The Role of Accurate Analysis in Sustaining Critical Materials for a Circular Economy

Critical materials (CMs) are central to Industry 4.0 applications and charge everything from electric vehicles (EVs) to renewable energy sources. Their increasing demand and capability to disrupt supply chains are fueling efforts to uphold sustainable and durable supply networks.¹

The circular economy stresses responsible resource use and recycling and holds the secret to extending CM longevity and availability. AnalytiChem supports this mission and delivers accurate reference materials, sample preparation instruments, and lab consumables that enable precise chemical analysis at every step of the cycle.

Critical Material Value

CMs, such as base metals, non-fuel materials, and rare earth elements, are key to consumer electronics, green infrastructure, and renewable energy technologies.¹ From lithium and cobalt needed for EV batteries to platinum and palladium used in automotive catalytic converters, use cases for CMs are projected to increase as countries switch to low-carbon technologies and sustainable infrastructure.^2,3

CMs, however, present significant challenges to the supply chain due to their increasing scarcity and uneven worldwide distribution. Price fluctuations, geopolitical tensions, and social and environmental concerns make ensuring a reliable and lasting supply harder.⁴

Accurate analysis is a solution for understanding and handling supply chain dynamics. This method can help ensure every stage of material handling, from extraction to recycling, is resourceful and reduces waste.

Image Credit: Analytichem

Precise Analysis in the Circular Economy

The circular economy intends to keep resources in use for as long as possible to extract maximum value. It then seeks to regenerate them when their lifecycle ends.

This process demands accurate chemical analysis to maintain quality standards, optimize processes, and ensure the recycled material’s purity. Researchers can validate high-purity lithium compounds required for rechargeable batteries via elemental analysis of lithium brine samples.

Due to the complex high-salt matrix of brines, precision tools, including inductively alongside plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), are needed to address issues stemming from high total dissolved solids, solution density, and particle presence.⁵

Ores such as spodumene are also crucial sources of lithium and necessitate attentive sample preparation and analysis via ICP-OES, or (LIBS) laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

When a lithium-ion battery has reached the end of its lifecycle, precise analysis is still required to determine how it will be recycled. Batteries contain several metals, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese, which should be attentively separated and refined.

Tools such as ICP-OES can quantify these metals in complex “black mass” (a powder form of shredded batteries), permitting the efficient recycling of precious materials while mitigating environmental consequences.³

Precision analyses are also prominent in recycling precious metals, especially as recycled platinum, palladium, and rhodium can be used as sustainable secondary sources. As platinum is principally recovered from spent autocatalysts, refinement processes frequently rely on accurate measurements to optimize the extraction of precious metals.

Factors including differences in the precious metal content of used catalysts and variations in metal loading per vehicle necessitate reliable analysis to optimize yield and minimize wastage.

Automotive catalysts are additionally a key source of other crucial materials, such as rare earth elements. This degree of precision aids the circular economy by addressing industrial demand for platinum with less dependence on recently mined resources.²

AnalytiChem’s Tools for Analyzing CMs

AnalytiChem Canada offers several ISO-accredited reference materials, sample preparation systems, and lab consumables built for meticulous analysis of CMs, such as:

1. Certified reference materials (CRMs): CRMs are extremely useful for labs working on CM analysis, utilized to calibrate tools and verify results. AnalytiChem’s portfolio of ISO 17034-accredited CRMs comprises OREAS^® geochemical standards and  ICP-OES reference materials. AnalytiChem also offers custom standards made according customer requirements. The overall CRM portfolio is designed to optimize accuracy across multiple analytical approaches.
2. SNRG Block^TM System: Pinpoint sample preparation is key to precise analysis. The SNRG Block System digests environmental and mineral samples and handles many sample sizes while operating at elevated temperatures of up to 240 °C. This flexibility enhances sample preparation efficiency and accuracy, safeguarding analysis consistency over multiple use cases.⁶
3. Laboratory consumables: AnalytiChem’s ICP consumables, such as DigiTUBE digestion tubes and DigiFILTERs, support contamination-free sample processing. DigiTUBEs remove the need for individual volumetric flasks, minimizing errors and reducing time spent in the lab, while DigiFILTERs offer reliable filtration, which is important for preparing samples for analysis.⁷

When combined, these components improve analytical precision in CM workflows and are important for researchers using approaches such as XRF, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, and Fire Assay.

Image Credit: Analytichem

AnalytiChem’s Analytical Solutions to Advance Sustainability

AnalytiChem’s product line supports the responsible exploration, mining, and recycling of CMs to sustain a consistent supply capable of driving the world economy. This affects macroscale initiatives by enabling the production of EV batteries and wind turbines and elevating personal technologies such as laptops and displays.

AnalytiChem also helps organizations enhance process efficiencies, minimize environmental effects, and maintain regulatory compliance by enabling high-quality data collection and analysis.

Summary: Protecting the Future of CMs

As demand for CMs increases, the need for sustainable and robust supply chains has never been more urgent. AnalytiChem’s product line enables precise analysis, which is critical for sustaining quality and efficiency over all stages of the circular economy.

AnalytiChem is committed to enabling labs worldwide to play their role in the circular economy so CMs can remain available to fuel global infrastructure, greener energy solutions, and contemporary technology.

References and Further Reading

1. Energy.gov. What Are Critical Materials and Critical Minerals? [online] Available at: https://www.energy.gov/cmm/what-are-critical-materials-and-critical-minerals.
2. Platinum recycling and the circular economy  - CME Group. https://www.cmegroup.com/articles/2023/platinum-recycling-and-the-circular-economy.html.
3. LabRulez ICPMS. (2023). Determination of Metals in Recycled Li-ion Battery Samples by ICP-OES. [online] Available at: https://icpms.labrulez.com/paper/20570 (Accessed 20 Nov. 2024).
4. Deloitte United States. (2023). A circular economy for critical minerals is fundamental for our future. [online] Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/energy-and-resources/articles/circular-economy-critical-minerals-fundamental-our-future.html (Accessed 20 Nov. 2024).
5. Gagnon, M.-A. (2022). Elemental Analysis of Brine Samples used for Lithium Extraction. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372776097_Elemental_Analysis_of_Brine_Samples_used_for_Lithium_Extraction (Accessed 20 Nov. 2024).
6. Analytichem SNRG Block^™ System. Available at: https://info.scpscience.com/snrgblocksystem (Accessed: 29 October 2024).
7. Analytichem DigiFILTERs & Accessories. Available at: https://www.scpscience.com/en/products/categories?id=382&name=digifilters-- (Accessed: 29 October 2024).

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Analytichem.

For more information on this source, please visit AnalytiChem.