0:00:04 > 0:00:07Our lives depend on a handful of natural resources.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13But they're not the ones you think they are.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Forget oil, coal and gas.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Today, we depend on a new set of superelements
0:00:23 > 0:00:27with obscure names like indium and rhenium.
0:00:28 > 0:00:34Their properties are so bizarre, they may as well be alien technology.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35There's not a scratch on it!
0:00:35 > 0:00:36Hotter, hotter!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38No problem whatsoever.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41These superelements are driving innovation,
0:00:41 > 0:00:45everything from smartphones to MRI scanners.
0:00:45 > 0:00:46That's the magic stuff.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49But there's a problem.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53They're rare, and they're already running out.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00The stuff that makes smartphones work could be gone in a decade.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05The mineral we rely on to feed the world
0:01:05 > 0:01:08is mostly found in just one country.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13We are reaching the limits of what our planet can provide.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19We can't rely on recycling to rescue us.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24To fix the future, we might have to mine in space.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28We'll be able to do it in the next 10 or 20 years.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30So in my lifetime, we could be mining space?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34So what are these superelements?
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Why do we need them so badly?
0:01:37 > 0:01:39And what can we do to save them?
0:01:48 > 0:01:50JAUNTY MUSIC PLAYS
0:01:50 > 0:01:56There is one object that contains more superelements than almost any other...
0:01:56 > 0:01:57The smartphone.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00A billion were sold last year.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07They're our phones, our cameras, our sat navs,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09our notebooks, our diaries.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11You can watch a film on them, you can book a flight on them,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13you can check your bank balance on them.
0:02:13 > 0:02:14You can even...
0:02:15 > 0:02:18..film a whole BBC documentary on them.
0:02:19 > 0:02:20But for a material scientist like me,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23it's what's inside these smartphones that's so impressive.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29To prove just how good superelements have made our phones,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31we're going to film this programme on one.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38There's a lot of amazing stuff in a smartphone,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41but I'm going to reveal what I think is the single most important
0:02:41 > 0:02:43ingredient in our phones.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47It's in every single smartphone, it's essential to how they work,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and yet I'll guarantee you've never heard of it.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58First, I've got to get into one, and that's surprisingly difficult.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01So I've equipped myself with a range of precision tools.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05The question is, which one will get me inside the phone?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10They're not really designed to be taken apart, though.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15This, however, will really do the trick.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17MUSIC: Ride Of The Valkyries by Wagner
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Hmm. Quite slippery, these things. Hold on.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Now, there we go.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38Microphone.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Look at all these little processors,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44doing all the processing of your speech.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47There's loads of different metals inside.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Silver, copper and platinum to start with.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52But that's not all.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55That's what I'm after there.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57That's gold.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02There's 300 times more gold in a kilo of smartphones than a kilo of gold ore.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Your average smartphone contains
0:04:09 > 0:04:11over half the elements on the planet.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16There's lithium and cobalt in the battery,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18lanthanum and yttrium in the screen.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Terbium and dysprosium make the microphone.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24There's even arsenic in the silicon chip.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Each element has a unique role to play,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34making our phones slimmer, smarter and more powerful.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39But one stands out from the rest.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42A rare metal with a magical property.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48To understand how critical it is,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51cast your mind back to what phones used to look like.
0:04:53 > 0:04:54Bricks covered in buttons.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00The phones got smaller and smarter,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02and some of them could even connect to the internet.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08But they still needed a keyboard, and that limited their powers.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Then some clever scientists discovered the superpowers
0:05:14 > 0:05:16of an element called...
0:05:20 > 0:05:22And here it is, indium.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Now, one of the tricks for understanding this metal is to have a bite
0:05:25 > 0:05:27because it's so soft, you can chew it.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Mmm. Not a good substitute for chewing gum,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38but nevertheless, an amazing thing.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41But not as amazing as what I'm about to show you.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45If I take indium and I do this, watch what happens.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Amazingly, it can turn into a liquid.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54But that's just the start of
0:05:54 > 0:05:57indium's weird and wonderful properties.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Now, if I take this liquid and
0:05:59 > 0:06:02paint a line on this piece of paper,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05I've got a light bulb here,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07and there's two wires connecting it
0:06:07 > 0:06:09to this power source.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11When there's a circuit,
0:06:11 > 0:06:12the light comes on.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Now the question is,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16will this liquid metal I've just
0:06:16 > 0:06:19created conduct electricity?
0:06:19 > 0:06:20And the answer is...
0:06:23 > 0:06:24Yes!
0:06:26 > 0:06:27Brilliant.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29So we have a soft metal that
0:06:29 > 0:06:32can turn into a liquid that conducts electricity.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Not bad.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36But it has one more astonishing property.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The thing that makes it an absolutely vital part
0:06:41 > 0:06:43of every smartphone.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Mix it with tin and oxygen, and you get indium tin oxide,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50a transparent electrical conductor.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53And that's how you make
0:06:53 > 0:06:54the touch-screen.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02They appear so simple, even a toddler can master them.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05But touchscreens are revolutionary.
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Before touchscreens,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12it was hard for smartphones to be as complex as computers because you had
0:07:12 > 0:07:14to fit lots of tiny buttons into a small space.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20But with a touch-screen, your finger is a keyboard and a mouse in one.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22And so the whole screen is able
0:07:22 > 0:07:24to control something as complex as a computer.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26And I can just scroll around like this...
0:07:26 > 0:07:28The screen itself is a conductor,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31and so is human skin.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32It works like magic.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35AUDIENCE CHEERS
0:07:35 > 0:07:40Ten years ago, Apple exploited indium's incredible properties
0:07:40 > 0:07:44to create the first touch-screen phone you could control with your finger.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46And we are calling it...
