Craig and Charlie join the Critical Minerals Challenge Centre team to map secondary source critical minerals across the UK

In our Spring Newsletter, we shared the exciting news that the Centre had secured an additional £220,000 in funding from UKRI. Part of this investment is supporting a new project to estimate and map the UK’s “secondary source” critical metals—materials that have already been mined but are now embedded within electronic devices, buildings, infrastructure and renewable energy technologies.

By identifying where these valuable resources are located and in what quantities, the project aims to create a national inventory of critical metals already circulating within the UK economy. This evidence will help inform recycling strategies, strengthen domestic supply resilience, and support the UK’s ambition to meet 20% of its mineral needs from recycled materials by 2035.

The work is being led by Craig Withers and Dr Charlie Kirkwood alongside project PI Prof Frances Wall. It builds on Craig’s MSc research at Camborne School of Mines, which mapped critical metals contained within electrical and electronic equipment waste across England and Wales. Within the Critical Minerals Challenge Centre, the team is now expanding this approach to examine a wider range of anthropogenic—or human-made—sources of critical minerals.

Together, the team brings expertise spanning geology, resource mapping, numerical modelling, data science, environmental intelligence and resource governance. Charlie, whose background combines geology with a PhD in Mathematics focused on probabilistic forecasting and environmental modelling, contributes advanced analytical and data-driven approaches to the project. Craig’s experience in exploration and marine geology, resource mapping, circular economy research and critical mineral governance helps connect geological understanding with practical resource recovery opportunities.

By combining geological, spatial and resource management approaches, the project will improve understanding of how critical minerals are distributed throughout the UK and where future recovery opportunities may exist. The findings will provide valuable evidence for policymakers, industry and government, helping to support informed decision-making around recycling, resource recovery and the long-term security of the UK’s critical mineral supply