Nickel in Society: An Understanding of Sustainable Development
#7 -- 2001 Published by the Nickel Development Institute
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What is Sustainable Development?
Metals and Sustainable Development
Nickel and Sustainable Development
- Corrosion protection
- High Temperature
Strength
- Durability
- Cleanability
- Power Generation/Storage
- Recyclability
- Life Cycle and Sustainable
Development
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Sustainable development (SD) is variously defined by governments, international agencies and in the minds of individuals. Although the words and the understanding of the words differ, the acceptance of the importance of SD is not in question.
In this context, the nickel industry, as represented by the member companies of the Nickel Development Institute, are dedicated to providing the materials needed to better the quality of life of society. The members are committed to ensuring that the social, economic, and environmental needs of our stakeholders are met in the present and for the future. The member companies implement practices and policies that promote the well-being of the environment, the economy and society for the benefit of all stakeholders.
The nickel industry vision and understanding of SD will change as we gain greater experience and knowledge
of what will be required to achieve SD objectives. We are convinced, however, that nickel-containing
materials will always have a role.
What is Sustainable Development?
Every definition of SD involves three elements, all of which must be sustainable:
"Social" is understood to include all the elements that make communities and societies sustainable. In addition to the traditional food, clothing, shelter and other elements, it includes the fair and equitable sharing of common resources for today and tomorrow, otherwise known as inter-generational equity.
"Economic" refers to the engine that provides the wealth, including employment, to further (a) the development that is needed by developing countries, and (b) the further development that is expected by majority opinion in developed countries.
"Environmental" refers to the state of the environment today; the integrity of the environmental systems
that must continue and thrive for today and tomorrow; and the environmental resources that must continue to
exist or renew themselves for today and tomorrow.
Metals and Sustainable Development
Metals collectively share many characteristics that favour their continued and expanded use by society in
pursuit of sustainable development goals.
Nickel and Sustainable Development
Nickel is technically a finite resource: it makes up a fixed percentage of the earth's composition (fifth most common element after iron, oxygen, silicon and magnesium although only approximately 0.01% of the earth's crust ). What is recoverable from nature will vary with technology but is also ultimately finite.
However, nickel is used. Nickel is not "consumed". Nickel taken from the inventory of nature (deposits) is available for use and re-use without degradation: it does not deteriorate or loose any of its intrinsic properties. There is always the same amount of nickel existing at the end of a particular product cycle as at the beginning. Although nickel can be "lost" (emissions to air, water and soil at levels or in amounts too small to be economically recovered), the basic supply of nickel for present and future generations is not in question.
Nickel-containing materials, properly applied, maintain and improve the quality of life of citizens and allow the institutions of society - including business - to deliver sustainable solutions.
These sustainable solutions depend on the attributes and services provided by nickel: corrosion protection, durability, cleanability, power storage, the ability to act as a catalyst, recyclability.
Corrosion protection: The infrastructure of civilization lasts longer
when nickel-containing materials are used. Examples: building curtain walls, street furniture, marine
applications, rebar in concrete,
aggressive process and pollution control environments.
Social: More resources, because of the durability of nickel-containing materials, are
available for other social objectives which could be more infrastructure, more services, lower taxes, higher
quality and reliability of infrastructure, orea combination of these.
Economic: Lower unit life-cycle cost and retained value at the end of product life.
Environmental: Reduced VOCs as coatings are not required. Reduced intensity of resource use
because of long life and a reclaimable product at end-of-life: the initial environmental "cost" (the
production and transformation of the nickel-containing materials) has an environmental "return".
Highway bridge (left): Social stresses (snarled traffic, community streets full of
diverted traffic), economic costs (delays, lengthened journey times, increased fuel costs) and environmental
burdens (more concrete, more reinforcing bar, more transport for rubble and new material, more fuel
consumption because of slowed/diverted traffic): all would be avoided if stainless steel reinforcing bar had
been used in the original construction.
High Temperature Strength: High melting points and retained mechanical strength of
nickel alloys means greater operational and environmental efficiency. Examples: chemical and other process
industries, power production and transportation.
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Turbines: High operating temperatures mean more complete combusion and
reduce fuel consumption, all made possible by nickel alloys.Social: Improved living environments because of more efficient use of fuels/more complete
combustion.
Economic: Lower unit life-cycle costs and retained value at the end of product life. Lower
operating costs because of higher operating efficiencies, durability and reliability.
Environmental: Lower environmental impacts because of reduced consumption of environmental
resources; reduced emissions because of higher efficiencies. Reclaimable product at end-of-life.
Durability: The strength, hardness and non-brittleness which nickel brings to materials mean that the products and processes of civilization last longer. Exambles: coinage, rail cars, flow lines, turbine blades, molds, street furniture and architectural applications, bearings.
Social: Improved quality of life because of the durability and longevity of nickel-
containing products. The productivity achievable through nickel reflects itself in the availability and
affordability of products that allow or enhance a high standard of living.
Economic: Durability means productivity and lower unit costs, and retained value at the end
of product life.
Environmental: Lower environmental impacts because of longevity: fewer replacements required and
less use of "consumables" as the products last longer with lower maintenance. Reclaimable at
end-of-life.
Architecture (left): Built in 1956, the exterior of this building requires minimal
maintenance,
will not have to be replaced in the lifetime of the building, will have value and be recovered for recycling
at the end of the
building's life because of nickel stainless steel.
