning. These changes should create momentum for more intense initiatives to meet decarbonization goals.

New pilot recycling plants have been set up in Europe to recover elements like yttrium and europium through projects like RECLAIM. Companies like Umicore claim that they are now capable of recovering cobalt, nickel, and copper from old batteries on a large scale. They have also collaborated with car makers to design easily recyclable batteries.

Scientists are developing alternative magnets that do not use rare earth elements. They use iron-nitride magnets, which reduce their dependency on scarce materials and are more cost-effective.

Conclusion

As scientists have stated, they do not expect more than the current 118 elements to be found on Earth. We must therefore manage our material usage responsibly, shifting focus from scarce, high-risk elements to favourable elements for circularity, such as iron, aluminium, and magnesium, which are abundant in the Earth’s crust. However, ecosystems must be considered during extraction. Tools like digital product passports and the Raw Materials Information System must be utilised for resource maximisation and recovery.

Switching to circular elements will help us achieve a toxic-free material cycle, but doing so will require substantial financial investment and disruption of the current value chain and economy. This transition will require aligning industrial policy, material supply chains, and recycling systems to avoid critical bottlenecks.