Recent replies to "European Geosciences Union General Assembly" http://network.nature.com/forums/envirotech/124 en-us 40 <p>Perhaps one could suggest a focus on the connections between the source materials for a given energy technology, and the availability of that resource on the global market (per an economic geology assessment). In addition, one could talk about issues of recycling and processing of materials as geologically significant in a global economy.</p> <p>For example, lithium ion battery technology currently depends on cobalt ore. While cobalt is not scarce, it is relegated to localized ore bodies in politically challenged countries, and by rough estimates there is simply not enough cobalt in the crust to make a global economy of lithium-cobalt car batteries for hybrid/electric vehicles that industry dreams of. Researchers are looking for new materials, but I do not believe industry has been as well informed of the limitations of cobalt as an environmental resource.</p> <p>Consider the vast amount of copper related to heat exchange equipment and electrical wiring. Even if we can recycle copper, how far can we stretch the material across its myriad technologies before we have exceeded our usable limit of refined stock?</p> <p>As we move to larger, global economies, and as we attempt to decentralize our power consumption from fossil fuels alone, we will need to address reservoir management for all materials. I think there would be lots of issues to discuss at this session under an umbrella of materials reservoir management for developing energy technologies.</p> Fri, 25 May 2007 18:46:20 -0000 http://network.nature.com/forums/envirotech/124?page=1#reply-352 Jeffrey R. S. Brownson http://network.nature.com/forums/envirotech/124?page=1#reply-352