能源转型使全球关键金属需求激增, 其“城市矿产”循环利用对保障资源供应与绿色发展至关重要。该文旨在分析能源转型中新兴“城市矿产”循环利用的潜力与挑战, 阐述了风电、光伏及储能产业中关键金属消费需求、循环利用潜力、循环现状与挑战, 并针对风机叶片复合材料、光伏组件、锂离子电池等新兴“城市矿产”, 剖析了主流循环工艺、技术成熟度、回收成本与政策法规、上下游产业链协同与环境影响等方面的瓶颈。分析发现, 能源转型新兴“城市矿产”资源潜力巨大, 但实现其高效循环利用面临技术难度大、回收成本与环境成本较高、产业链不完善、政策支持不足等多重制约因素。针对当前难点, 未来应聚焦于突破核心循环利用技术工艺、健全政策标准体系、优化产业链布局、强化经济激励机制并推动产品生态设计; 分析结果可为保障战略资源安全及促进绿色低碳发展提供参考。

Significance: The worldwide shift towards renewable energy is creating unprecedented demand for critical metals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements. This rise in demand exerts pressure on primary mineral supplies and raises profound concerns over supply chain security and environmental sustainability. This dependency generates a substantial environmental footprint and exposes economies to geopolitical vulnerabilities and supply chain disruptions, making dependence on primary extraction an unsustainable long-term strategy. Recycling "urban minerals"—secondary resources in end-of-life products—has become essential for securing strategic resources and building a green, closed-loop economy. However, the relationship between the recycling potential of urban minerals and the practical challenges is unclear. Therefore, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the energy transition, we must systematically assess how we can recycle these urban minerals in energy industries and identify the associated technological, economic, and policy challenges. Progress: This study systematically reviewed recent research on recycling urban minerals during the energy transition. It focused on three key areas: the consumption and recycling potential of key metals, the current status of recycling technology, and the factors that influence recycling. First, this study examined the demand for key metals used in the wind power, photovoltaic, and energy storage industries. It also highlighted the valuable recycling potential found in decommissioned waste streams. Second, this study examined recycling methods for typical waste products, such as composite wind turbine blades, photovoltaic modules, and waste lithium-ion batteries. The study compared hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, and mechanical-physical methods based on their technical maturity, recovery efficiency, and environmental impact. Finally, this study examined the internal and external factors that hinder efficient recycling. Key challenges included material complexity, such as the strong adhesion of multiple layers in PV modules and the variety of materials in lithium-ion batteries. Other challenges include high recovery and compliance costs, poor industrial chain synergy, and weak policies and regulations, such as fragmented Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes. Conclusions and Prospects: Recent research shows a significant theoretical gap between the efficient recycling of urban minerals and their potential in the emerging energy sector. Existing recycling technologies face challenges in processing low-value composite materials, preventing secondary pollution, and achieving economic viability. Concurrently, numerous end-of-life products flow through informal channels. This results in significant loss of valuable resources and poses severe environmental and health risks due to unregulated processing. Future research should prioritize overcoming key technological challenges, such as developing low-cost depolymerization technologies for composites and flexible, automated dismantling processes for various battery types. Moreover, governments and industries must implement comprehensive lifecycle traceability systems, including mandatory EPR schemes and "digital passports" for material accountability. Optimizing industrial layouts, enhancing economic incentives, and promoting product eco-design are essential supporting strategies. Ultimately, these initiatives will improve the measurable contribution of urban minerals to the critical metal supply chain, which is essential for securing national strategic resources and promoting green, low-carbon development.