0:07:47 > 0:07:49..iPhone.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53The smartphone as we know it was born.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54Today, Apple is...
0:07:59 > 0:08:02An entire new industry was created.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07But although the touch-screen had solved one problem,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09it had created a new one.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Demand for indium soared.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14And it's not that easy to get hold of.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24In nature, indium is found tightly bound to other metals,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26most commonly zinc.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32To coax it out of zinc ore, you have to dissolve the rock in acid...
0:08:34 > 0:08:36..then bake the acid in a furnace,
0:08:36 > 0:08:42then mix a precise cocktail of other chemicals to finally extract
0:08:42 > 0:08:44a minuscule amount of pure indium.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Touch-screen technology has become critical to our economy.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01The app industry alone earns more money than the Hollywood box office.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06But if you do the maths, you find a problem.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11There's only a tiny sprinkling of indium in every smartphone,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15approximately 0.02g.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19But we buy a billion smartphones a year.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20That's a big number.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24If we add in all the other uses of indium like tablets,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27other flatscreen devices and all the other electronics that use indium,
0:09:27 > 0:09:33we get a number of 700 tonnes of indium that we need every year.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34But in 2008,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37the US Geological Survey estimated
0:09:37 > 0:09:40that there were 16,000 tonnes available.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45Now, if that was right, at the rate of 700 tonnes per year,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47we would be running out of indium in the next decade.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58Then again, maybe not, because as it gets scarce, the price goes up,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02and that encourages companies to go out looking for more.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06The problem is, that takes time.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11And it's a bottleneck that could be the stuff of nightmares.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18Imagine young people of the future unable to have phones.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19Unthinkable!
0:10:21 > 0:10:23JAUNTY MUSIC PLAYS
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Indium isn't the only element that has superpowers.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36In fact, I think we're living through a revolution.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39We're uncovering the superpowers of
0:10:39 > 0:10:43ever more rare and unusual ingredients.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46And they have changed virtually all aspects of our lives.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53They've even helped make our holidays more affordable.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59The first time I went on a flight, it was 1977.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00I was eight years old.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02I was with my family.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05We were on holiday to the Greek island of Crete.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06It was great.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11It was the first time I experienced a really genuinely sunny beach holiday.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14But the flights cost my parents a small fortune.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17I mean, flying anywhere in those days was really expensive.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Now, I can fly to Crete for less than the cost of a tank of petrol.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Lots of factors have contributed to cheaper air travel -
0:11:25 > 0:11:29changes in government taxes, more competition between airlines,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32but a big part of it is down to this material, rhenium.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35I know it looks really dull,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38but it's one of the rarest and most expensive elements on the planet.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40This piece alone is worth £100.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Rhenium is a relatively recent addition to the periodic table.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49It was discovered in 1925
0:11:49 > 0:11:52by the brilliant German chemist, Ida Noddack.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59The new element was incredibly tough and durable,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03but it also had a superpower that would one day lead to
0:12:03 > 0:12:05cheaper air travel for all of us.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09To demonstrate what rhenium can do,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12I've invited a group of volunteers to bring an object that's very precious
0:12:12 > 0:12:16to them up to the roof of this tall building.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Oh, right. Now, tell me about this ring.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21That's from New York in Tiffany's.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- Whoa!- Yeah.- Did someone special give it to you?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- Yeah, her dad.- Oh!
0:12:26 > 0:12:30I'm going to dangle the ring off the roof over the water
0:12:30 > 0:12:33and then burn the wire with a blowtorch.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35- Are you getting nervous about this ring?- Yeah!
0:12:35 > 0:12:36But I'm doing it.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38Five storeys up.
0:12:44 > 0:12:45It's going red hot.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47Getting white hot.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Carrie, stop it!
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Carrie, stop him!
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Carrie! Stop him.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Oh, my God. No problem whatsoever!
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Isn't that amazing?
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Rhenium's superpower is heat resistance.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05This stuff is phenomenal.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12You could plunge it into molten steel and it wouldn't melt.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19You could chuck it into a volcano and pull it out unscathed.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24It's like alien technology.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28And its powers haven't gone unnoticed.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35Over 70% of the rhenium mined each year is used to make jet engines.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Much of it ends up in Derby at the home of Rolls-Royce.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46PIANO MUSIC PLAYS
0:13:48 > 0:13:52They make the most hi-tech aircraft engines in the world.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03And at the heart of each engine lies a disc of small,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06but extraordinary turbine blades.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12This little blade has to withstand extreme temperature and stress,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and no ordinary metal is up to the job.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19It's made of a special alloy with over ten different elements.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23But one of those is named in the industry as magic dust,
0:14:23 > 0:14:24and that's rhenium.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Aircraft engines work by sucking in air,
0:14:32 > 0:14:37compressing it and then exploding it with fuel to create a ferocious gas jet.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46The jet hits the disc of turbine blades head-on,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48heating them to over 1,000 degrees
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and spinning them at 10,000 revolutions per minute.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00The blades turn the compressors, generating thrust.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08No ordinary material could withstand such an extreme environment.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13But the turbine blades take these conditions in their stride.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Rhenium's astonishing properties allow engines to
0:15:22 > 0:15:24operate at extremely high temperatures.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29And that means you get maximum thrust from minimum fuel.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37Rhenium saves each plane millions of pounds per year in fuel,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40and some of that saving filters down to us.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48Fuel efficiency is one of the main reasons why flights are cheaper today than when I was a kid.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Rhenium has helped cut emissions and make flights more affordable.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54It's not a dull, boring metal.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Its superhero properties make it extremely precious.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02So where do we get this material with such extraordinary properties?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04The rubbish.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08More precisely, it's a waste product from copper mining.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10They used to just chuck it away.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Chile has most of the world's copper,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20so they also produce most of the world's rhenium.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23But it's such a rare element,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25a tonne of copper ore contains just
0:16:25 > 0:16:26half a gram of rhenium.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33All the rhenium mined in a year would fit in your living room.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44By exploiting rhenium's superpowers,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46planes burn less fuel,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49and that's better for us and the planet.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53But by solving one problem, we've created another.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58We've got used to cheaper air travel.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00We love it!
