Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FutuRaM (Future Availability of Secondary Raw Materials)
Reporting period: 2022-06-01 to 2023-11-30
Access to raw materials drives the global economy. It thus determines the competitive position and resilience of industry, and our ability to transition toward a decarbonised world. Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) are economically and strategically important for the EU economy but have a high-risk associated with their supply. In many instances, CRM primary extraction is limited to a few locations outside of Europe, and there are no viable substitutes for these materials with current technologies. To achieve a transition toward a decarbonised world, Secondary Raw Materials (SRMs) need to play an increasing role, which will help to diversify the supply sources of CRMs.
The effective management of raw material supply and demand requires reliable, coherent and complete information and foresight on SRM stocks and. Furthermore, the feasibility of SRM recovery also depends on economic, technical and technological, geopolitical, regulatory, social, and environmental factors. Much of the data required to understand these factors is available, but scattered amongst a variety of institutions and needs to be harmonised to be fit for use in SRM availability assessment.
The FutuRaM project seeks to:
(1) Develop knowledge on the availability and recoverability of SRMs within the EU (plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland & UK), with a special focus on CRMs, to enable fact-based decision making for their exploitation in the EU and third countries; and
(2) Disseminate this information via a systematic and transparent Secondary Raw Materials Knowledge Base (SRM-KB).
The FutuRaM project will establish a methodology, reporting structure, and guidance to improve the raw materials knowledge base up to 2050, and facilitate the exploitation of SRMs with a particular focus on CRMs. The project will integrate SRM and CRM data to model their current stocks and flows, and consider economic, technological, geopolitical, regulatory, social and environmental factors to further develop, demonstrate and align SRM recovery projects with the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC). The project will address the following waste streams:
- Batteries;
- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment;
- End-of-Life Vehicles;
- Mining Waste;
- Slags and Ashes; and
- Construction and Demolition Waste.
FutuRaM will further develop and test the UNFC methodology through 19 case studies across the six FutuRaM waste streams.
FutuRaM will contribute to a transition to climate-neutral, circular and digitised economy; develop an understanding of anthropogenic resources; develop the necessary criteria to establish a resource classification approach; combine new and existing data and present it in a UNFC format; develop a proposal for EU statistics for SRMs; and contribute to raising awareness of raw materials supply challenges in the EU and the possible solutions.
The effective management of raw material supply and demand requires reliable, coherent and complete information and foresight on SRM stocks and. Furthermore, the feasibility of SRM recovery also depends on economic, technical and technological, geopolitical, regulatory, social, and environmental factors. Much of the data required to understand these factors is available, but scattered amongst a variety of institutions and needs to be harmonised to be fit for use in SRM availability assessment.
The FutuRaM project seeks to:
(1) Develop knowledge on the availability and recoverability of SRMs within the EU (plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland & UK), with a special focus on CRMs, to enable fact-based decision making for their exploitation in the EU and third countries; and
(2) Disseminate this information via a systematic and transparent Secondary Raw Materials Knowledge Base (SRM-KB).
The FutuRaM project will establish a methodology, reporting structure, and guidance to improve the raw materials knowledge base up to 2050, and facilitate the exploitation of SRMs with a particular focus on CRMs. The project will integrate SRM and CRM data to model their current stocks and flows, and consider economic, technological, geopolitical, regulatory, social and environmental factors to further develop, demonstrate and align SRM recovery projects with the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC). The project will address the following waste streams:
- Batteries;
- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment;
- End-of-Life Vehicles;
- Mining Waste;
- Slags and Ashes; and
- Construction and Demolition Waste.
FutuRaM will further develop and test the UNFC methodology through 19 case studies across the six FutuRaM waste streams.
FutuRaM will contribute to a transition to climate-neutral, circular and digitised economy; develop an understanding of anthropogenic resources; develop the necessary criteria to establish a resource classification approach; combine new and existing data and present it in a UNFC format; develop a proposal for EU statistics for SRMs; and contribute to raising awareness of raw materials supply challenges in the EU and the possible solutions.
The research thus far in the project has focussed on establishing the foundations on which the project will operate and achieve its aims and it has begun to implement the approach defined. WP1 'Conceptual and Methodological Development' has been at the core of this initial development, it has established a research framework for the delivery of the project in which there is defined the terminology, code lists and flow charts that will be utilised. This framework is not publicly available but is the basis for a report that will be delivered at the end of the project: 'Consolidated and harmonised FutuRaM concepts, methods, models, procedures and recommendations'. In addition, some key questions have been addressed such as how to model the flows of waste from generation to becoming (secondary) raw materials. 'Transfer coefficients' have been developed that combine the type of waste, the type of technologies available for handling and processing this waste along the value chain, and the general policy approach of the EU.
