Figure 9 End Sectors of Base Metals 51 51 Other Industry L ead R olled and Extruded Products Nick el Metal products Tin Industrial Solders Zinc Consumer Goods FerroAlloys FeCr S tainless steel chrome steel nick elchromium alloys SiMn steel with wear resistance Aluminiummanganese alloys FeSi special steels heat resistant steels electrical steel FeMo steel use for highspeed tools and machine parts 3 3 Nonferrous metals of strategic importance for essential EU value chains 33 1 Main downstream applications sectors of nonferrous metals Nonferrous metals are of strategic importance to Europe s current value chains critical to each other s value chains and at the forefront of lowcarbon solutions Nonferrous metals silicon and ferroalloys are the building block s of vital infrastructure buildings transportation electronics energy generation and transmission and connectivity and strategic sectors lik e defence Their value chains also form fundamental and strategic link s with other energy intensive industries For the base metals sector the most important end sectors are buildings and construction transport and other energy intensive sectors Aluminium nick el copper and zinc link to the buildings and construction sector as well as the transport and automotive sectors Copper tin and zinc feed into the broader industry sector while tin link s to the pack aging and chemicals sector Zinc for instance protects steel from corrosion and abrasion and enhances the longevity of steel structures Nick el is added to stainless steel to enhance corrosion resistance Copper is not only used to create formi dable alloys with nick el and zinc but is also used for instance in energy infrastructure and equipment and with gold to create jewellery Cobalt is essential for superalloys batteries magnets electronics etc Silicon and ferroalloys feed into the steel ceramics cement chemicals fabricated metal products other nonferrous metals and rubber and plastics sectors Silica Fume the byproduct of the production of silicon and ferrosilicon improves the sustainability of buildings and contributes to reducing their carbon footprint Ferroalloys are mainly used as master alloys in the iron foundry and steel industry to improve their tensile strength wear and corrosion resistance which hence help prolong the lifetime of steelbased infrastruc ture and vehicles Precious metals have a range of applications from transport to industrial sectors metallurgy aerospace and green energy technologies amidst others Minor metals feed into sectors lik e cement steel chemicals plastics green energy technologies and oth ers While rare earth metals are crucial for energy storage lighting magnets optical sectors amongst others The value chains to other energy intensive industries are pronounced even in the case of recycling For e xample zinc tak es back steel mill dusts for zinc recycling Metal recyclers lik e e g hydrometallurgical recycling of metals from sludges from all kinds of industrial wastewater treatment plants Figures 912 below depicts the comple x value chains between nonferrous metals ecosys tem and the broad range of end sectors Aluminium Zinc Copper Nick el Tin L ead Cobalt Silicon FerroAlloys Buildings Construction Infrastructure Mobility T ransport A utomotive P ack aging Other Industry Other Engineering Electrical Equipment Electronics Appliances Batteries L ead Compounds Chemicals Metallurgy Aluminium Industry S teel T ransport A utomotive MET ALS IN A CLIMA TE NEUTRAL EUROPE A 2050 BL UEPRINT 27