Possibilities of Obtaining Certain Critical Raw Materials in Poland in the Contex of Circular Economy Implementation

EU countries are poor in most mineral raw materials, which forces resource efficiency and independence from monopolies such as China, Russia, Australia, etc. It is essential for the functioning and further development of EU countries to ensure the continuity of non-energy supplies, including critical raw materials, or technologies for extracting raw materials from waste. These raw materials are characterized by a limited raw material base and considerable dispersion of minerals and a small possibility of their substitution. The European Commission has developed and, for the second time updated, the list of critical raw materials, i.e. those essential for harmonious and sustainable economic development and technological progress in all EU countries. The EC points out that all raw materials, even if they are not classified as critical raw materials, are important to the European economy because they are at the beginning of the production chain and have selected as many as 27 critical raw materials. In Poland, a list of key raw materials for the economy was prepared in 2016. In the article, taking into account first of all the technological and economic aspects, but also business one connected with implementation of circular economy, the possibility of obtaining selected critical / primary raw materials from primary and secondary sources in the national context was assessed. Critical materials such as rare earth metals, platinum, magnesium, gallium, indium and germanium have been characterized in terms of their technological usability. In addition, new organizational solutions in the area of economic symbiosis have been identified, which are increasingly being used by mining companies as a result of the concept of closed-loop recycling and wider use of waste.