Team:Calgary/Sustainable
Overview
Unlike the name implies, rare earth elements (REEs) are not actually that rare. Instead, they receive this name because though they are relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust, they are found in extremely low concentrations and require incredibly complex processes to extract them [1]. With the demand for REEs increasing rapidly, it has been apparent that this rapidly depleting resource requires a new, sustainable supply.
So, we turned to REE recycling. However, current REE recycling methods involve hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, both of which are detrimental to the environment [2]. Additionally, one of the biggest challenges facing the recycling of REEs from e-waste is the lack of selectivity with current metal separation technologies [1]. Thus, the need for a sustainable REE recycling process has only grown and we hope to utilize our project to introduce a more reliable supply of these elements.
As such, since we identified detrimental environmental effects as one of the key issues associated with existing REE practice, we wanted to learn more about how to create a more sustainable solution. To accomplish this, we reached out to the University of Calgary sustainability office, who taught us about the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Figure 1.A screen capture of our meeting with the UofC Sustainability Office.
What are Sustainable Development Goals?
The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a group of 17 goals that were adopted by all UN Members in 2015 [3]. These countries came together to design a collective set of objectives to facilitate a global partnership to meet their 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [3]. These goals entail actions such as reducing inequalities, ending poverty, improving healthcare, promoting economic growth, improving education, and, finally, targeting climate change to promote a sustainable future [3].
Overall, these goals have been vital in guiding our project narrative and helping us build towards sustainable vision. Through our discussion with the U of C Sustainability office, we identified eight goals that we could support through our project.
Figure 2.Overview of Neocycle’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainable Development Goals
Our discussion with the Sustainability Office also helped us identify the specific clauses of each goal that we could target. To read more about the specifics of how our project supports each goal, see below:
Goal 3: Good health and well-being
Goal 3 focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for everyone [3]. We focused on clause 3.9: “By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination” [3].
REEs are naturally found as highly insoluble salts in ores that often have a high concentration of impurities which require complex chemical steps for extraction and purification [2]. These processes are not only expensive, but they produce toxic byproducts and release secondary pollutants that are detrimental to the environment [2].
Currently, researchers have found that a scary number of rare earth projects are leaching acids, heavy metals, and radioactive elements into groundwater [4]. This can contaminate our water supply and lead to illness and/or deaths [4]. Furthermore, REEs that are within mineral deposits can contain radioactive elements such as thorium [4]. Exposure to thorium can lead to cancer and other diseases [4]. Researchers have warned us about the serious dangers posed by the toxic byproducts produced by existing mines [4].
Neocycle is environmentally friendly as it uses a novel biological approach compared to existing chemical processes that produce toxic byproducts. Thus, we aim to reduce environmental risks and significantly reduce the number of adverse health conditions that occur from existing industrial processes.
Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
Goal 7 focuses on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for everyone [3]. We focused on clause 7.a:“ By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology” [3].
Neocycle aims to introduce a novel supply chain of REEs to support future clean energy technological advancements. Currently, the market for REEs is monopolistic and a select few companies control over 90% of the REE extraction processes [1]. Due to the difficulties associated with selectively and efficiently extracting REEs, many countries are unable to break into the market and establish a solid footing. Our project aims to provide an integratable and efficient solution that can be readily implemented into industry. If new supply chains of REEs are established, we can better support the needs of the future and promote the use of clean energy technology.
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
Goal 8 focuses on promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for everyone [3]. We focused on clause 8.2: “Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors” [3].
Through our discussions with eCycle Solutions and Quantum Lifecycle Partners LP, two local electronic waste recycling facilities, we learned that one of their major priorities is providing jobs for our province and promoting economic productivity. As such, the introduction of Neocycle would only increase the number of work opportunities and help stimulate local economies. Furthermore, we anticipate that Neocycle’s innovative design and integratable nature will allow it to be a reliable business. Read more about our project’s supporting entrepreneurship to learn about how we developed a holistic business model to implement Neocycle into the industry.
Goal 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
Goal 9 focuses on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation [3]. We focused on the following two clauses:
9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities [3]
9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending [3]
Neocycle provides a new avenue to improve existing recycling industries by adding additional material-recycling capacities. This can therefore upgrade their sustainable output in like with Goal 9.4. Goal 9.5 on the other hand is addressed primarily by our measurement subgroup. Our measurement system was designed with the goal of making working with and researching REEs accessible even to those without access to expensive analytical equipment such as an ICP-MS. This is useful not only to iGEM teams like us, but also to any researchers and industries worldwide who want to be able to examine REEs with limited lab equipment.
