Criticality of Seven Specialty Metals

摘要: Evaluating metal criticality is a topic that addresses future metals supply and has inspired research in corporations, academic institutions, governments. In this article, we apply comprehensive methodology to seven specialty metals—scandium (Sc), strontium (Sr), antimony (Sb), barium (Ba), mercury (Hg), thallium (Tl), bismuth (Bi)—at the national global levels for 2008. The results are presented along with uncertainty estimates three-dimensional “criticality space” comprised of risk (SR), vulnerability restriction (VSR), environmental implications (EI) axes. SR score highest over medium term (i.e., 5 10 years), followed very closely by thallium; long few decades), thallium, antimony. Strontium barium, mercury, have lowest term, term. Mercury EI score. For VSR, most vulnerable at both level (for United States) level, levels. general, found possess unique mix sparse data, toxicity concerns (in some cases), inadequate or nonexistent substitutes number specialized uses, situation would seem demand increased effort acquiring information needed characterize more rigor transparency than currently possible.