Low Carbon Metals Innovations & Startups Report

Comprehensive Showcase of Global Low Carbon Metals Innovations & Startups

From CLIMAFIX, the leader in climate innovation intelligence

Low Carbon Metals Introduction:

The mining and metals sector is a large contributor to CO₂ emissions. Between the two, the metals production section dominates CO₂ emissions.

Steel production is one of the largest emitters of CO₂ emissions, with over 2.5 billion tons of annual emissions. Aluminium production results in CO₂emissions of about 1 billion tons per annum. Compared to these, the total mining industry (for all prominent metals) emits a relatively smaller 400 million tons of CO₂ per annum.

But mining is more than just CO₂ emissions. Mining operations also degrade land and there could be negative effects on the nearby regions’ ecosystems too. And we are not talking small numbers – there are over 10,000 abandoned mines in Canada alone, with the US likely to have multiple times that many. In addition to direct CO₂emissions from mining operations, the large amounts of unused mining waste and the ecosystem damages from mining could indirectly result in significant opportunity costs in the context of decarbonization – for instance, by depriving these large tracts of lands of trees and biomass which can sequester carbon from the atmosphere.

Decarbonization efforts in the metals and mining sector have been quite recent, and most of them are right now focusing on emissions reduction by purchasing renewable power (solar or wind power), and through energy efficiency measures (waste heat capture, for instance) in their operations. While these efforts can contribute to reasonable decarbonization, the real potential for decarbonization lies in dramatically reducing the energy needed for their core production processes, and for that, electrification of heating could play a vital role. Such electrification is, however, in its very initial stages for this sector.For the 2020-2030 period, innovations for decarbonizing the metals and minerals sector could be around the use of green hydrogen, CO₂ capture & use, use of metal scraps & tailings, and effective recycling of metals.

The Low Carbon Metals Innovations & Startups Report provides insights on the following: