| Mineral resources are non-renewable resources, the crucial basis of human civilization, social progress and economic development. Currently, more than 95% of energy, more than 80% of industrial raw material, more than 70% of agricultural means of production come from mineral resources. It can be said that without the sustaining and steady supply of mineral resources, there would be no modern economic and social development.Since the 1990s, China has obviously stepped into a high speed development stage which had been experienced by developed countries. With the speeding up of industrialization process and economic globalization, the consumption demand for mineral resources is increasing. At present, the domestic supply of mineral resources is insufficient, and highly depends on imports. Together with the intensification of mineral industry monopoly in global scale, the lack of pricing right of some of the resources commodities, there are varieties of reasons that make mineral resources supply security is at great risk, which will directly affect the economic operation safety. In order to secure the supply safety of mineral resources, China urgently need to change the economic growth mode and select the best configuration mode of mineral resources.Circular economy is a kind of human-oriented development mode. In order to ensure nature to be able to carry human development, our country emphases on protecting natural ecology, respecting the internal value of nature, explores nature and develops economy at the same time. Circular economy is an effective route for China to carry out scientific development view and change the economic growth mode. It employs ecological laws to direct economic activities of human society. It recognizes the"3R"principle,"Reducing","Reusing", and"Recycling"as the basis principle to organize production. Circular economy put economic activities into a circulation flow process: resource—product--renewable resources—renewable product. It intends to actualize the Reducing of resource utilization, the Reusing of products, the Recycling of waste resources, which thoroughly change the one-way flow model of economic growth which formed by the"Resource—Product—Pollution Emission"in conventional economy. What circular economy advocates is the type of economic development mode which bases on continuous cyclic utilization of material. It requires Recycling, Reusing and Reducing as the behavior norms of socio-economic activities. The process we actualize these norms is the very process of resources recycling. Therefore, the core content of circular economy development is the recycling utilization of resources.The fundamental role of mineral resources in national economy makes the circular utilization of mineral resources the key field of resources circular utilization in China. The circular utilization level of mineral resources is the best"indicators"to test the degree of circular economy development, because it involves both resource and environment issue.As an exhaustible natural resource, mineral resource is an important Production factor. In the process of economic development, it is invested as a production means into economic development. It is a type of production means rather than product. It has nothing to do with the issue of"product recycling". Hence, the circular utilization of mineral resource mainly considers principles"Reducing"and"Recycling"as its directions, manages to minimize the resource consumption and the production of waste. It also continuously promotes the utilization efficiency of resources, transforms waste into resource to recycle in a large extent, in order to meet these targets of changing waste into valuable and damage into benefit. It's safe to say that mineral resource circular refers to the"Reducing"utilization of the mineral resources that enter into the consumption field (including producing and living). It also refers to the recycling and reutilization of the fabricated metal products which take mineral resources as raw materials, metal-containing products, and non-metal products.As a important resources allocation mode, circular utilization of mineral resources can effectively relieve the supply and demand contradictions of resources, reduce environmental burden, protect environment, as well as promote national economic and social sustainable development. First of all, circular utilization of mineral resources can lower the demand of economic growth for mineral raw materials. Circular utilization of mineral resources fall into two types:"Reducing"utilization and"Recycling"utilization of mineral resources."Reducing"utilization of mineral resources demands less mineral resources raw material (including energy, metal and other mineral resources) to meet the set production or consumption targets. It pays attention to the saving of mineral resources and the reduction of pollution from the source of economic activity. In other words, in the process of production and service, people should reduce the consumption of mineral resources and the generation of waste as much as possible, in order to acquire the maximum economic and environmental benefits. However, Recycling utilization of mineral resources belongs to the catalog of end treatment, mainly refers to the recycling and reutilization of waste. People substitute recyclable resources from the recycling part of waste for mineral resource raw material to be put into production, which reduces both the demands for mineral sources raw material and the final discharge amount. Secondly, circular utilization of mineral resources is able to make the total amount of available mineral resources larger than the reserve of mineral resources, prolong the utilization period of mineral resources.Compared with developed countries, the level of mineral resource utilization is relatively low. In China, there are problems such as, high-level energy consumption, low-rate waste resource recycling and low-rate resource regeneration. The analysis indicates these problems are closely related to the current economic development phase of China. The experiences of circular utilization of mineral resource