1. Shifting Sands: The circular economy and its implications for the resources sector
An Australian perspective from
Kathie McGregor, Mark Cooksey, Damien Giurco and Anna Littleboy
Australia  as a nation is a mature producer and exporter of various minerals and energy commodities.  Over the past two decades, and most notably since the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Initiative in the early 2000’s, significant progress has been made in practices and policies for improved environmental and social outcomes as well as enhanced economic productivity and efficiency.   Generally, these developments drive towards either economic, social or environmental outcomes and are implemented at either  operational, national or global scales through institutions that tend to inhibit integration between all these dimensions.   However, some  integrative concepts are emerging. This presentation will examine these developments in the Australian context and explore the contribution they may (or may not) make towards global resource governance in nations now seeking  to use their own resources as the means by which to drive economic development.   The presentation will consider whether these trends are sufficient as a contribution from the resources sector to the UN sustainable development goals and, if not, why not.
Csiro energy and resources

2. CSIRO and Resources People 6035 Sites 55 Budget $1B+
Darwin
Alice Springs
Geraldton 2 sites
Atherton
Townsville 2 sites
Rockhampton
Toowoomba
Gatton
Myall Vale
Narrabri
Mopra
Parkes
Griffith
Belmont
Geelong
Hobart
Sandy Bay
Wodonga
Newcastle
Armidale 2 sites
Perth
3 sites
Adelaide
Sydney 5 sites
Canberra 7 sites
Murchison
Cairns
Irymple
Melbourne 5 sites
Werribee 2 sites
Brisbane
6 sites
Bribie Island
Sites 55
Budget
$1B+
64% of our people hold university degrees over
2000 hold doctorates over 500 hold masters
We develop 832 postgraduate research students with our university partners
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3. We explore how the world works through our Research Businesses
Energy
Food and nutrition
agriculture
Mineral RESOURCES
Digital productivity and SERVICES
Land and water
Oceans and atmosphere
manufacturing
biosecurity
Suggest use this slide to generally introduce the idea that mineral resources impact on and are impacted by many other sectors of society as well as identifying the key areas that CSIRO focuses' on through its Business un its.
Important point is that National Challenges for Australia impact on and are impacted by its place in the Asia Pacific region and the world and this is likely to only increase with time
Set up the statement that all mans activities require and consume materials and that they have to come from somewhere.
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4. Resource Supply and Demand – dig, ship and smelt
In Australia, resources industry delivers 10% of GDP and 60% of export revenue. Its important to Australia and has fueled much of our development to date. We are a global leader in primary resource industries
But past history and future trends are coming together to change the landscape around the Australian economy and our decisions in the next few years about how we respond will shape our future for many decades.
Key drivers of change in the sector:
The pace of modernisation (which drives demand)
heightened awareness of sustaionability, or responsibility ( which drives increasing accountability for knock on effects)
- new technology ( which shifts demand for specific commodities)

5. Expectations of responsibility and accountability for impacts continue to grow – driven by the demand for sustainable development and human rights
Also, at global, national and local levels increasing controls are coming in ( formal and informal) recognising the principlkes of sustainable development – changing the mannerr in which we can ewxtracr resources
International Panel on Climate Change
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6. Access will become more difficult
Maturing Operations
Inevitably
Grades will decline
Waste will increase
Costs will go up
Access will become more difficult
And in those countries with developed economics built from resources ( Australia, Canada and SA), maturing operations means that it is becoming more difficult to get materials out of the ground economically
Mudd et al 2009
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7. Todays known reserves leave a 30Mt shortfall in 2050 in available supply from primary resources to meet the worlds historical remand trajectory.
So we are increasingly talking about a “peak” and looking to the possibility of secondary metal production to fill the supply-demand gap –a circular economy
But then we need to take into account energy security and the move to decarbonisation – discussed in Paris late last year
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8. Resource productivity – towards a circular economy
What we need to mine changes with how we will meet our energy needs
Meeting our energy needs is perhaps the most pressing challenge of the develped and developing world. Whatever the solution, it will drasti8cally affect demand for minerals – either by reducing demand for traditional energy resources such as coal, or by introducing new demand for high value low volume minerals 0 the so –called strategic minerals – required for new energy technology – lithium, copper and then rare earth metals and other more exotic elements.
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13. Changing demand as technology develops – the rare earth conundrum
Alonso et al. » Evaluating Rare Earth Element Availability: A Case with
Revolutionary Demand from Clean Technologies.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 2012, 46, 3406−3414
Particularly for commodities that are currently needed in small amoujnts but will be required in increasing amounts as new technology emerges (the “critical metals”) – most notably for the energy generation necessary to power a growing population and the development needs of those emerging from poverty

