A Circular Economy of Metals: Towards a Sustainable Societal Metabolism
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A Circular Economy of Metals: Towards a Sustainable Societal Metabolism
Universiteit Leiden
Informações sobre o curso
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Metals are present everywhere around us and are one of the major materials upon which our economies are built. Economic development is deeply coupled with the use of metals. During the 20th century, the variety of metal applications in society grew rapidly. In addition to mass applications such as steel in buildings and aluminium in planes, more and more different metals are in use for innovative technologies such as the use of the speciality metal indium in LCD screens.
A lot of metals will be needed in the future. It will not be easy to provide them. In particular in emerging economies, but also in industrialised countries, the demand for metals is increasing rapidly. Mining and production activities expand, and with that also the environmental consequences of metal production.
In this course, we will explore those consequences and we will also explore options to move towards a more sustainable system of metals production and use. We will focus especially on the options to reach a circular economy for metals: keeping metals in use for a very long time, to avoid having to mine new ones.
This course is based on the reports of the Global Metals Flows Group of the International Resource Panel that is part of UN Environment. An important aspect that will come back each week, are the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the SDGs. Those are ambitious goals to measure our progress towards a more sustainable world. We will use the SDGs as a touching stone for the assessment of the metals challenge, as well as the solutions we present in this course to solve that challenge.
Programa - O que você aprenderá com este curso
1
Seção
Introduction
Welcome to the course! This first module aims at introducing you to the main topic of the MOOC and to the teaching staff that you will be seeing throughout the whole course. Before you start with the first lessons we encourage you to have a look at our introductory materials and to introduce yourself in the forum in order to meet your classmates.
3 vídeos (Total de 17 min), 8 leituras
3 videos
Introduction to SDGs: Dr. Janez Potočnik2min
Introduction to UNEP International Resource Panel: Dr. Patrice Christmann4min
8 leituras
Meet the Instructor & the Team5min
Welcome to Leiden University5min
Complete our short survey10min
Tips for studying online10min
Being successful in an international virtual learning environment10min
Behaving in an academic way10min
The World Bank: The 2017 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals30min
The Lazy Person's Guide to Saving the World20min
Metals in Society
In Week 1, you will be introduced to the world of metals. What are they, what are their properties, what are they used for and how essential are they? We will address the difference between major and minor metals. Major metals are used in large basic applications such as buildings, cars, pipes, cables, bridges, trains and airplanes. Minor metals that are used mostly in all kinds of electronics and in new technologies, for example for wind and solar energy. The amounts used are much smaller. The minor metals have more attention in the news, because of problems with the supply from international trade, and are subject to criticality assessments. The major metals, on the other hand, are even more important, although less in the centre of attention. Without them, society would fall apart. In this course, we will focus mostly on those major metals. We also introduce the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. These SDGs are agreed on by all nations that are part of the UN, and outline goals for the future of the global society. They include goals on economic development, social development, health and the environment and form a powerful framework to judge developments in resource use, including metal use.
7 vídeos (Total de 34 min), 2 leituras, 1 teste
7 videos
The Periodic Table of Elements3min
Insights from the Life-Cycle of Metals by Prof. dr. Thomas E. Graedel5min
Life-Cycles of Selected Metals (Part 1)5min
Life-Cycles of Selected Metals (Part 2)7min
Metals in the 20th Century9min
Summary of Metals in Societymin
2 leituras
Life-Cycle Impact of Rare Earth Elements30min
Suggested Readings and Materials30min
1 exercício prático
Test your knowledge20min
2
Seção
Metals Challenge
In week 2, the metals challenge is outlined. Metals are indispensable for society, but they are also associated with environmental impacts, especially related to climate change. The challenge is defined as how can we provide society with sufficient metals, now and in the future, without compromising environmental quality? An important part of the challenge is caused by the rapidly rising demand for metals. Over the 20th century demand has risen steeply, and this is expected to continue over the next decades. In this week, we will teach the issues around metal supply, scarcity and criticality, and environmental impacts to sketch the magnitude of the metals challenge. We also will meet the apparent contradiction between some of the SDGs: we need metals to develop societies and build up the infrastructure, on the other hand, we also need to reduce environmental impacts that will only increase if we don’t do anything about it.