0:17:00 > 0:17:04As the price falls, demand rises.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06So although our planes are fuel-efficient,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09we're still burning a lot of fuel.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13And no matter how advanced we make our jet engines,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16they rely on an ancient principle...
0:17:19 > 0:17:21..burning fuel to release energy.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Our cave-dwelling ancestors first learned how to exploit fire,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30and we've been burning stuff ever since...
0:17:34 > 0:17:40More and more and more of it to meet our energy needs.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43It's polluting and it's causing climate change.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50If there's one process that's desperately in need of a superelement,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52it's the production of energy.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00The answer could lie in magnets.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Not just any magnets - magnets made from a superelement.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11To demonstrate their phenomenal strength,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15I need some volunteers and an audience.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18So I've taken over a corner at the At-Bristol Science Centre.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I'm going to see if I can amaze them with my supermagnets.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28First up, an ordinary magnet.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33I need a volunteer to do a tug-of-war with me.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36- What's your name?- Brianna.- Brianna, nice to meet you.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37Put on your fridge, a fridge magnet.
0:18:39 > 0:18:40Ready?
0:18:40 > 0:18:43AUDIENCE: Three, two, one!
0:18:43 > 0:18:45OK. No problem.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48The special neodymium magnet.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Next, a magnet made from a superelement.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53- AUDIENCE: One!- Come on, Brianna.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Yes!
0:18:55 > 0:18:57No chance.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59That's one strong magnet! How strong though?
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Now the ultimate test - will it hold my weight?
0:19:03 > 0:19:04What do you think?
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Pull your feet!
0:19:12 > 0:19:14OK.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15AUDIENCE: Yay!
0:19:15 > 0:19:16Whoa!
0:19:16 > 0:19:18AUDIENCE LAUGHS
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I've reached the limit of the little magnet's strength.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23That was your fault, you guys!
0:19:24 > 0:19:27'But if we use larger supermagnets...'
0:19:27 > 0:19:29They're like a wild animal in this box.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32'..we can even defy gravity.'
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Oh, yeah, that's a good idea. Your hand...
0:19:34 > 0:19:36AUDIENCE: Ooh!
0:19:36 > 0:19:37And how are we doing?
0:19:39 > 0:19:40You're levitating, man!
0:19:40 > 0:19:42How does that feel? Yeah!
0:19:42 > 0:19:44AUDIENCE APPLAUDS
0:19:45 > 0:19:49The superelement in these magnets is called...
0:19:49 > 0:19:50Neodymium.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56It makes the strongest permanent magnets known.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02And if you're wondering what this all has to do with generating electricity,
0:20:02 > 0:20:03it's simple.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10If you spin a magnet inside a coil of wire,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12you generate an electric current.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Michael Faraday first discovered this in 1831.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25And ever since, we've been burning stuff to drive the turbines that
0:20:25 > 0:20:27make the magnets spin.
0:20:28 > 0:20:34Oil, coal, gas, you name it.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37To try to reduce the amount of stuff we burn,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40we've come up with new ways to spin the magnets.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Like wind turbines.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51This is the UK's largest onshore wind farm.
0:20:53 > 0:21:00The 215 turbines generate enough electricity to power 300,000 homes.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06But keeping the mighty blades turning can be a problem.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11These complex machines are prone to breaking down.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18We're out here, it's wild and the weather can be extreme.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20It's quite extreme today!
0:21:20 > 0:21:24And having a simple thing that you don't need to come out and repair,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26- that is a big deal, right? - That's right.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31As you know, we're increasingly putting our wind turbines offshore.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35So where we can make things more reliable,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37where we can stop things from failing in the first place,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40it means we don't need to stop the turbines to go and fix them.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46The weakest link is the gearbox.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53A complex set of cogs that steps up the slow rotational speed of the blades
0:21:53 > 0:21:57so it's fast enough to generate maximum electricity.
0:21:59 > 0:22:05The gearbox has to be replaced more frequently than any other part of the turbine.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11So how are new materials revolutionising the design of turbines?
0:22:11 > 0:22:12So, in that generator...
0:22:13 > 0:22:17..we're now starting to use some of the neodymium magnets.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21And those are magnets which are really compact,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24dense sources of the magnetic field.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27They're able to produce the field in a compact way.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31They're able to do it in an efficient way and they're actually...
0:22:31 > 0:22:33which is really important,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35they're able to do it in a really reliable way.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41Neodymium magnets are so powerful that they can generate an enormous
0:22:41 > 0:22:45electrical current even at slow rotational speeds.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49This means the turbine blades can drive the generator directly.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52There's no need for a gearbox.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56The turbine is more efficient and less prone to breakdown.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59I've got this neodymium magnet here.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01So what we're saying is that in the future,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04wind turbines will have a big hunk of this up there, right?
0:23:04 > 0:23:05In fact, quite a few hunks.
