The Role of the Chemical Sciences in Finding Alternatives to Critical Resources

Excerpt

In September 2011, the CSR (Chemical Sciences Roundtable) organized a workshop on the topic, “The Role of Chemical Sciences in Finding Alternatives to Critical Resources.” The one-and-a-half-day workshop addressed key topics, including the economic and political matrix, the history of societal responses to key mineral and material shortages, the applications for and properties of existing minerals and materials, and the chemistry of possible replacements. The workshop featured several presentations highlighting the importance of critical nonfuel mineral and material resources in history, catalysis, agriculture, and electronic, magnetic, and optical applications.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• CHEMICAL SCIENCES ROUNDTABLE
• BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
• Preface
• Acknowledgment of Reviewers
• 1. Introduction and Overview
  • OVERVIEW OF THE WORKSHOP
• 2. Assessments of Criticality
  • A FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING CRITICALITY
  • THE DOE CRITICAL MATERIALS STRATEGY
  • DISCUSSION
• 3. Critical Materials in Catalysis
  • CRITICAL MATERIALS IN CATALYSIS
  • ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS TO REPLACE PLATINUM IN CATALYTIC AND ELECTROCATALYTIC APPLICATIONS
  • DISCUSSION
• 4. Replacing Critical Materials with Abundant Materials
  • MOLECULAR ELECTROCATALYSTS FOR ENERGY CONVERSIONS USING ABUNDANT METALS
  • NOVEL METALS AND BASE METALS IN AUTOMOTIVE CATALYST SYSTEMS
  • DISCUSSION
• 5. Optoelectronics and Photovoltaics
  • CRITICAL MATERIALS IN OPTOELECTRONICS
  • KEY MINERALS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
  • DISCUSSION
• 6. Critical Materials in Large-Scale Battery Applications
  • CRITICAL MATERIALS FOR BULK ENERGY STORAGE
  • ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS FOR ENERGY SYSTEMS
  • DISCUSSION
• 7. General Observations
• References
• APPENDIXES
  • A Workshop Agenda
  • B Organizing Committee Biographies
  • C Guest Speaker Biographies
  • D Origin of and Information on the Chemical Sciences Roundtable

Rapporteurs: Douglas Friedman, Tina Masciangioli, Steve Olson

This study was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant DE-FG02-07ER15872, the National Institutes of Health under Grant N01-OD-4-2139 (Task Order 25), and the National Science Foundation under Grant CHE-0621582.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.