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Circularity pathways and secondary alloys recovery potential from
anthropogenic stocks
Poster · September 2025
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.13645.50408
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1 author:
Lúcia Helena Xavier
Centre for Mineral Technology
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Circularity pathways and secondary alloys
recovery potential from anthropogenic stocks
Lúcia Helena Xavier
Center for Mineral Technology (CETEM) – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Abstract - The critical materials are determined by economic, social and environmental aspects, based on criteria such as
scarcity and economic value. The materials supply risk can be the result of a set of factors, such as reduced geological
occurrences, mineral reserves located in conflict areas or the cost of mineral extraction and processing. Aligned to the
principles of circular economy, solutions for the recovery of secondary materials have been made viable in different
production sectors, named as circularity routes (e.g. reuse, recovery, remanufacturing and recycling). Both extending the
useful life of products and recovering secondary materials can be part of circularity pathways and directly impact the
demand for resources by production systems. Secondary mineral fractions can be recovered through urban mining
techniques from landfills, incineration ashes, post-consumer products and demolition and construction waste. However,
unlike conventional mining, urban mining allows the recovery of alloys with formulations close to those required in known
production processes. Throughout the process of recovering secondary materials from anthropogenic stocks, it is possible
to contribute to circularity with key aspects such as: (i) reducing the carbon footprint by obtaining pre-formulated alloys, (ii)
reducing the pressure resulting from the extraction of resources from natural stocks, (iii) enabling the nearshoring resource
supply, and (iv) reducing or eliminating the carbon content by commodities and finished product in importing flows. The
findings suggest that mineral fractions recovered from anthropogenic stocks mitigate the impact of waste generation,
especially in regions with high consumption levels, and some degree of products´ mass balance standardization can
empower predictive urban mining techniques as sustainable sources of secondary materials.
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