0:23:05 > 0:23:11A big wind turbine might use 100 of these in just one part of the machine.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Wind turbines create clean energy without the need to burn stuff.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24But once again, solving one problem leads to another.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25It's not always windy,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29so we need a way to store surplus energy from the windy days.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The answer could lie in another superelement...
0:23:35 > 0:23:36Lithium.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39This is lithium.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41First discovered in 1817,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44it's the third element of the periodic table
0:23:44 > 0:23:45and it has unique electrochemical
0:23:45 > 0:23:48properties that make it great for batteries.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53And when it comes to energy storage, this stuff is a game-changer.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:24:01 > 0:24:03In the Nevada desert,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08construction of the world's largest factory is nearing completion.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11It will make just one thing -
0:24:11 > 0:24:13lithium batteries for Tesla electric cars.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21Lithium is light,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25so you can make a powerful battery that doesn't weigh a tonne.
0:24:27 > 0:24:33The same technology is now being developed to store energy from renewable power plants.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38It could solve our energy crisis.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41But it's a potential new bottleneck...
0:24:42 > 0:24:45..because we're going to need an awful lot of lithium.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50THUNDERCLAP
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Half of the world's lithium is found in just one place...
0:24:59 > 0:25:01..the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07The problem is getting it out.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Mining here is politically and environmentally controversial.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18But at least with lithium, we can see the problem coming.
0:25:22 > 0:25:28Shortages of other superelements have taken us completely by surprise,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30none more so than helium.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Helium is famous for making balloons much more fun.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44But believe it or not, helium is in short supply,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and it's become far more important than you might think.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52IN SQUEAKY VOICE: Using helium for balloons is no laughing matter.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Up until the 1980s,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04helium stocks were mainly a concern for people who owned airships
0:26:04 > 0:26:05or space rockets.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Yeah, you can hold that now.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09But then, along came a new innovation.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14The MRI scanner.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23MRI can see inside our bodies with clarity like never before,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25and without the need for harmful x-rays.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32It revolutionised the diagnosis of a range of conditions
0:26:32 > 0:26:34from brain injuries to cancer.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40And it relies on the extraordinary properties of helium.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Helium is weird.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55For starters, it can become colder than almost anything else
0:26:55 > 0:26:57in the universe.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Lancaster University is one of the few places with the right kit
0:27:02 > 0:27:03to make it that cold.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Now, we've got our helium in this tube.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13It's at minus 269 degrees centigrade.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16At that temperature, it's a liquid.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18That's obviously a very cold temperature,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20but I'm about to make it colder still,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24and by doing so, welcome you into the very, very weird world of helium.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33When helium gets really cold, strange things start to happen.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39First, it boils ferociously -
0:27:39 > 0:27:43not what you'd expect from something really cold.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45It's getting colder,
0:27:45 > 0:27:46and colder.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49Wait for this, though. Wait, wait...
0:27:50 > 0:27:52There! Did you see that?
0:27:52 > 0:27:54It went from boiling to absolutely still.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00It is now no longer governed by the classical rules of physics.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03It's now governed by quantum mechanics.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06It's a superfluid, and they are very weird.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Let me show you what they can do.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16Superfluid helium can flow through solid materials.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18I've got more liquid helium here in a container,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22and it's kept in there by that stopper at the bottom, that red stuff.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27I can make it pass through the solid stopper.
0:28:29 > 0:28:30As I move it down...
0:28:31 > 0:28:35..towards the superfluid, it's getting colder and colder,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37and it's going to turn into a superfluid itself.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42Watch the stopper as I lower it towards the superfluid.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49There, you see?
0:28:49 > 0:28:52It's dripping through a solid material.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57That's one of the strange properties of superfluids.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59They can flow through solid materials.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02It just seems wrong.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05It goes against all the normal laws of physics
0:29:05 > 0:29:08that we, kind of, take for granted.
0:29:08 > 0:29:09It's just bonkers.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15A superfluid is a liquid that flows without friction.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Think of a cup of tea. Once you stop stirring,
0:29:21 > 0:29:23the circulation slows because of friction.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27But a cup of superfluid would
0:29:27 > 0:29:31continue circulating until the end of time.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40And superfluids can transfer their magic powers to other materials.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Bathed in superfluid helium,
0:29:45 > 0:29:49some electrical conductors become superconductors.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56When electricity passes through a wire,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59some of the electrons bump into the atoms that make up the wire.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04It's known as electrical resistance,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07and it means that some of the electricity is lost.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12But in some metals cooled by liquid helium,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16the electrons pass through with no resistance at all.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24So just as a superfluid can pass through a material with no resistance,
0:30:24 > 0:30:28so electricity can travel through a superconductor with no resistance.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31Now, that means no electricity gets lost.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36Superconducting wires deliver far more electrical energy
0:30:36 > 0:30:38than ordinary wires.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44And that's what MRI machines rely on to generate the powerful pulses of
0:30:44 > 0:30:48energy that are used to make images of our bodies.
0:30:49 > 0:30:55Each machine needs around 2,000 litres of liquid helium to keep it running.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Considering that we give it away to children,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02you'd imagine that there's loads of it around.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05But helium is scarce.
0:31:09 > 0:31:14It's produced incredibly slowly from the radioactive decay of rocks
0:31:14 > 0:31:15deep underground.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Over millions of years,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22the tiny trickle of gas builds up into large reservoirs.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29Algeria, Qatar and Russia have some.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33And in 2016, a new reservoir was discovered in Tanzania.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38But most of the world's helium comes from just one place...
