Metal Recycling of low-carbon technologies: modeling and impacts on material price

Technologies focused on decarbonization of the electricity and transport sector (wind, solar, electric vehicle batteries, etc.) will mobilize a significant quantity of metals in the coming decades. Recycling policies are one of the main levers for reducing the criticality risk on metals, especially since they can provide a dual environmental and energy security dividend for countries investing in these policies. The objectives for improving recycling at European and international level thus require strengthening the capacities of the sectors, but above all to improve the framework for analyzing and understanding the determining factors of the future recycling sector. The objective of the thesis will thus focus on the economics of recycling in a triple dimension "Modeling of materials needs, price of materials and organization of the recycling sector". In a first part, the successful candidate will contribute to the improvement of the understanding of the processes of formation of the prices of materials of the energy transition in the presence of a marked reinforcement of the share of recycling in the production. In a second part, she/he will elaborate methodologies on spatializing the critical material recovery potential from low-carbon technologies at the global level and on establishing public policy scenarios that encourage material recycling. Finally, she/he will focus on modeling the recycling of electric vehicle battery components in the TIAM model developed at IFPEN.

Keywords: Recycling, Criticality, Modelling

• Academic supervisor    Professeur, MIGNON Valérie, Economix, Université Paris-Nanterre ; Maitre de recherche, ASSOUMOU Edi, Centre de Mathématiques appliquées, Mines ParisTech
• Doctoral School    Économie, Organisations, Société, https://ed-eos.parisnanterre.fr/ 
• IFPEN supervisor    Dr, HDR, HACHE Emmanuel, Economist-Foresight, Economics and Environmental Evaluation Department, emmanuel.hache@ifpen.fr, https://www.ifpenergiesnouvelles.fr/page/emmanuel-hache 
• PhD location    IFP Energies nouvelles, Rueil-Malmaison, France
• Duration and start date    3 years, starting in fourth quarter 2022
• Employer    IFP Energies nouvelles, Rueil-Malmaison, France
• Academic requirements    MSc degree in Energy Economics, Econometrics or Energy modelling
• Language requirements    Fluency in English, French or willingness to learn French
• Other requirements    Knowledge in Econometric and/or modelling