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
Goal 11 focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable [3]. We focused on clause 11.6: “By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management. [3].”<.p>
Neocycle aims to harness electronic waste as a source of REEs. As such, mindful and sustainable waste management is a huge priority of ours. By encouraging e-waste recycling, we can not only use it to extract REEs, but we can also help clean up the planet and support the transition towards a green future. Increases in urbanization have accelerated waste production, air pollution, and urban sprawl [3]. As such, we aim to repurpose and redirect electronic waste to reduce the detrimental impacts of urbanization.
Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
Goal 12 focuses on ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns [3]. We focused on the following three clauses:
12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment [3].
12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse [3]]
12.6: Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle [3].
Goal 12 is core to the design of Neocycle and its purpose. By closing the loop on REE production and use, we have sought from day one to divert e-waste from landfills and back into innovation and use. Goal 12.4 has been a priority particularly for the bioleaching subproject. Our team chose to implement bioleaching as an alternative to more traditional methods of solubilizing metals using strong synthetic acids and harsh chemical processing. We made this choice in order to avoid the large amounts of caustic and toxic chemical use associated with these treatments. On the other hand, all of Neocycle addresses Goal 12.5 by its essential goal of stopping usable REE materials from going in the trash.
Finally, our entrepreneurial, economic analysis, and proposed implementation work with Neocycle has helped to ensure that it has the potential to be cost-effective and compatible with existing industry practices. We conducted interviews and tours with e-waste recycling contacts in order to learn about current systems and markets, in order to design Neocycle as a system adoptable by industry. This has helped us to optimize our system for the Goal 12.6 objective of making sustainability appealing and acceptable to the for-profit world.
Goal 13: Climate action
Goal 13 focuses on taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts [3]. We focused on clause 13.3: “improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning” [3].
Our team launched numerous educational initiatives to improve public knowledge regarding the environmental implications of the REE scarcity problem. We devised strategies to target all age groups and spread awareness on a global scale. By improving education and raising awareness about the environmental implications of the REE scarcity issue and e-waste recycling, we hoped to mobilize the general public to take action towards the development of a green future. Read more about our numerous educational initiatives and outreach campaigns here.
Goal 17: Partnership for the goals
Goal 17 focuses on strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development [3]. We focused on clause 17.16: “Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries” [3].
To support this goal, we employed three strategies:
(1) We collaborated with the UofC Sustainability Office to launch a digital, global campaign to highlight the REE scarcity problem, e-waste recycling, and our project SDGs. At the end of our campaign, we launched a local e-waste recycling drive to encourage our audience to take action and help solve the problems we just taught them about. Through the office’s expertise in SDGs, this collaboration allowed us to share relevant, meaningful knowledge to help support the achievement of SDGs .
Figure 3. UofC Sustainability Office Collaboration Social Media Posts.
(2) We participated in the iGEM X SDG Impact Challenge Collaboration and Conference with iGEM TAS_Taipei. This initiative allowed us to meet with many teams from across the world to discuss and present our sustainability goals. By sharing our sustainability ideas, we were able to spread awareness about the REE scarcity problem and learn about other teams’ sustainability goals.
Figure 4.iGEM X SDG Impact Challenge
(3) Through our partnership with iGEM Bonn, we collaborated on an educational campaign to highlight the importance of REEs, their applications, and their scarcity. By sharing knowledge about the pertinence of the problem, we were able to engage with a global audience to raise awareness about the REE scarcity issue. Read more about our partnership page here.
References
Ritter S.K. 2017. A whole new world for rare earths. Chemical and Engineering News. 95(34): 30-34.
Pozo-Gonzalo P. 2021. Demand for rare-earth metals is skyrocketing, so we’re creating a safer, cleaner way to recover them from old phones and laptops. The Conversation.
United Nations. The 17 Goals. Yale School of the Environment. 2013 Jan 28 [accessed 2021 Aug 20]. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Ives M. Boom in Mining Rare Earths Poses Mounting Toxic Risks. Yale School of the Environment. 2013 Jan 28 [accessed 2021 Oct 8]. https://e360.yale.edu/features/boom_in_mining_rare_earths_poses_mounting_toxic_risks
Ritter S.K. 2017. A whole new world for rare earths. Chemical and Engineering News. 95(34): 30-34.