0:31:38 > 0:31:40America's Midwest.
0:31:47 > 0:31:53America's Great Plains sit on top of a vast, natural helium store.
0:31:54 > 0:32:00For years, the Americans stockpiled it in a huge storage facility in Texas.
0:32:02 > 0:32:07During the Second World War, it was a strategic gas in airships.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Later, it was used in the space race.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14But after that, they started selling it off cheaply.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22And now the world's largest helium reserve is almost empty.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28And to make matters worse, it's really hard to recycle.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34One of helium's more obvious but less exotic properties is that it's
0:32:34 > 0:32:35incredibly light.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38That's why helium balloons float in air.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41But it also makes it incredibly difficult to recycle helium,
0:32:41 > 0:32:42because once you let go of it...
0:32:43 > 0:32:46..well, it just keeps going up and up and up.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Of course, eventually, the skin will pop,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54but the helium will keep going up and up to the edge of the atmosphere,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56into space and be gone forever.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03Mind you, not all superelements are rare.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07Some are plentiful, but they're only found in a few places.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11And the countries that own them aren't always willing to share.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16One of these materials is wanted by almost every nation,
0:33:16 > 0:33:20because its superhero strength is nothing short of miraculous.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25This is a magic ball.
0:33:25 > 0:33:26"What's magic about it?", you might ask.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30Well, it's shiny and smooth and very spherical,
0:33:30 > 0:33:34but what's really extraordinary is that it's virtually indestructible.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Now, to a material scientist like me, that's a red rag to a bull.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42I can't resist trying to destroy it.
0:33:42 > 0:33:43JAUNTY MUSIC PLAYS
0:34:05 > 0:34:06Right.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08I'm going to have to escalate this.
0:34:33 > 0:34:34Incredible!
0:34:36 > 0:34:37There's not a mark on it.
0:34:37 > 0:34:38It's absolutely pristine.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41This material is called tungsten carbide.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45It's a compound of tungsten and carbon and it's very unusual
0:34:45 > 0:34:49because it's not brittle, and yet it's incredibly hard,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52and that's very unusual in a material.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54It's something that won't scratch, but won't break,
0:34:54 > 0:34:56even under the most extreme forces.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Ever wondered how you drill through steel?
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Or cut a railway tunnel through solid rock?
0:35:07 > 0:35:11You do it with tools made from tungsten carbide.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16The military use loads of tungsten to armour their tanks.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20No other material is tough enough.
0:35:25 > 0:35:31But over 80% of the world's tungsten is produced by just one nation,
0:35:31 > 0:35:32China.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36They've been selling it for decades.
0:35:37 > 0:35:42Then in 2010, they restricted supply,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45sending shock waves around the world.
0:35:45 > 0:35:50But a solution has been found in a field in Devon.
0:35:53 > 0:35:54ELECTRO MUSIC PLAYS
0:36:02 > 0:36:04In 2015,
0:36:04 > 0:36:09the diggers moved into the first metal mine to open in the UK for 40 years.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15They're digging for tungsten.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Cornwall and this part of Devon are very rich in metals.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Cornwall in particular is known for its tin and copper production historically.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36The thing that's unique about tungsten compared to other metals is that
0:36:36 > 0:36:39there's not a lot of mines producing it, especially in the western world.
0:36:39 > 0:36:40That's incredibly impressive.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44What strikes you is how big the operation is.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47So, where is the tungsten ore here, then?
0:36:49 > 0:36:52So, the tungsten ore is contained within a granite ore body,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55which is the white material you can see here in front of you.
0:36:55 > 0:36:56And within the granite, you've got
0:36:56 > 0:36:58hundreds of thousands of these quartz veins.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01So this is a lump of quartz from one of those veins?
0:37:01 > 0:37:05Correct. Every grey stripe in the rock is a vein,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08and within those veins you've got quartz matrix,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10and then within it is your wolframite
0:37:10 > 0:37:11and that's your tungsten ore.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Wow, so there it is.
0:37:13 > 0:37:14- That's the magic stuff.- Correct.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19How rare is it to find quartz in
0:37:19 > 0:37:23this vein-like structure with wolframite in it, in the world?
0:37:23 > 0:37:24How rare is that?
0:37:24 > 0:37:27It's relatively rare to find it in this kind of quantity.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30This is a pretty big mine by world standards,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32certainly one of the biggest deposits in the world.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36This is by far the largest concentration of it in the British Isles.
0:37:37 > 0:37:42These huge diggers shift over 10,000 tonnes of ore a day.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49There's enough tungsten here to secure supply for at least a decade.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57This is a 125 tonne excavator,
0:37:57 > 0:38:01loading a 100 tonne dump truck with category one ore.
0:38:01 > 0:38:02So, this is the best quality ore.
0:38:02 > 0:38:07And you have enough dump trucks so that when one is full and off,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10there's another dump truck to take its place.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14How long does it take from digging it out here to refining it and then
0:38:14 > 0:38:15coming out as a product?
0:38:15 > 0:38:17If we took that straight into the crusher
0:38:17 > 0:38:19and it was immediately crushed,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22I think, to get through the whole of the processing plant
0:38:22 > 0:38:24is about 50 minutes.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26- 50 minutes? Wow, that's efficient. - Yeah.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32The ore is crushed and then fed into the processing plant.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36No chemicals are used to extract the tungsten.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39It's so heavy that they can separate it using gravity.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41The crushed ore is washed,
0:38:41 > 0:38:46filtered and shaken until the dark, finished product separates out.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55- There you go. If you want to get your hands in.- Wow, this is it.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00So, this will be about 55-60% tungsten.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02Wow, it's really heavy.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05- Yeah, very heavy.- Incredible.
