The Future Of Metals

Today, metals are found in our most sophisticated technological innovations and have become essential elements in maintaining our high-tech way of life

- Elizabeth Lim

During the Metal Ages, they revolutionised the living standards of early societies, from farm tools to weapons. Today, metals are found in our most sophisticated technological innovations and have become essential elements in maintaining our high-tech way of life. But our metal reserves are dwindling, and we are faced with the challenge of ensuring that future generations will continue to reap the benefits of these precious resources.

Formed billions of years ago, metals are society’s lifeline. To replenish them and keep up with our growing and modernising world, there is a need to mine for more. Certain primary metals such as aluminium, copper and iron can be mined naturally. Others are produced as a byproduct of mining other metals: Cobalt, which is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries, is a by-product of copper and nickel mining, while selenium, a semiconductor with applications in electronics, is extracted from the refining of copper through the process of electrolysis.

Quantifying the amount of metal ore left in the world can be difficult, but through reports on the amount of metal reserves in the world, it is possible to get an estimate. For example, it is estimated that there are only 830 million tonnes of copper left in our reserves, enough to last only around 30 years given the current annual copper demand of about 28 million tonnes. Even though the metal is regarded as being fully sustainable, we have perhaps 200 years of resources left, if we include reserves, and both discovered and predicted deposits.