Metal wheel

The metal wheel is the driver of the circular economy (Reuter et al. 2019).

The metal wheel (see illustration) is based on the work of Markus Reuter , Director at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology. It describes how the metals in nature and in recycling are related to one another and how an intervention in these relationships would affect the entire metal production and circular economy.

The metal wheel arranges the periodic system of the elements in categories. Each division represents a base metal industry. The carrier and base metals are found in the inner ring . In the outer rings, the metals are listed that are associated with the base metals that dissolve in the carrier metal and are obtained as by-products or that only occur as unusable components and z. B. remain in residues and slag.

Metals and compounds that can be obtained from intermediate or by-products in the base metal industry are shown in green in the metal wheel. Metals marked yellow can be extracted, but they can also be lost. Metals marked red are lost as residues in the circular economy.

If a division is missing in the metallurgical system, elements that are indispensable for electromobility would also be affected. Then the metal wheel and thus the entire "circular economy" can no longer turn (Reuter et al. 2019).

The representation of the metal wheel shows that the cycle cannot turn without certain metallurgy branches. Similar to a car or bicycle tire with a piece missing, the entire metal wheel then no longer works. For example, a ban on certain metals would have immense effects on the circular economy.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ On the utopia of a circular economy. Retrieved October 16, 2020 . 
2. ^ MA Reuter, A. van Schaik, J. Gutzmer, N. Bartie, A. Abadías Llamas: Challenges of the Circular Economy - A material, metallurgical and product design perspective. In: Annual Review of Materials Research . tape 49 , 2019, p. 253-274 ( annualreviews.org ).