Mineral ResourcesMineral Resourcesand Resource Managementand Resource Management

Resources: raw materials taken from the environment and used by society

Types of mineral resources:Types of mineral resources:Metallic

ferrous (Fe and related metals)nonferrous (gold, copper, etc.)

Non metallicstructural (stone, gravel, sand…)industrial (salts, sulfur, asbestos…)

Ornamental Energy (coal, uranium, oil….)

Mineral resources are Mineral resources are nonrenewablenonrenewable resourcesresources

RenewableRenewable resources can be resources can be

replenished replenished within a few decadeswithin a few decades 2

Our modern technological society is very dependent on mineral resources.

The average person in an industrialized nation uses about 2.3 times as much Al and 1.3 times as much Cu as the typical person did 30 years ago.

We use over 20 times more Al and 16 times more Cu per person than people in developing countries.

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Metal use

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U.S. Consumption Trends

McKinney and Schoch 1998

Minerals

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World consumption of minerals has quintupled since 1945.

Some minerals have been used to build roads, buildings and durable goods, but much has gone into disposable goods.

Per capita consumption of mineral resources by Americans

McKinney and Schoch 1998

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MINING

Brazilian Iron Mine, Belo Horizonte

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Utah copper mine

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Australian coal mine10

Overburden: soil and rock covering a mineral deposit-

-normally waste material

Tailings: ground up rock residue after the high-grade

ore has been extracted

Smelting: process of concentrating ore by heating to

produce crude metals

Slag: fused waste produced during removal of metal from its ore

Refining: chemical purification

A few definitions….A few definitions….

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Copper Mining and Production

McKinney and Schoch 1998

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A gold mine with ore processing on site

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Environmental destruction

Waste production

Onsite pollution

Offsite pollution

Problems:

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Onsite and offsite pollution

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Onsite and offsite pollution: Tanks are needed to trap runoff or toxic solutions--leaks can happen16

The Holden Mine, Wash.17

Holden Copper Mine -- operated almost 20 years,closed in 1957; within US Forest Service land

Produced: 212 million pounds of Copper40 million pounds of Zinc2 million pounds of Silver600 thousand ounces of Gold

From: 10 million tons of ore

Ore shipped to ASARCO smelter, TacomaSmelter originally for lead, converted to copper in 1915; smelter closed in 1985. Now a superfund site.

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Asarco Smelter, Tacoma

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Cd 7 ppm

1 ppm

1 ppm

Zn5200 ppm 46 ppm

54 ppm

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Kam Kotia Cu/Zn Mine, Timmins Ontario (1943-1972)

Acid leachate from Kam Kotia Mine

(pH 2-3)

Restoration of Kam Kotia mine underway using Canadian Abandoned Mine

Rehabilitation Funds Est. cost of $20 million

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Reshaping the land and replanting after iron mining in Brazil--housing development and golf course will be built

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The General Mining Act of 1872

Claimholders can buy land ($2.50-4.00 per acre). Once paid, the owner can do as they please with the land.

Nevada--$20 billion in minerals for $9000Colorado--7000ac purchased for $42,000 and

resold for $37millionBLM estimate: $4 billion in minerals per year

free

Miners can stake claims on public land and take minerals for free

Mine industry: Metal mining is risky and expensive; US could become dependent on foreign supplies

But coal, oil and gas pay royalties…

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Craters so huge they can be seen from space. Thousands of miles of rivers and streams polluted by acidic runoff. Miners can pay the government no more than $5 an acre for the chance to make a fortune or go bust -- and stick taxpayers with millions of dollars in cleanup costs. It is the legacy of an 1872 federal law that still allows miners to take precious metals from public land for next to nothing.

PART 1 The General Mining Act of 1872 has left a legacy of riches and ruin Some people call it corporate welfare, others a fair deal. No matter how you look at it, a 129-year-old law lets miners extract a fortune from public land, paying virtually nothing to the government and often leaving the taxpayers to clean up the mess.

Town holds its breath watching price of gold

By category

LAW THE GENERAL MINING LAW OF 1872 "All valuable mineral deposits in lands belonging to the United States, both surveyed and unsurveyed, are her eby declared to be free and open to exploration and purchase, and the lands in which they are found to occupation and purchase, by citizens of the United States and those who have declared their intention to become such."

28Seattle PI, 11 Jun 2001

Mineral PricesMineral Prices

Mineral prices are artificially low. Current mineral prices include only extraction costs -- not the costs of land, ore and other factors

Over the last few decades, known reserves for many metals have grown as fast or faster than production.

Governments have traditionally subsidized mineral production for several reasons:

export currency to reduce international debt

economic developmentnational security 29

US stockpiles of strategic metals and metal ores.

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The Global Metal Trade The Global Metal Trade

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Two fundamental strategies for dealing with mineral scarcity:

1. Increase supply

2. Decrease demand

Mineral resources are Mineral resources are nonrenewable nonrenewable resources resources

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Used bySocietySubstitutions

Improved Efficiencies

Reuse and Recycle

ReduceRestoration

Remediation

Removal

Conservation(Input management)

Waste Reduction(Output management)

Resource Management

sources sinks33

Principles of Resource Management

The 3 R’s: Reduce demand(substitutions, greater efficiency)

ReuseRecycle

Population x Consumption x Technologic = Environmental per person impact per unit impact of (Affluence) of consumption population

P x A x T = I

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Metal/Mineral Resource Conservation1. Increase supply

recycle old materials -- saves on resources and in some cases, saves energy

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Energy for production

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Metal/Mineral Resource Conservation1. Increase supply

recycle old materials

2. Decrease demand

reuse goodsincrease prices to reflect environmental costsfind alternatives or substituteseliminate need through technology or

lifestyle changes

produce durable goodsProducing and buying DURABLE GOODS is an easy way to reduce demand for mineral resources 37

Mineral Resources

High extraction costs, and not all environmental costs are included

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CheapResource

Cheap to CostlyDisposalHigh use by

Society

mineral resources are nonrenewable--they include metallic, non-metallic, ornamental and energy minerals

environmental problems associated with mining include on- and off-site pollution, environmental destruction and solid waste production

mineral prices are artificially low for a variety of reasons such as national security, economic development

resource conservation methods include recycling, substitution, eliminating demand, and producing more

durable goods rather than disposable goods

the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle) can also reduce the amount of waste and environmental restoration needed due to pollution associated with resource use

Key Points:

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