0:39:08 > 0:39:14Each of these one-tonne sacks is worth £16,000.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Tungsten is a superelement because it can withstand virtually anything.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25There's nothing else quite like this stuff.
0:39:28 > 0:39:29And now for the ultimate test.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33Let's find out how strong this ball really is.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37Could it withstand this industrial roller, or this industrial roller,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40or this industrial roller, or...
0:39:40 > 0:39:44this 20 tonne industrial roller?
0:39:44 > 0:39:45Let's see, shall we?
0:39:46 > 0:39:50Just to show how effective this roller is, first,
0:39:50 > 0:39:51let's try a cricket ball.
0:39:53 > 0:39:54SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS
0:40:02 > 0:40:03Oh, yeah.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05No longer a ball, more a puck now.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Now the tungsten carbide ball.
0:40:36 > 0:40:37The wood's destroyed.
0:40:38 > 0:40:39The ball...
0:40:39 > 0:40:41totally unscathed.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44It's amazing! Absolutely unscathed.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46Wait, wait, OK.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50Look, that's what's happened. It's made a massive hole in the concrete.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53It's not got a scratch on it.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56It's absolutely, completely pristine.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02We have a stable supply of tungsten for the time being,
0:41:02 > 0:41:04but demand is rising...
0:41:05 > 0:41:07..as it is for all our superelements,
0:41:07 > 0:41:09for one simple reason.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16When I was born, there were 3.5 billion people on the planet.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Now, there are 7 billion.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22The human population has doubled in my lifetime,
0:41:22 > 0:41:27and all those people are buying and using ever more complex stuff,
0:41:27 > 0:41:32and that is requiring us to dig up more and more minerals to keep up with demand.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41All our superelements come out of the Earth.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43We're really good at finding them.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46So far, we haven't run out of anything.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50But there's only one Earth and sooner or later,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53we're going to reach the limits of what it can provide.
0:41:54 > 0:41:55It's the ultimate bottleneck.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02If that happens, we can kiss goodbye to our hi-tech world.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04So what can we do to fix the future?
0:42:09 > 0:42:12We could start by learning some lessons from nature.
0:42:13 > 0:42:18There's one superelement that nature needs in abundance, and in nature,
0:42:18 > 0:42:20it never seems to run out.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24It's called phosphorus.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30So they just look like bits of wax...
0:42:30 > 0:42:34I'm back with my audience in Bristol to demonstrate a stunning property
0:42:34 > 0:42:39of phosphorus that explains why it's so important for living things.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42OK, I'm going to go for it now. Are you all ready for this?
0:42:42 > 0:42:47'Watch what happens when I burn a tiny bit in a big jar of oxygen.'
0:42:49 > 0:42:51ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:43:10 > 0:43:13I give you phosphorus, everybody!
0:43:13 > 0:43:14AUDIENCE APPLAUDS
0:43:18 > 0:43:22The phosphorus glows because it is highly reactive with oxygen.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30The reaction creates molecules of phosphorus bound to oxygen,
0:43:30 > 0:43:32and these molecules are the building blocks of life.
0:43:35 > 0:43:41They form the backbone of our DNA and the DNA of all living things.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Phosphorus is one of nature's superelements.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Plants get it from the soil...
0:43:55 > 0:43:57..and return it to the soil when they die.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02But when farmers harvest crops,
0:44:02 > 0:44:06they often have to replenish the phosphorus artificially with fertiliser.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11The fertiliser is made from phosphorus rich with rocks.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16But there aren't many of them, and we've dug most of them up already.
0:44:18 > 0:44:2275% of the rock that is left is in just one country,
0:44:22 > 0:44:23Morocco.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31There's a real risk that our ability to feed the world
0:44:31 > 0:44:34will depend on just one country.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36So we need a better solution,
0:44:36 > 0:44:40and nature has taught us that there is one obvious place to look.
0:44:42 > 0:44:47You might not like to think about it, but poo makes excellent fertiliser.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50When we eat plants and animals,
0:44:50 > 0:44:53we eat the phosphate they contain and by and large,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55that passes straight through us.
0:44:57 > 0:45:02So that means that sewage is chock-full of phosphate fertiliser,
0:45:02 > 0:45:07and the poo from the people of Nottingham is as good as any other in the world.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10At this sewage treatment plant in Stoke Bardolph,
0:45:10 > 0:45:15human waste is something to be prized and revered.
0:45:15 > 0:45:16Hi, it's the BBC here.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18We'd like to talk about your poo.
0:45:18 > 0:45:19'OK, come through.'
0:45:31 > 0:45:37Although full of phosphorus, you can't just spread human poo on fields.
0:45:37 > 0:45:43It smells pretty bad, and it's full of deadly pathogens.
0:45:43 > 0:45:44Like all sewage treatment works,
0:45:44 > 0:45:48the main job of this plant is to turn the bad stuff into something a
0:45:48 > 0:45:52bit more pleasant. But here, they take it one step further.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01The first stage of the treatment process is to remove
0:46:01 > 0:46:04the big bits, the rag, and also the grit.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06- Loo paper, do you mean that?- So...
0:46:06 > 0:46:09- I'm just getting a bit ahead of you. OK.- No, no, it's OK.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13Yeah, loo paper will be trapped on the screen, and
0:46:13 > 0:46:17all the stuff that people throw down the toilet that they probably shouldn't.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21- Wipes.- Wipes, baby wipes.. yeah, exactly.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23It flows into a big tank, the solid matter,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26the faecal matter settles to the bottom of the tank.
