Trends in Nonferrous Metals Production in Europe, 2002 through 2014

摘要

While Europe's share of world production of nonferrous metals has decreased over time, the continent's absolute levels of production of such metals have remained quite stable. Europe as a region retains a significant metal processing base, particularly in secondary production. The paper demonstrates these results through analyses of country- and region-level mineral production data, examines changes in Europe's nonferrous metals production, and outlines major observed trends in Europe's mineral production in the 2002 - 2014 time period. Time-series data on European and world metal production are provided by the National Minerals Information Center (NMIC) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). For this analysis, global production data for 10 nonferrous metal commodities, including primary and secondary production, were compiled. The focus was on commodities for which Europe has historically accounted for a significant share of world production. In particular, USGS data were used to demonstrate the changing role of the European continent globally in the extraction and processing of aluminum, copper, lead, platinum group metals, titanium, and zinc. Sub-regional trends within Europe were analyzed and compared with metallurgical trends observed in the rest of the world.