HOSANA! Hole Systems Analysis: An integrated view of eTech element security and impacts, from deposits to products and beyond.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Engineering
Abstract
Will we be able to meet the UK's future demand for products and services based on E-tech elements? Between these services and the holes in the ground where minerals are extracted lies a complex supply chain, and the security of our mineral supply can only be assessed by a whole systems view linking our understanding of geological resources, mineralogy, metallurgy, processing, demand (design, manufacture and use) and environmental impacts. This proposal brings together four leading UK institutions, with initial support from businesses spanning this full supply chain, to work towards such an integrated assessment.
Planned Impact
The Catalyst project will lead to a major report and a full Proposal.
The aim of the full HOSANA! bid would be to provide a meaningful assessment of the future security of supply of critical minerals for E-tech applications in the UK, and to use this to trigger new research, commercial and policy initiatives to achieve UK leadership in response to both potential supply insecurities and unattractive environmental impacts. The full proposal and project would be developed with a big consortium of industrial partners spanning the whole supply chain of E-tech element extraction, processing and application.
Pathways to Impact in industry: the proposal will be supported by a committed industrial consortium, who will commit time and in some cases, may be able to support extra PhD students to work on projects of direct relevance to the sponsor. The Project will extend our existing public-domain tools, including the BP funded Foreseer tool, while collaborating with partners to maximise their value; the consortium will collaborate in bids to future funding calls; a "Fellows programme" within the Project would be initiated to support a two-way exchange of staff between consortium members and the Project; the technical work largely at Imperial College on evaluating processing options may lead to intellectual property developments.
Pathways to Impact in UK government: All the proposers have significant experience in engaging in government processes, and the full project bid will be developed in collaboration with all relevant government departments - including development of an appropriate Advisory Board, exchanges of staff through a fellows programme, and opportunities for the Investigators to join policy processes.
Pathways to International Impact: The proposal for the full Project will include an International Visiting Fellows programme, to bring the top academics in this area to the UK to gain awareness of the project, share insights from parallel activities in other countries and ensure that is fully connected to related activity developing in other countries. We will also engage in international processes, such as those of the UNEP International Resource Panel, UNEP Regional Consultations on Sustainable Consumption and Production and the European Union's Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe.
Pathways to impact through wider UK engagement: The design of the Project will include a 'stakeholder panel' to enable efficient communication with a wide range of NGOs and other bodies with an interest in criticality. We will request funding for an annual briefing day to report on Project activities, and for developing other media for engagement.
Pathways to impact through skills and training: The full Project will employ several PDRAs, who will form a cohort of well-informed future leaders of change in mineral criticality in industry and government. The Project will also support masters and undergraduate project students and the investigators will collaborate in developing materials for taught courses related to Project themes, and contribute as appropriate to executive education programmes at our institutions.
Pathways to public impact: The full Project will engage with relevant University offices and the communications teams of key partners to establish mechanisms for public communication and engagement around the more complete view of criticality provided by our whole systems approach.
The aim of the full HOSANA! bid would be to provide a meaningful assessment of the future security of supply of critical minerals for E-tech applications in the UK, and to use this to trigger new research, commercial and policy initiatives to achieve UK leadership in response to both potential supply insecurities and unattractive environmental impacts. The full proposal and project would be developed with a big consortium of industrial partners spanning the whole supply chain of E-tech element extraction, processing and application.
Pathways to Impact in industry: the proposal will be supported by a committed industrial consortium, who will commit time and in some cases, may be able to support extra PhD students to work on projects of direct relevance to the sponsor. The Project will extend our existing public-domain tools, including the BP funded Foreseer tool, while collaborating with partners to maximise their value; the consortium will collaborate in bids to future funding calls; a "Fellows programme" within the Project would be initiated to support a two-way exchange of staff between consortium members and the Project; the technical work largely at Imperial College on evaluating processing options may lead to intellectual property developments.
Pathways to Impact in UK government: All the proposers have significant experience in engaging in government processes, and the full project bid will be developed in collaboration with all relevant government departments - including development of an appropriate Advisory Board, exchanges of staff through a fellows programme, and opportunities for the Investigators to join policy processes.
Pathways to International Impact: The proposal for the full Project will include an International Visiting Fellows programme, to bring the top academics in this area to the UK to gain awareness of the project, share insights from parallel activities in other countries and ensure that is fully connected to related activity developing in other countries. We will also engage in international processes, such as those of the UNEP International Resource Panel, UNEP Regional Consultations on Sustainable Consumption and Production and the European Union's Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe.
Pathways to impact through wider UK engagement: The design of the Project will include a 'stakeholder panel' to enable efficient communication with a wide range of NGOs and other bodies with an interest in criticality. We will request funding for an annual briefing day to report on Project activities, and for developing other media for engagement.
Pathways to impact through skills and training: The full Project will employ several PDRAs, who will form a cohort of well-informed future leaders of change in mineral criticality in industry and government. The Project will also support masters and undergraduate project students and the investigators will collaborate in developing materials for taught courses related to Project themes, and contribute as appropriate to executive education programmes at our institutions.
Pathways to public impact: The full Project will engage with relevant University offices and the communications teams of key partners to establish mechanisms for public communication and engagement around the more complete view of criticality provided by our whole systems approach.
Publications
Moore K
(2020)
The re-direction of small deposit mining: Technological solutions for raw materials supply security in a whole systems context
in Resources, Conservation & Recycling: X
| Description | This was a catalyst grant for 8 months designed to prepare us to develop a full proposal - which we submitted to NERC/EPSRC in July 2014. We've recently received 4 reviews of the proposal, three of which were very positive, and will be interviewed by a panel on 12th November. The key findings of our 8 month study were that we aren't going to run out of any "critical" materials, but that "criticality" occurs when there is a short term imbalance between supply capacity and demand. This creates business risk, and there are a range of strategies for mitigating the risk across the supply chain - which vary from improved geological awareness of new supply options, through better process yields, to material substitution and design for recycling. It seems very strange that we have to submit anything in Research FIsh given the nature of this 8 month grant - but I am forced to do so, in order to submit the final report of a 5 year EPSRC Leadership Fellowship which ended this year. |
| Exploitation Route | This was a catalyst grant for 8 months designed to prepare us to develop a full proposal - which we submitted to NERC/EPSRC in July 2014. We've recently received 4 reviews of the proposal, three of which were very positive, and will be interviewed by a panel on 12th November. The key findings of our 8 month study were that we aren't going to run out of any "critical" materials, but that "criticality" occurs when there is a short term imbalance between supply capacity and demand. This creates business risk, and there are a range of strategies for mitigating the risk across the supply chain - which vary from improved geological awareness of new supply options, through better process yields, to material substitution and design for recycling. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Security and Diplomacy,Transport |
| Description | This was a catalyst grant for 8 months designed to prepare us to develop a full proposal - which we submitted to NERC/EPSRC in July 2014. We've recently received 4 reviews of the proposal, three of which were very positive, and will be interviewed by a panel on 12th November. The key findings of our 8 month study were that we aren't going to run out of any "critical" materials, but that "criticality" occurs when there is a short term imbalance between supply capacity and demand. This creates business risk, and there are a range of strategies for mitigating the risk across the supply chain - which vary from improved geological awareness of new supply options, through better process yields, to material substitution and design for recycling. |
| Sector | Other |
| Impact Types | Economic |
| Description | Response to call for evidence for UK Waste Policy Review |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |