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Mankind is using a greater variety of metals in greater quantities than ever before. As a result there is increasing global concern over the long-term availability of secure and adequate supplies of the metals needed by society. Critical metals, which are those of growing economic importance that might be susceptible to future scarcity, are a particular worry. For many of these we have little information on how they are concentrated in the Earth's crust, how to extract them from their ores, and how to use, recycle and dispose of them effectively and safely.
Published with the British Geological Survey, the Critical Metals Handbook brings together a wealth of knowledge on critical metals and provides a foundation for improving the future security and sustainability of critical metal supplies. Written by international experts, it provides a unique source of authoritative information on diverse aspects of the critical metals, including geology, deposits, processing, applications, recycling, environmental issues and markets. It is aimed at a broad non-specialist audience, including professionals and academics working in the exploration and mining sectors, in mining finance and investment, and in mineral processing and manufacturing. It will also be a valuable reference for policy makers concerned with resource management, land-use planning, eco-efficiency, recycling and related fields.
List of Contributors, xi
Acknowledgements, xiii
1 Metal resources, use and criticality, 1 / T.E. Graedel, Gus Gunn and Luis Tercero Espinoza
2 The mining industry and the supply of critical minerals, 20 / David Humphreys
3 Recycling of (critical) metals, 41 / Christian Hagelüken
4 Antimony, 70 / Ulrich Schwarz-Schampera
5 Beryllium, 99 / David L. Trueman and Phillip Sabey
6 Cobalt, 122 / Stephen Roberts and Gus Gunn
7 Gallium, 150 / Thomas Butcher and Teresa Brown
8 Germanium, 177 / Frank Melcher and Peter Buchholz
9 Indium, 204 / Ulrich Schwarz-Schampera
10 Lithium, 230 / Keith Evans
11 Magnesium, 261 / Neale R. Neelameggham and Bob Brown
12 Platinum-group metals, 284 / Gus Gunn
13 Rare earth elements, 312 / Frances Wall
14 Rhenium, 340 / Tom A. Millensifer, Dave Sinclair, Ian Jonasson and Anthony Lipmann
15 Tantalum and niobium, 361 / Robert Linnen, David L. Trueman and Richard Burt
16 Tungsten, 385 / Teresa Brown and Peter Pitfield
Appendices, 414
Glossary of technical terms, 419
Index, 431
Gus Gunn is a principal research scientist at the British Geological Survey in Nottingham, UK. He has spent his entire career, starting in 1975, working in mineral exploration and mineral deposits research. Since 2009 his main focus has been on critical metals and on the development of strategies to ensure their long-term security of supply.
"In general, this is an excellent edition, with high quality figures, readable tables, clearly written texts, well-organized structure, and precisely aimed at a broad range of non-specialists in policy, environment pollution, remediation, and economy domains; but professionals and researchers working in exploration and mining sectors, including mining finance and investment, as well as in mineral processing and manufacturing, will be greatly satisfied to have this Handbook on their bookshelves."
– Pure Appl. Geophys, 1 January 2015
"This is a highly recommended volume for anyone with an interest in the economics of the critical metals and their basic geology and mineralogy; it also belongs in any major earth sciences library. As these commodities have grown in importance during the past decade, bits and pieces of relevant material have been made available in various articles and government reports, but this is the first volume out the door to comprehensively bring all this material together, and it is a welcomed, well-produced, and data-rich book."
– Economic Geology, July 2014