12 vídeos (Total de 103 min), 4 leituras, 1 teste
12 videos
Future Demand and Supply9min
Scarcity and Depletion2min
Impacts of Metal Use11min
Criticality of Metals24min
Summary of Metals Challengemin
Energy for Metals3min
Metals for Energy7min
Criticality of Metals by Thomas E. Graedel (Part 1)8min
Criticality of Metals by Thomas E. Graedel (Part 2)12min
Criticality of Metals by Thomas E. Graedel (Part 3)11min
Future Demand and Supply (Additional Material)7min
4 leituras
Environmental Risks and Challenges of Anthropogenic Metals Flows and Cycles: International Resource Panel's Reportmin
Criticality of Metals40min
Environmental Impacts of Rare Earth Mining and Separation Based on Eudialyte: A New European Way30min
Suggested Readings and Materials30min
1 exercício prático
Test your knowledge20min
3
Seção
Dynamics of Metal Systems
Week 3 and all subsequent weeks focus on solving the metals challenge. Obviously, we need to make changes in the metals system to reach a more sustainable situation and reconcile the different Sustainable Development Goals. When considering changes, it is important first to understand the system. We will be discussing stocks and flows of metals in society and see how they interact. In society, we do not just obey the laws of justice and economics, but also the laws of nature. It is important to realise that when contemplating solutions for the metals challenge. This week will be rather theoretical but will provide important information for the coming weeks.
5 vídeos (Total de 24 min), 3 leituras, 1 teste
5 videos
Stocks of Metal in Society by Thomas E. Graedel3min
Distinguishing between Stocks and Flows by Thomas E. Graedel3min
Stock Dynamics and Modelling13min
Summary of Dynamics of Metal Systems1min
3 leituras
Metal Stocks in Society: The International Resource Panel's Reportmin
Urban Mines of Copper: Size and Potential for Recycling in the EU30min
Suggested Readings and Materials40min
1 exercício prático
Test your knowledge20min
4
Seção
Solutions to the Metals Challenge
Week 4 is rather packed with lectures on the different options to solve the metals challenge. You will meet experts from all over the world, who will lecture on materials and product design-for-environment and design-for-recycling, on the possibilities and also the barriers for remanufacturing, and on recycling as the last, but maybe most important resort to keep the metals in use. All these options aim at keeping up the stock-in-use of metals in society, while at the same time reducing the need to mine new metals. They all have their own strengths and limitations and can be regarded as pieces of the large puzzle aiming at solving the metals challenge, or in other words, reconciling the different SDGs.
11 vídeos (Total de 85 min), 3 leituras, 1 teste
11 videos
Possible Solutions5min
Recycling Rates for Metals by Thomas E. Graedel9min
Materials Design for Recycling by Erik Offerman (Part 1)10min
Materials Design for Recycling by Erik Offerman (Part 2)12min
Product Design by Conny Bakker5min
Remanufacturing15min
Summary of Solutions to the Metals Challenge1min
Product-centric Recycling to Increase Recycling Rates by Markus Reuter (Part 1)10min
Product-centric Recycling to Increase Recycling Rates by Markus Reuter (Part 2)13min
Elements, materials, products, elements. Animation by Ruben Huelemin
3 leituras
Recycling Rates of Metals: The International Resource Panel's Reportmin
Metal Recycling: The International Resource Panel's Reportmin
Suggested Readings and Materials30min
1 exercício prático
Test your knowledge20min
Instrutores
Ester van der Voet
Dr.Institute of Environmental Sciences
Sobre Universiteit Leiden
Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. This prominent position gives our graduates a leading edge in applying for academic posts and for functions outside academia.
Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands. It was founded in February 1575, as a gift from William of Orange to the citizens of Leiden after they had withstood a long siege by the Spanish. Our motto is: Praesidium Libertatis — Bastion of Liberty.
Perguntas Frequentes – FAQ
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
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