0:46:26 > 0:46:27Does it always settle?
0:46:27 > 0:46:31Because there are, I don't know how to put this, but there are floaters,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34aren't there, and there are sinkers?
0:46:34 > 0:46:36- Yeah.- By the time they get here, are they all sinkers?
0:46:36 > 0:46:39They're pretty much all sinkers.
0:46:39 > 0:46:44It's rare to see the faecal matter float, but you will get a film of fat.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49We call it scum. Not really a nice term, but...
0:46:49 > 0:46:51I'm getting the whiff now, I'm getting the whiff.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57It may be smelly, but this is not waste.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01It's a treasure trove of magic ingredients.
0:47:01 > 0:47:06At this site, they turn sewage into concentrated phosphorus fertiliser.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10And no chemicals are involved.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12It's all done by bacteria.
0:47:13 > 0:47:19As the sewage flows through, it's becoming progressively more treated.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21So, by the end here as it flows over this weir,
0:47:21 > 0:47:25it is by then a mixt of treated sewage,
0:47:25 > 0:47:27but with the bacteria still in it.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31There are bacteria called phosphate accumulating organisms that will take
0:47:31 > 0:47:36up phosphorus beyond their normal metabolic requirement as an energy store.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39- So they store it inside their cellular body...- Yep.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42..and then they're going that way, heading off somewhere? Is that right?
0:47:42 > 0:47:46That's right. Then they go into the settlement tanks.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48The bacteria settle to the bottom,
0:47:48 > 0:47:54we pump away a portion of that sludge to those big concrete tanks you see over there.
0:47:55 > 0:48:00The phosphorus-rich bacterial sludge is spun in these centrifuges to
0:48:00 > 0:48:01remove the liquid.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06Leaving behind what I'm told is called sludge cake.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13So this is basically human manure, right?
0:48:13 > 0:48:15Yeah.
0:48:15 > 0:48:21This rich compost is perfectly safe to be spread directly onto agricultural land.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25But it's bulky and heavy, so it's expensive to transport.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31The real magic comes from the liquid that was spun off in the centrifuge.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36It's distilled into a powder called struvite,
0:48:36 > 0:48:41a concentrated source of phosphorus, easy to bag up and transport,
0:48:41 > 0:48:42the perfect fertiliser.
0:48:44 > 0:48:45This is it?
0:48:45 > 0:48:48This is it. So, this is struvite, or magnesium ammonium phosphate,
0:48:48 > 0:48:50mineral phosphate fertiliser.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54It's ingenious, isn't it?
0:48:54 > 0:48:56People flush their loo, they think that's just waste,
0:48:56 > 0:48:59and you've recovered very valuable stuff.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03It's great, isn't it? Where there's muck, there's brass.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09Instead of digging phosphorus out of the ground,
0:49:09 > 0:49:14we can recycle it the way nature does, and that way, we'll never run out.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18So could recycling save all our superelements?
0:49:21 > 0:49:22If only it were that simple.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Which brings me back to smartphones.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35The problem with recycling
0:49:35 > 0:49:39comes from their incredibly sophisticated design.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43Some of you are probably watching this programme on a phone.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45We filmed it on a phone.
0:49:46 > 0:49:51Even the seemingly simple things that your phone does are really amazing.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54For instance, your phone knows which way up it is, doesn't it?
0:49:54 > 0:49:56That seems really simple, but actually,
0:49:56 > 0:50:00there's a tiny machine inside the phone working that out.
0:50:00 > 0:50:01It's called an accelerometer,
0:50:01 > 0:50:05and it's got moving parts that are smaller than the hair of a flea.
0:50:06 > 0:50:07And it detects the force of gravity.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09That's just incredible, isn't it?
0:50:10 > 0:50:15Our phones are so smart, but their lives are short.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20The average lifespan of a phone is just two years.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25Has anyone here ever wondered exactly what happens to your phones if you
0:50:25 > 0:50:26send them off for recycling?
0:50:27 > 0:50:31Well, they get reconditioned if they're in good nick and resold,
0:50:31 > 0:50:32but if not...
0:50:32 > 0:50:34They share the same grisly fate.
0:50:39 > 0:50:40I'm going to wear ear defenders.
0:51:02 > 0:51:07Old phones are shredded in industrial machines far bigger than this blender.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Every day, thousands of phones in the UK alone
0:51:10 > 0:51:13end their lives in this way.
0:51:13 > 0:51:19And so almost all the precious indium used to make touchscreens ends up in landfill.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25That's pretty impressive.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29In the end, I'm afraid to say, it ends up as dust.
0:51:31 > 0:51:32A sad end, don't you think?
0:51:36 > 0:51:39And it's the same story for most superelements.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44Helium is so light, it evades capture.
0:51:47 > 0:51:52The rhenium in jet engines is baked into an alloy with other metals that
0:51:52 > 0:51:53are hard to separate out.
0:51:56 > 0:52:01So yes, we need to get much, much better at recycling.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05But it's never going to be a perfect solution.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09Ultimately, we're going to need new sources of supply,
0:52:09 > 0:52:13and there's one option that could solve all our problems...
0:52:13 > 0:52:16I'm going to let you guys have a look at these.
0:52:16 > 0:52:17'..find some new rocks.'
0:52:19 > 0:52:21All superelements come from rocks,
0:52:21 > 0:52:24but these ones are particularly special.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27They're packed full of them.
0:52:27 > 0:52:28Hold the Star Trekian...
