| Title |
An emergy-based comparison between primary and secondary tungsten production in China |
| ID_Doc |
23086 |
| Authors |
Liang, JJ; Geng, Y; Su, C; Chen, W |
| Title |
An emergy-based comparison between primary and secondary tungsten production in China |
| Year |
2024 |
| Published |
|
| Abstract |
Tungsten (W) is one critical metal and has been widely used in various fields due to its unique properties. China is the biggest tungsten producer and consumer in the world. However, China mainly relies on virgin tungsten resources, leading to both tungsten resource depletion and associate environmental pressures. It is therefore urgent to encourage tungsten recycling. This study aims to evaluate environmental impacts between primary and secondary tungsten carbide production in one Chinese tungsten firm by employing emergy analysis. Our results show that the total emergy input for primary and secondary tungsten carbide production is 1.16E +12 sej/g and 4.17E +11 sej/g respectively. Primary tungsten carbide production is dominated by local crustal ores, while emergy inputs for secondary tungsten carbide production is dominated by electricity and chemical consumption. Based on emergy-based sustainability indicators, environmental loading from secondary tungsten carbide production is less than that from primary tungsten carbide production. However, the value of ecosystem service has not been reflected in the prices of tungsten-related commodities. These findings provide valuable insights to those policy makers so that they can prepare appropriate tungsten resource management policies. Several policy recommendations are then proposed by considering the Chinese realities. |
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