Cleanability: Nickel stainless steels and alloys are hygienic, easily cleaned and permit only insignificant levels of metal pickup. Examples: food processing, transportation and storage; pharmaceuticals; water treatment, transport and storage.
Social: Food is in better supply because spoilage and loss is minimized. Food is safer because it is processed, handled, cooked using materials that are easily cleaned and thus less susceptible to spoilage or contamination. Pharmaceuticals are less likely to be contaminated. Potable water systems can be more reliable while delivering safe water (fewer breakages, less leakage, less contamination from outside sources).
Economic: Food costs are reduced because of reduced spoilage and reliable long life of processing facilities. The infrastructure costs for potable water are reduced because the size can be reduced (or not expanded prematurely) because of reduced leakage. The cost of a reliable water supply is reduced for the same reason and because of the durability of installed infrastructure. Value is retained at the end of the product life.
Environmental: Reduced spoilage of food means less pressure on agricultural lands and landfills. More reliable water distributions systems means reduced pressure on water supply. Reduced demand for new or replacement distribution systems means a reduced intensity of material use and the nickel-containing materials are reclaimable at end-of-life.
Power Generation and Storage: Nickel-based systems are prominent in energy storage and, because of the catalytic potential of nickel, alternative energy sources. Example: transportation. The efficiency and productivity of society is increasingly dependent on portable energy storage systems. Example: communications. The efficiency, safety and reliability of society is increasingly dependent on non-electricity grid generation and storage. Examples: signal, navigation and other gear; emergency lighting.
Social: The main new benefit will come from the improvedd quality of urban environments because of reduced hydrocarbon emissions. The main current benefits are related to safety equipment, including the role of wireless communications
Economic: The importance of battery and energy generation systems that involve the use of nickel are increasing. Economically viable mass applications in transportation (hybrid and fuel cell technologies) are imminent and will have significant consequences in how the transportation and energy industries are organized and operate. The value of the nickel in the product makes the product more likely to be recycled.
Environmental: The business productivity from wireless communications lessens transportation demands on the environment. Much more significant are the potential reductions in hydrocarbon consumption/increases in efficiency of energy conversion promised by new technologies in which nickel plays a key role. The nickel is used, not consumed, and is reclaimable at product end-of-life.
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Recyclability: It is worth repeating: nickel has value at the end of any use as well as at the beginning. Nickel is highly recycled although rarely as nickel: it is most often recycled as part of an alloy.
Social: Nickel is essential to the economics of a number of businesses and thus contributes to employment. The recyclability of nickel - particularly the 80% of nickel that goes into stainless steel and nickel alloys but increasingly into batteries - allows individuals to be involved in the achievement of sustainable development goals through recycling. The viability of metals recycling - and its long history - give societies the understanding they have of what recycling means and the contributions recycling can make when applied to other materials.
Economic: Nickel recycling is a business and it can be a profitable one for both the recycler and the purchaser of the nickel units that result. No public subsidy is involved.
Environmental: Any nickel-containing material can be recycled; most nickel-containing material can be recycled profitably, thus ensuring that little nickel is knowingly sent to landfills or incinerators. The economics of nickel also mean that other metals that might otherwise not be recovered are recovered as a by-product of the nickel recovery. Because nickel does not "deteriorate", the finite but very large amounts of nickel available to society do not significantly decline over time. The nickel industry and those involved in nickel recycling are committed to reducing the amount of nickel that is "lost" (fugitive emissions, emissions to different media, committed to landfill, dissipative uses) from society and back into the environment.
United States Municipal Waste Stream Composition
| Materials |
1960 |
1970 |
1980 |
1990 |
1995 |
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Paper and Paperboard |
34.0% 7.6% 11.7% 0.4% 0.2% 12.3% 0.4% 4.1% 3.5% |
36.6% 10.5% 10.2% 0.7% 0.6% 11.4% 2.4% 4.2% 3.7% |
36.4% 10.0% 8.3% 1.1% 0.8% 10.2% 4.5% 4.5% 6.3% |
36.9% 6.6% 6.4% 1.4% 0.6% 8.4% 8.7% 5.8% 7.6% |
39.2% 6.2% 5.6% 1.4% 0.6% 7.6% 9.1% 6.5% 8.8% |
| Total materials in Products | 62.0% | 68.8% | 71.8% | 74.1% | 77.4% |
| Balance mainly organic garden and food wastes | |||||
Source: EPA
Metals are a declining percentage of the waste stream. The nickel portion of "other non-ferrous" is not
known but will be extremely small. The "other non-ferrous" category in 1995 amounted to 1,310,000 tons
of which 910,000 tons (69.5%) were recovered for recycling. Comparable figures for plastics in 1995 were 19
million tons received of which 1 million tons (5.3%) were recovered for recycling.
Life Cycle and Sustainable Development: A
comprehensive, representative life cycle inventory (LCI) which quantifies all the significant environmental
flows associated with the prodcution of a substance, is the essential first step for life cycle impact
assessment (LCIA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). Together, these are seen as tools for industry and society
generally to assist in defining eco-efficient decisions. In addition, the International Organisation for
Standardisation (ISO) recently finalized all the core standards for LCA in its 14040 series of standards.
The nickel industry, in its commitment to the achievement of greater efficiencies and the reduction of emissions associated with the production of nickel, completed a LCA in 2000. It includes data on approximately 55% of the total world production of metallic nickel, nickel oxide and ferro-nickel.
