The Royal Society of Chemistry & Critical Materials - Elements in Danger
- kirstycriticalmineral
- Mar 16, 2021
- 2 min read
Interview with Dr Karen Stroobants & Elisabeth Ratcliffe, The Royal Society of Chemistry
- We're trying to encourage people to think about critical raw materials in the same way they consider other resources.
The Critical Minerals Association's 'Perception of Mining Group' Chairs, Lucy Crane, Cornish Lithium & Ben Lepley, SRK Consulting did a brilliant interview with the Royal Society of Chemistry about their work on the circular economy and critical raw materials with:
Dr Karen Stroobants, Science Policy Unit Lead
Elisabeth Ratcliffe, News and Media Executive, leading on communications and thought leadership campaigns
The Royal Society of Chemistry is the UK's professional body for chemical scientists, supporting the chemistry community as a knowledge provider, trusted voice for chemistry and supporter of practicing chemists, teachers and students.
What is the 'Elements in Danger' campaign?
Sustainability is an important topic for the Royal Society of Chemistry. Focus on critical raw materials started in 2019 with the international year of the periodic table and they looked at how to make the elements interesting and why each element is special. Critical elements are really important for our personal technology, mobile phones, laptops.
The Royal Society of Chemistry did a survey asking people about their technology habits and found that there could be ~40 million unused devices sitting in drawers and gathering dust. The Elements in Danger campaign was launched to inform people what was in their personal technology and how they could recycle it. These materials are also needed in healthcare, future technologies, renewable energy, and we don't even know what they might be useful for in the future! They're looking to expand this campaign - not just looking at phones but also battery technologies and implications on climate change.
How can chemical sciences contribute to this critical raw material innovation revolution and the solutions that we're going to have to find for the energy transition?
Chemists can help look into substitution of critical raw materials, as well as extraction and metallurgy
Green chemistry can bring solutions for more sustainable mining. We won't be able to extract all of these materials from the circular economy and will continue to rely on mining in the future
Chemists can have a role as advisors in device design to improve the viability of recycling at the end stage
We also need more new research and innovation in order to extract more metals from recycling
What work are you doing to encourage the next generation to study STEM subjects?
The Royal Society of Chemistry have a 'Making a Difference' campaign to raise awareness of chemistry careers. Their survey found that secondary school students are very concerned about the environment. There's so much you can do with a chemistry background and many prospective careers with chemical sciences contribute to addressing major challenges facing our world!
Thank you Karen & Lizzy! Find out more about Royal Society of Chemistry's campaigns here:
Making a Difference - https://edu.rsc.org/future-in-chemistry/making-the-difference
Elements in Danger - https://www.rsc.org/new-perspectives/sustainability/elements-in-danger/
This is a great initiative to raise awareness about critical raw materials and the importance of recycling everyday technology. Encouraging sustainable habits and inspiring the next generation to pursue STEM careers can have a lasting impact. For international collaborations and educational outreach, a NAATI Translator can also help ensure scientific resources and sustainability information are accurately translated for broader audiences.
This is an insightful article highlighting the importance of critical raw materials, recycling, and the role of chemistry in building a more sustainable future. Raising awareness through campaigns like Elements in Danger is a great way to inspire innovation and responsible resource use. Likewise, Interpreting Services play an important role in making scientific knowledge and sustainability discussions accessible to people from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Thanks for sharing this valuable information!
This is a really insightful discussion on critical raw materials and the importance of chemistry in supporting a more sustainable circular economy, and the “Elements in Danger” campaign does a great job of highlighting how everyday technology is linked to global resource challenges and the need for better recycling and design practices. In large-scale international research and outreach initiatives like this, where collaboration often spans institutions and countries, administrative requirements such as a Police Clearance Certificate are commonly part of standard onboarding and compliance to ensure safe, trusted participation across teams.
This interview on the Royal Society of Chemistry’s “Elements in Danger” campaign highlights the importance of critical raw materials in modern technology and the need for better recycling, circular economy practices, and greener chemistry to support future innovation in energy and healthcare. It also stresses the role of chemists and STEM education in solving sustainability challenges. On another note, for people handling international collaboration or official paperwork alongside such work, services like Marriage Certificate Translation can also be useful when managing documents across borders.
This is a fascinating and important discussion on critical raw materials and the role chemistry plays in building a more sustainable future. Raising awareness about recycling, innovation, and STEM careers can make a lasting impact. Educational resources and Help with online class can also encourage more students to confidently pursue subjects like chemistry and environmental science. Great insights!