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15. The role of technology and innovation
Current market tends to focus on reducing the costs – the denominator
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16. Towards a circular economy – the role of innovation
Photo: David Monniaux
Business as Usual with extra efficiency
And here the animation introduces the3 types of innovation needed to move towards a circular ecnomyu7 and the following slides give some examples
New paradigms in resource productivity
isf.uts.edu.au

17. Ewaste processing – high temperature
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18. High-Value Chemical Manufacturing
Establishing a competitive Austrialian high-value chemical manufacturing industry integrated with global supply-chains and markets
CSIRO has highly developed core competencies in the discovery and optimisation of chemical reactions; scale-up to pilot/production scale and tailored tech transfer packages for clients.
Key Focus: Process Intensification and Continuous Flow Chemistry Processing.
CSIRO develops better chemical processes with (that):
Higher yields
Fewer by-products
Less waste
Shorter processing times
Safer
Lower build-cost
CSIRO has highly developed core competencies in the discovery and optimisation of chemical reactions. These can result in less waste and fewer by-products, as well as producing higher yields and using shorter processing times.
Technologies for the circular economy | Jonathan Law

19. Case study: zero waste powder coatings
The Challenge: Traditional automotive paint generates waste and pollutants Our Response: Together with our partner, Dulux Powder Coatings/Orica, we developed a way to replace wet paints with powder coatings. Powder coatings are environmentally friendly and stick better, meaning less wastage. The Results: A zero waste environmentally-friendly coating that will eradicate 95 to 98 per cent of solid wastes and 100 per cent of VOCs arising from current wet painting processes.
In addition, we are developing new products that will reduce waste in the manufacturing industry. For example, we have developed powder coatings to replace wet paints in the automotive industry.
Powder coating particles are attracted to and stick very well to the material being coated, providing it conducts electricity, like metal components. The powder coating relies on the powder carrying one type of electrical charge and the material being coated having the other, opposite charges attract so the powder sticks and is then cured to form a smooth finish.
Plastic doesn't conduct electricity, so we coated the plastic components with a nanometre-thin layer of speciality multifunctional molecules that provides surface conductivity and promote the ability of the powder coating to stick well to plastic components.
Within this partnership, Dulux Powder Coatings developed new generation powder coatings that could be cured at much lower temperatures and for much shorter times than traditional powders.
It has been successfully trialled in Australia and is being customised and commercialised for coating automotive plastics.
Technologies for the circular economy | Jonathan Law

20. Case study: Close the Loop
Close the Loop have developed patented processes for recycling post-consumer plastics derived from electrical and electronic waste streams. These include ink cartridges, toner cartridges, toner bottles as well as computer housings, printers and television housings. Close the Loop recover a large variety of plastics from its production lines, which include polyolefins (LDPE, HDPE and PP) and engineering grade of styrenics (ABS and HIPS). The plastics that are recovered are reprocessed to produce eWood, a product used as a simulated timber product for retaining wall and garden bed applications.
Research Challenge: improve the heat distortion temperature and UV stability of eWood
Mechanism of Support: project was funded by CSIRO co-investment and Victorian Government
Outcome: improved processing of eWood feedstock using extrusion compounding with functional additives and talc fillers
Another example is a project with Close the Loop to improve their product ‘eWood’, which is made from recycled post-consumer plastics and used as a simulated timber product in retaining walls and garden beds.
* Note: Close the Loop was invited to attend seminar.
Technologies for the circular economy | Jonathan Law

21. Energy from Waste Enabling a waste to energy industry in Australia
Urban waste streams
MSW, green waste, biosolids
Agricultural residues
Bagasse, cotton gin trash
Industry wastes and by-products
e.g. timber industry
Autothermal pyrolysis
Research
Understanding waste conversion technologies; matching technologies to waste types
Fuel preparation and handling requirements
Demonstration of waste gasification processes, and integration with catalytic systems
CSIRO is exploring ways to develop a waste-to-energy industry in Australia. Our main focus is on waste gasification, using urban, agricultural and industrial waste streams.
Technologies for the circular economy | Jonathan Law

22. Summary
1. WfW has broadened industry, research and policy focus on resources to include both above and below ground stocks
2. Technological innovations can lead to new business models – new approaches to smelting, solar powered, mini-scale….for example on a ship docking to process e-waste at islands across the pacific.
3. Design for renewable energy and resource cycles - the renewable energy revolution is coming, requiring new combinations of metals
4. Systems for cycling resources must be flexible to changing product composition
5: Australia is not yet ready to sacrifice first-life efficiency through reduced complexity to facilitate ‘second-life’ pathways.
5. Disruptive business nexus: data (enabled by the digital age) and consumer/consumption behaviours coupled to supply chain industry practices for first and second lives

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24. Concluding Comments
Happy to help here – but I though you might want to craft it yourself!
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