| Abstract Scope |
Scandium is a soft silvery metal, with an atomic number of 21 it is the lightest of the transition metals. The melting point is 1.541 °C, the boiling point is 2.836 ° C and with a density of 2,985 g/cm³ is slightly heavier than Aluminium. Scandium is actual not rare – it is more abundant than precious metals and commercial metals like cobalt, lead and mercury. Scandium is primarily produced as a byproduct from the mining of other metals or minerals like Bauxite, Coal, Rare Earth Elements (REE), Iron, Tungsten, Uranium, Zirconia or Titaniumdioxide. Scandium and scandium compounds have unique properties for many advanced technological applications. Scandium is considered as a Strategic metal by the EU and by the US government due to the current limited Western supply situation. Scandium is increasingly used in energy storage systems such as solid oxygen fuel cells (SOFC) and for green hydrogen production in solid oxide electrolyser cells (SOEC). AlScN piezoelectric films for energy generation are important compounds for 5G applications. Today, the EU imports 100 %, mainly from China. Therefore, a continuous supply of scandium at reasonable prices must be ensured in and for Europe, and the dependency from China must be reduced. Europe is leading in the development of green technologies and has sufficient scandium resources. |