Raw materials engineering: challenges, technologies and strategies for sustainable resource management

Abstract

Mineral raw materials constitute the basis for the development of nearly every branch of the manufacturing industry, while the availability of domestic mineral resources is a key factor ensuring the stable and secure development of the national economy. The demand for raw materials continues to grow, which is partly driven by ongoing global industrial development and advances in emerging technologies and innovative materials. Raw materials can be classified according to various criteria, including their properties and characteristics, intended applications, and extraction and production technologies. It should be noted, however, that a given raw material may fall into more than one category and, depending on the classification perspective adopted, may or may not satisfy the criteria for inclusion in a particular group. For example, copper may be regarded as a strategic raw material in one country but not in another.