0:52:30 > 0:52:35Using a sci-fi looking X-ray gun, we can find out exactly what's in them.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40So what we're getting here is iron coming out, cobalt, nickel,
0:52:40 > 0:52:45we mentioned that, and uranium, both used in radioactive reactors.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49We've counted six different elements, and the list is still rising.
0:52:50 > 0:52:55Calcium, titanium, arsenic, yttrium.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57'But there's a catch.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00'They come from outer space.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02'These rocks are meteorites.'
0:53:03 > 0:53:06T minus one minute and counting.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Countdown.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15Most of the elements on our planet originated in space.
0:53:16 > 0:53:21They were forged in the Big Bang, or in the hearts of stars.
0:53:25 > 0:53:31They became incorporated into our planet as it formed 4.5 billion years ago.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35T minus 37 seconds and our count continues to go well...
0:53:35 > 0:53:39And they found their way into the other planets and moons of our solar system
0:53:39 > 0:53:42as well as countless billions of asteroids.
0:53:47 > 0:53:53There's almost an infinite supply of all the elements we could wish for in space.
0:53:53 > 0:53:59And the idea of extra-terrestrial mining isn't as crazy as you might think.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03- Ten, nine, eight... - Ignition sequence start.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05This is the surface of Mars.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Actually, it's a warehouse in Stevenage.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18This accurate replica of the Martian surface is where space hardware
0:54:18 > 0:54:21destined for the red planet is put through its paces.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Welcome to our Mars yard.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29This is where we test all of our rovers
0:54:29 > 0:54:32that we're developing to go to the surface of Mars.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35They're going to launch in 2020,
0:54:35 > 0:54:40land in early 2021 and then drive around on the surface and take samples
0:54:40 > 0:54:42from a variety of different locations.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44So you're going to pick up rocks on Mars?
0:54:44 > 0:54:48The ultimate plan for this is to drill underneath the surface,
0:54:48 > 0:54:51collect a sample, see what elements are there, what minerals.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54Could it potentially have supported life is one of the big questions?
0:54:54 > 0:55:00How feasible is it to go to another planet or to an asteroid and mine it?
0:55:00 > 0:55:04There's lots of things that need to be developed to get us to that point.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06But this is one of those things.
0:55:06 > 0:55:07We're starting along that road now.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15From this Stevenage warehouse,
0:55:15 > 0:55:19Airbus designed and built the Rosetta spacecraft
0:55:19 > 0:55:22that landed a probe on a comet in 2014.
0:55:25 > 0:55:26And in the workshop,
0:55:26 > 0:55:30they're developing the next generation of extra-terrestrial robots.
0:55:31 > 0:55:36This space vacuum cleaner can sample alien soil.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39We can start the brushes and you can see them rotating opposite to each other.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43And then it would go down into the surface like that,
0:55:43 > 0:55:48and you can see all the sample being flipped up into the inside of here.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50This is a prospecting device.
0:55:50 > 0:55:51You set it down onto an asteroid,
0:55:51 > 0:55:55gather some up and bring it back to Earth and see if it's valuable.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58Yeah, pretty much. This is what will allow us to work out...
0:55:58 > 0:56:00what's on there and if it's of any interest.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08This technology is being developed for scientific missions,
0:56:08 > 0:56:11but it could one day be used for commercial ventures.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16So are there companies seriously interested in mining in space?
0:56:16 > 0:56:21Yeah, definitely. There's companies being set up...that have already been set up today,
0:56:21 > 0:56:24focused specifically on mining in space.
0:56:24 > 0:56:29You've also got governments around the world that are setting up the
0:56:29 > 0:56:31regulations that will be required to do this,
0:56:31 > 0:56:36allowing companies to go and mine on the moon or mine on an asteroid.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38This all sounds so incredible.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42How far off are we realistically from mining in space?
0:56:42 > 0:56:44We'll be able to do it in the next 10 or 20 years or so.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48So in my lifetime, we could be mining space?
0:56:48 > 0:56:49Yep, certainly.
0:56:59 > 0:57:04NASA is planning a mission to a metal-rich asteroid in 2023.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09They have no intention of mining it, but if they did,
0:57:09 > 0:57:14the iron alone is estimated to be worth quadrillions of dollars.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19The trouble is, we don't have the technology to bring it back to Earth and,
0:57:19 > 0:57:23even if we did, it would probably cost more than the metal is worth.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27But if there's one thing history teaches us,
0:57:27 > 0:57:29when the demand is big enough...
0:57:30 > 0:57:31..we tend to find a solution.
0:57:35 > 0:57:36JAUNTY MUSIC PLAYS
0:57:41 > 0:57:45Harnessing the astonishing powers of materials has built our modern world.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51With superelements at our fingertips...
0:57:52 > 0:57:55..our creativity knows no bounds.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00We've made the world more advanced,
0:58:00 > 0:58:04more connected and more exciting than ever before.
0:58:04 > 0:58:08But in doing so, we've also made ourselves vulnerable.
0:58:14 > 0:58:19By exploiting the amazing properties of elements that are becoming scarce,
0:58:19 > 0:58:23there is a danger that the technologies we take for granted
0:58:23 > 0:58:24will no longer be available.
0:58:26 > 0:58:30Ultimately, though, I place my faith in human ingenuity.
0:58:32 > 0:58:38I'm optimistic that we can avoid running out of the very stuff on which we rely.
0:58:38 > 0:58:40Using better design,
0:58:40 > 0:58:45much more efficient recycling and maybe even space mining,
0:58:45 > 0:58:50we can keep our material culture healthy without exhausting what the
0:58:50 > 0:58:51planet can provide.