Kamrul Islam (1), Keitaro Maeno (1), Ryosuke Yokoi (1), Damien Giurco (2), Shigemi Kagawa (3), Shinsuke Murakami (4) and Masaharu Motoshita (1)
1. AIST, Japan,
2. University of Technology, Australia,
3. Kyushu University, Japan, 4The University of Tokyo, Japan
Oral: PDF
Exploring the sustainable limits of mineral production under the environmental constraints:
Planetary Boundary (PB) approach. Define a specific goal for sustainable mineral use
How much minerals can we use under regional water availability as a constraint?
To reduce overproduction where mining exceeds regional water limits, we explored substitution of production to less water-stressed countries through three scenarios: Maximum capacity, Global sustainability and Local sustainability.
Mineral production could be restricted by environmental issues. In particular, copper could be the most concerned.
=> Improvement of water intensity for production, exploration of substitutes, and establishment of recycling technologies and systems are crucial.
The proposed PB approach can support industries and resource management policy.
• Preparation for future disruption
• Exploration of materials for technology development