A Study of the Potential of Urban Mine in Taiwan and China

• Main Authors: Wei-Yu Chen, 陳韋佑
• Other Authors: Tian-Chin Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/352vmu

碩士 === 國立臺北科技大學 === 環境工程與管理研究所 === 100 === In view of the fact that world resources are getting scarce, advanced countries have, in a row, places resource recycling and sustainable development as their focused development policy of their country, and are heading towards such forward-looking and novel way of thinking for recycling and sustainable utility of resources. Nevertheless, it has become a rather critical issue as how the three aspects as economic, society, and environment can be harmonized under the context of limited natural resources, while the very fundamental factor would be that the speed of employment for natural resources needed for economic and social development should not exceed that of recycling speed and limited amount of supply with natural capital. As such, the concept of urban mine has then been brought forth, for it cannot only slow down the problem of shortage of natural resources with mankind, whereas the green business opportunity created can be unlimited. Many industries of high-tech such as LED optic-fiber, panel, display, semiconductor, and components of 3C digital products would be in need of certain specific rare resources as yttrium (Y), europium (Eu), indium (In), gallium (Ga), tantalum (Ta), and neodymium (Nd) for critical materials. In face of the fact with constraining policy of natural resources by China, it will, one way or other, impact on the development of newly emerging industries, and it has further illustrated the importance of urban mine system. This study has made use of literature analysis and output value of product for calculation, and illustrated itself with the cellphone, digital camera, DVD player, and computer mainframe to calculate the output value of urban mine. Of the previous three items of products, the study has based on 30% recycle rate by the Ministry of Environment of Japan , and that of computer mainframe as 46.91%, so that the output value of the four products can have totaled 360 million, which is of the output value calculated from perspective of rare metal according to products. If such rare metal is calculated of their output value based on perspective of raw material, the figure would have increased largely. This study would exploit Taiwan experience to estimate the output value of urban mine for China, and it is found that the output value of urban mine is much related to the total of annual GDP, with value of marginal error around 5% to 25%. Based on such a concept, it is believed that province of Kwangton, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang would become the provinces given with development of greatest potential for urban mine in China.