The role of the Chemical Industry in
Critical Raw Materials
Prof. Dr. Michael Röper, BASF SE
Industrial Technologies 2012, Aarhus
June 20, 2012
Raw Materials are of Key Importance
to the Chemical Industry
 The chemical industry is the key enabler of sustainable industrial
production
 Raw materials present about 30 % of the costs of a chemical product;
sourcing at competitive prices is essential
 Carbon feedstocks – oil, gas, coal, renewables, and CO2 – are the base of
organic chemistry that creates about 90% of the value of the chemical
industry
 Some inorganic feedstocks are regarded as critical: Noble metals, some rare
earth elements, indium, lithium, phosphate, …
 The chemical industry helps to overcome the tightness of critical raw
materials through improving the exploitation of deposits, improving the
efficiency in processing, recycling, and substitution
Critical Inorganic Feedstocks
Use
Noble metals: contacts in the electronic industry, catalysts in exhaust gas
converters, fuel cells, oil refining, chemical conversions
Some rare earth elements: magnets, phosphors, ceramics, alloys, glass &
polishing, catalysts
Indium: transparent conductor for lighting & displays, touch screens
Lithium: batteries, glass, ceramics, pharmaceuticals
Phosphates: fertilizers, detergents, animal feed
Strategies to improve the availability
Improving the exploitation of deposits
Improving the efficiency in processing
Reducing the use by improved design & materials science
Recycling after use
Substitution by more abundant feedstocks
Rare earth oxides (REO)
Reserves
 Estimated global reserves of 100 million metric tons REO are sufficient to meet demand for
the next 100 years (USGS, 2010)
22% all other countries
13% USA
5% Australia
3% India
19% CIS
38% China
7%
 97% of REO mining and purification is today done in China
 Negligable capacity outside China due to costs and environmental issues (significant Th
amounts in ores)
4
REE Processing
From ores to REO (RE oxides) and RE metals
Ore
Grinding, magnetic/gravity separation, flotation
Mineral concentrate
Cracking (acids or bases)
In situ mining
(Ion adsorption clays)
RE/Th/U concentrate
Separation of Th and/or U
Mixed RE concentrate
Separation of REO
Individual REO
Metallothermic or electrolytic reduction
RE metals
5
Enhanced REE Processing
Beneficiation/Cracking
Challenges
• Recovery not quantitative
• Tailings are not used today
• High energy demand in cracking
step
Possible Improvements
• Improved beneficiation of
minerals by tailor-made
chemicals
• process intensification for
cracking
Separation of the individual REO‘s
Challenges
• Similar chemical properties of
REE
• Environmental issues
Possible Improvements
• Improved extraction to reduce
energy consumption and use of
chemicals
• Chemicals & processes for waste
water treatment
• Novel separation processes
Reduction of CRM Use in Catalysis
Better Catalyst Design to Reduce CRM Use
Catalysts are essential for exhaust gas cleaning, oil refining, and
chemical production.
Many catalysts are based on noble metals (Pt, Pd, Rh, ...) on supports
and some contain rare earths as co-catalysts – improved design can
reduce the use of these materials:
 Reduction of active particles size on the support increases the
catalytically active surface and allows reduction of metal content
while maintaining or improving the catalyst properties
 Increase of catalyst life-time (service life) reduces the need for
replacement and decreases the down time for catalyst replacement
 Rational catalyst design enhances product yields and selectivities
(e.g. by improved supports, promoters or geometry)
 Replacement of CRMs by less critical materials (e.g. platinum by
nickel)
Substitution of CRMs

Application
Subcatagory
CRM
Electrics
Batteries
Cobalt
Iron, organic polymers, manganese
Graphite
Silicon (nano)
Lanthanum
Zinc-air, lithium-air, aluminium-air,
super-capacitors
Fuel cells
Platinum
Silver, biocatalysts
Semiconductors,
LED, OLED,
photovoltaics
Gallium
ZnO/MgS, organic polymers, zinc, tin
Indium
(ITO)
Organic polymers, graphene, carbon
nontubes, ZnO with metal grids
Catalysts
Platinum
Nickel, iron, biocatalysts
Tungsten
Iron oxide
Cobalt
Nickel, carbides, nitrides, chromium,
boron, titanium
Tungsten
Silicon carbide, molybdenum
Electronics
Materials
Metals, alloys
Substitute
Graphene as a Substitute for ITO
as Transparent Electrodes
Graphite
Graphene
Preparation of Graphene transparent
films by CVD
Conclusions
 The chemical industry is the key enabler of sustainable industrial
production and relies heavily on a reliable raw materials supply at
competitive conditions (carbon & inorganic feedstocks)
 Some inorganic feedstocks are regarded as critical: Noble metals,
some rare earth elements, indium, lithium, phosphate, …
 The chemical industry helps to overcome the tightness of critical
raw materials through improving the exploitation of deposits,
improving the efficiency in processing, recycling, and substitution
 Redesign of materials and products through material science is an
efficient tool to reduce CRM utilization and to improve the
sustainability of industrial production
Back-up
The role of the Chemical Industry in
Critical Raw Materials
Prof. Dr. Michael Röper, BASF SE
Industrial Technologies 2012, Aarhus
June 20, 2012
Carbon Feedstocks for the Chemical
Industry in Germany
Coal
1%
Natural gas
14%
Total: 21,2 Mill. t (2008)
Source: VCI, FNR 2010
Renewable
Feedstocks
13%
Naphtha, Oil
Derivatives
72%
Availability of Fossil Feedstocks
Situation
 Base for power&fuel industries: fuels for
mobility, electrical power,
heating&cooling
 Mineral oil the most important feedstock
of the chemical industry, but is used
almost exclusively in the energy sector
Goal: Material use rather than burning!
 Better energy efficiency by
electromobility, better heat insulation
and light weight construction
 Use of renewable energy
 Increase mineral oil & gas reserves by
improved recovery methods
Range: Reserves / yearly
consumption*
146
Years
60
41
Mineral oil
Gas
Coal
* Source: Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe
15
Raw Material Change in Carbon
Feedstocks
GOAL
To enable the chemical industry to
replace or supplement oil, the
conventional chemical raw material, with
alternatives
Oil
Natural gas
STRATEGY
To develop new technologies for entry into the
existing value-adding chains
Examples: Reduction of CO2 by use of renewable
energy, improved & new catalytic conversions
Coal
16
Biomass
Carbon dioxide