[ Log In | Register]
! Skip Navigation Links
Skip Navigation Links
Image of Journal of Applied Nonlinear Dynamics
ISSN:2325-6192 (print)
ISSN:2325-6206 (online)
Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management
António Mendes Lopes (editor), Jiazhong Zhang(editor)
António Mendes Lopes (editor)

University of Porto, Portugal

Email: aml@fe.up.pt

Jiazhong Zhang (editor)

School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710049, China

Fax: +86 29 82668723 Email: jzzhang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn

Exergy Replacement Cost of Mineral Resources

Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management 1(2) (2013) 147--158 | DOI:10.5890/JEAM.2013.05.004

Alicia Valero; Antonio Valero; Adriana Domínguez

CIRCE, Centre of Research for Energy Resources and Consumptions, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, SPAIN

Download Full Text PDF

 

Abstract

This paper appraises the energy requirements for mineral production through an exergy approach taking into account the long-term decline in ore grades. In this context, the exergy replacement costs are defined as the exergy required for restoring mineral resources from a complete dispersed state where no deposits exist into the same conditions in which they were delivered by the ecosystems with the available technology. The exergy replacement cost is the point of reference in order to evaluate in a single variable, characteristics such as composition, concentration (ore grade) and the state of technology of mineral resources. With empirical data of energy requirements in mining as a function of the ore grade, the exergy replacement costs of cobalt, copper, gold, nickel and uranium are obtained. Additionally, a general expression of mining energy vs. ore grade is derived for those mineral commodities where no empirical data is available.

References

  1. [1]  Mudd, G. (2007), An analysis of historic production trends in Australian base metal mining, Ore Geology Reviews, 32, 227-261.
  2. [2]  Mudd, G. (2007), Global trends in gold mining: Towards quantifying environmental and resource sustainability? Resources Policy, 32, 42-46.
  3. [3]  Mudd, G. (2008), Radon releases from Australian uranium mining and milling projects: assessing the unscear approach, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 99, 288-315.
  4. [4]  Mudd, G. (2007), Gold mining in Australia: linking historical trends and environmental and resource sustainability, Environmental Science & Policy, 10, 629-644.
  5. [5]  Mudd, G. (2010), Global Trends and Environmental Issues in Nickel Mining: Sulfides versus laterites, Ore Geology Reviews.
  6. [6]  Mudd, G. (2010), The environmental costs of platinum - PGM mining and sustainability: Is the glass half - full or half - empty? Minerals Engineering, 23, 438-450.
  7. [7]  Norman, P. and Creasey, S. (1975), Ore grade, metal production, and energy, Research of the US Geological Survey, 3, 9- 13.
  8. [8]  Skinner, B.J. (1986), Earth resources, Prentice-Hall, London.
  9. [9]  Norgate, T., Jahanshahi, S., and Rankin, W. (2007), Assessing the environmental impact of metal production processes, Journal of Cleaner Production, 15, 838-848.
  10. [10]  Norgate, T. and Jahanshahi, S. (2011), Assessing the Energy and Greenhouse Gas Footprints of Nickel Laterite Processing, Minerals Engineering.
  11. [11]  Norgate, T. and Jahanshahi, S. (2010), Low grade ores - smelt, leach or concentrate? Minerals Engineering, 23, 65-73.
  12. [12]  Norgate, T. and Haque, N. (2010), Energy and greenhouse gas impacts of mining and mineral processing operations, Cleaner Production, 18, 266-274.
  13. [13]  Kelly, T. and Matos, G. (2011), Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States, USGS. Available online: http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/ (Accessed April. 2013).
  14. [14]  Yellishetty, M., Mudd, G., and Ranjith, P. (2011), The steel industry, abiotic resource depletion and life cycle assessment: A real or perceived issue? Journal of Cleaner Production, 19, 78-90.
  15. [15]  Chapman, P. and Roberts, F. (1983), Metal Resources and Energy, Butterworths.
  16. [16]  Valero, A. and Valero, A. (2009), The crepuscular planet. Part II: A model for the exhausted continental crust, in: Proceedings of ECOS 2009.
  17. [17]  Valero, A., Valero, A., and Amaya, M. (2009), Inventory of the exergy resources on earth including its mineral capital, Energy, 35, 989-995.
  18. [18]  Valero, A. and Valero, A. (2010), Prediction of the exergy loss of the world’s mineral reserves in the 21st century, Energy, 1-7.
  19. [19]  Szargut, J., Ziebik, A., and Stanek, W. (2002), Depletion of the non-renewable natural exergy resources as a measure of the ecological cost, Energy Conversion and Management, 43, 9-12.
  20. [20]  Szargut, J. and Stanek, W. (2012), Fuel part and mineral part of the thermoecological cost, International Journal of Thermodynamic, 15, 187-190.
  21. [21]  Szargut, J. and Stanek, W. (2006), Influence of the pro-ecological tax on the market prices of fuels and electricity, Energy, 33, 137-143.
  22. [22]  Valero, A., Agudelo, A., and Valero, A. (2010), The crepuscular planet. a model for the exhausted atmosphere and hydrosphere, Energy, 1-9.
  23. [23]  Valero, A., Valero, A., and Gómez, J. (2011), The crepuscular planet: A model for the exhausted continental crust, Energy, 36, 694-707.
  24. [24]  Valero, A. and Valero, A. (2011), Exergy of comminution and the Thanatia Earth's model. Energy, 44, 1085-1093.
  25. [25]  Szargut, J., Morris, D., and Steward, F. (1998), In: Szargut J., editor. Exergy Analysis of Thermal, Chemical, and Metallurgical Processes, Hemisphere Publishing Corporation.
  26. [26]  Valero, A. and Valero, A. (2010), Exergoecology: A thermodynamic approach for accounting the earth’s mineral capital: The case of bauxite-aluminium and limestone-lime chains, Energy, 35, 229-238.
  27. [27]  Domínguez, A. and Valero, A. (2013), Global gold mining: Is technological learning overcoming the declining in ore grades? Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management, 1, 85-101.
  28. [28]  Ruth, M. (1995), Thermodynamic constraints on optimal depletion of copper and aluminium in the United States: A dynamic model of substitution and technical change, Ecological Economics, 15, 197-213.
  29. [29]  Cox, D. and Singer, D. (1992), Mineral deposit models, Tech. rep., US Geological Survey. URL http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/b1693/
  30. [30]  Kellogg, H. (1977), Sizing up the energy requirements for producing primary metals, Engineering and Mining Journal, 178, 61-65.
  31. [31]  Botero, E. (2000), Valoración exergética de recursos naturales, minerales, agua y combustibles fósiles, Ph.D. thesis, Universidad de Zaragoza.
  32. [32]  Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation. (2004), Copper Environmental Profile, Life cycle assessment.
  33. [33]  Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation. (2006), Gold Environmental Profile, Life cycle assessment.
  34. [34]  IPPC, Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control. (2009), Draft reference document on best available techniques for the non-ferrous metals industries, Technical Report, EUROPEAN COMMISSION. URL ftp://ftp.jrc.es/pub/eippcb/doc/nfm2d07 ? 2009public.pdf.
  35. [35]  Gupta, C. and Mukherjee, T. (1990), Hydrometallurgy in Extraction Processes, CRC Press, 1, 74-75.

Copyright © 2011-2024 L & H Scientific Publishing. All rights reserved. Wildcard SSL Certificates