Mineral-water-energy nexus: implications of localized production and consumption for industrial ecology

Abstract

Urban and remote areas are increasingly using decentralised systems for renewable energy productionand storage, as well as for water harvesting and recycling and to a lesser extent for productmanufacture via 3D printing. This paper asks two questions – how will these developments affect (i)the end-uses of minerals, including critical minerals and (ii) the implications for industrial ecologyand the development of a sound materials cycle society. We find a trade-off between using higherperformancecritical minerals in low concentrations which are complex to recycle, and unalloyed, standardised materials for increased effectiveness across multiple reuse cycles. Design andoperational challenges for managing decentralised infrastructure are also discussed as their uptakeapproaches a tipping point.