in developed countries show that the circular utilization of metal mineral resource has obvious periodic characteristics. Only when the metal consumption input amounts to a certain extent and when economic development is at a certain high level, can cycling and reutilization become the principal part of consumption supply, can the cycling and reutilization rate be higher and higher. At the present stage, China is in the peak period of industrialization, in which primary resource input is growing fast. Accordingly, the percentage of secondary recovery is rather low. Furthermore, the application lifecycle of most products is not over, the date of retirement is not due. Hence, in the course of economic development, only after the consumption of mineral resources (such as metal, etc.) has amounted to peak phase, can the input products step into recycling stage, can the"Recycling"utilization of mineral resources become the main body of consumption. Therefore, in China the stage of industrialization determines waste resource hasn't become the principle part of consumption. At present, the recycling of mineral resource should take"Reduction"as the principal way of utilization.As the analysis indicates, in China the potential of circular utilization of mineral resources is rather great. At present, in China there are many problems as follows, the resource utilization efficiency is not high enough, high energy consumption of unit product, high emissions of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, COD, etc. The potential of mineral resource"Reducing"utilization is rather large. We also have to face the fact that with the advancing of the industrialization and urbanization process, massive mineral resources transform into social wealth and accumulated. In our country, the cardinal number of mineral resource consumption (such as metal, etc.) is large. The potential of waste resources"Recycling"is relatively large in the future. In practice, there are many factors decide that the"Reducing"utilization of mineral resource is facing many large obstacles as follows: it's rather hard to promote the energy efficiency in the rapid development stage. The trend of industrial structure and reducing unit GDP energy consumption are opposite in direction. The domestic energy structure is conducive to energy saving. It needs a process to transform technical progress into energy-saving and emission-reducing performance. The mechanisms of access and elimination are not perfect. The"Recycling"of mineral resource is confronting great dilemma for the reasons as follows: the system of waste material recycling is imperfect. The size of regeneration utilization industry is not large enough. The technical level of regeneration utilization is not high. The utilization of scrap metal over-relies on imports. These difficulties are also caused by the lack of industry standards and environment pollution.As the experiences in developed countries prove, there is no consumption peak of energy minerals in economic development process. Hence, for the"Reducing"utilization of the irrecoverable mineral resources like energy there is no stages to speak of. No matter in middle stage of industrialization or in post-industrialization stage, China should achieve"Reducing"utilization. In other words, we should produce the maximum economic benefits with the minimum energy input to ensure the sustainable utilization. However, the primary resources consumption of metal and other recoverable mineral resources, and secondary recovery reutilization consumption have obvious stage features and regularity. Therefore, the recycling utilization level and scale of waste metal and other resources are greatly affected by economic development stages. China is in middle stage of industrialization, the consumption peak of metal and other mineral resources is not at hand. Therefore, the circular utilization of mineral resources in China at present is dominated by"Reducing"utilization. Meanwhile, China improves the country's recovery and utilization system and advocates the green consumption pattern to promote the development of mineral resource"Recycling"utilization. Thus, there are two paths for mineral resources circular utilization in China: firstly, as for the utilization of waste resources, we should insist on the"Reducing"principle of circular economy to achieve clean operating, resource saving and exhausted pollutant reducing. Ultimately, our country should manage to produce the maximum economic benefits with the minimum energy input and pollution emission. Secondly, as for the regeneration utilization of waste resource, we should stick to the"Recycling"principle of circular economy to proceed overall recycling and advocate the green consumption pattern.In order to vigorously develop mineral resource circular utilization and guarantee the sustainable utilization of mineral resource, we should manage to achieve the following points: firstly, we should enhance the government's guidance, give full play to the role of market mechanism, greatly develop the tertiary industry, and guide the restructuring and upgrading of industrial structure. Secondly, we should carry out the research on energy-saving and recycling technologies, conduct the designing and producing of recoverable products, promote the transferring and transforming of resources circular utilization technologies, establish the information network for the technology extension and application of resources circular utilization technologies, and strengthen the technical research and practice of mineral resources circular utilization. Thirdly, we should establish perfect resource recovery system and vein industry. Fourthly, make full use of economic means to regulate the development of resource recycling. Fifthly, it's to improve environmental protection consciousness and promote public participation. Sixthly, we should perfect the laws and regulations system of circulation economy to guarantee the efficient and smooth conduct of mineral resource circular utilization, and promote the development of circular economy.
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