The challenge of developing procedures and templates that meet the needs of FutuRaM's diverse waste streams has been addressed in this initial period. WP3 focusses on establishing the composition of the waste streams in the project, data templates that will be used in the project and has made the initial data entries into these templates. The templates will feed into the research resting in WP4 of the project that establishes the stock of each of the focus waste streams and how these flow from production through use, to becoming waste, or, in the case of mining waste and slags & ashes, how much is produced or available. The project generated first results so far for the stocks and flows with this data to be validated in the next period of the research.
One significant and important milestone that has been achieved is the development of three scenarios that FutuRaM will use in its projections of SRM availability to 2050. These are:
- Business as usual: extrapolation of current trends with limited change; minor advances in resource efficiency, recovery technology, and the energy transition; primary extraction of raw materials remains the dominant practice; and EU targets for recovery/recycling content/eco-design are not achieved.
- Recovery: SRM recovery is enhanced through advanced technologies; the EU meets its recycling and recovery targets through effective waste management and circular design principles; increased recovery rate of SRMs; use of digitalization and automation in recycling processes; and new or strengthened waste regulations in line with EU targets.
- Circularity: implementation of the Recovery scenario targets for downstream recycling and recovery strategies; and increased implementation of upstream circular economy principles that maintain products in the economy (e.g. repair, refurbish).
FutuRaM is also integrating into the scenarios future technologies (products and recycling) and composition, as well as quantifying and assessing the environmental and socio-economic impacts of future SRM recovery.
One of the key outputs of the project will be the SRM-KB and a basic prototype for this system has been developed in WP6 and tested using draft data for the electronic and electrical equipment waste stream. This prototype is forming the basis of early consultation with stakeholders regarding the end product.
Alongside the above FutuRaM has also been adapting and developing the UNFC for Resources so that it can be effectively used against SRM projects. In doing so WP5 has mapped current practice, gaps and future needs for SRM availability assessments. This has led to the establishment of a systematic procedure with seven consecutive stages that includes all the three steps specified, which in turn has led to the development of a webtool that simplifies the implementation and recording of each stage and enables a central record to be kept, which it is anticipated will facilitate the use of UNFC for Resources in SRM projects.
In addition, 18 of the 19 case studies have been initiated with site work having been undertaken for a number of those looking into mining waste. Results are not yet available for the case studies.
The challenge of developing procedures and templates that meet the needs of FutuRaM's diverse waste streams has been addressed in this initial period. WP3 focusses on establishing the composition of the waste streams in the project, data templates that will be used in the project and has made the initial data entries into these templates. The templates will feed into the research resting in WP4 of the project that establishes the stock of each of the focus waste streams and how these flow from production through use, to becoming waste, or, in the case of mining waste and slags & ashes, how much is produced or available. The project generated first results so far for the stocks and flows with this data to be validated in the next period of the research.
One significant and important milestone that has been achieved is the development of three scenarios that FutuRaM will use in its projections of SRM availability to 2050. These are:
- Business as usual: extrapolation of current trends with limited change; minor advances in resource efficiency, recovery technology, and the energy transition; primary extraction of raw materials remains the dominant practice; and EU targets for recovery/recycling content/eco-design are not achieved.
- Recovery: SRM recovery is enhanced through advanced technologies; the EU meets its recycling and recovery targets through effective waste management and circular design principles; increased recovery rate of SRMs; use of digitalization and automation in recycling processes; and new or strengthened waste regulations in line with EU targets.
- Circularity: implementation of the Recovery scenario targets for downstream recycling and recovery strategies; and increased implementation of upstream circular economy principles that maintain products in the economy (e.g. repair, refurbish).
FutuRaM is also integrating into the scenarios future technologies (products and recycling) and composition, as well as quantifying and assessing the environmental and socio-economic impacts of future SRM recovery.
One of the key outputs of the project will be the SRM-KB and a basic prototype for this system has been developed in WP6 and tested using draft data for the electronic and electrical equipment waste stream. This prototype is forming the basis of early consultation with stakeholders regarding the end product.
Alongside the above FutuRaM has also been adapting and developing the UNFC for Resources so that it can be effectively used against SRM projects. In doing so WP5 has mapped current practice, gaps and future needs for SRM availability assessments. This has led to the establishment of a systematic procedure with seven consecutive stages that includes all the three steps specified, which in turn has led to the development of a webtool that simplifies the implementation and recording of each stage and enables a central record to be kept, which it is anticipated will facilitate the use of UNFC for Resources in SRM projects.
In addition, 18 of the 19 case studies have been initiated with site work having been undertaken for a number of those looking into mining waste. Results are not yet available for the case studies.