Lithosphere: Future Supply of Mineral Resources and Sustainability

Lithosphere - Future Supply

Starter

1. Why is demand increasing on
   mineral resources supply?
2. What is happening to the
   ores reserves we are exploiting?

70
Demand
Supply
60
50
Surplus
:
Price
40
30
P
20
10
Shorta
100 200 300
400
500 600
700
QuantityStarter:
Why is demand increasing on mineral
resources supply?

• Increasing population,
• Increasing affluence,
• Increasing demand for rare Earth
  metals.

What is happening to the ores reserves
we are exploiting?

• Finite resource,
• Declining ore purity.

70
Demand
Supply
80
50
Surplus
Price
40
30
P
20
10
Shor
100 :
200
300
400
500
600
Quantity

Lithosphere - Future Supplies Learning Outcomes

• Explain the difficulties in ensuring supply
  meets demand,
• Discuss the strategies that may be used
  to secure future mineral supplies,
• Describe the advantages of recycling,
• Explain difficulties when it comes to
  recycling.

Example: Rare Earth Metals in Car Manufacture

• All of these
  resources must
  come from the
  ground!

LCD Screen Components

• Europium
• Yttrium
• Cerium

Catalytic Converter Components

• Platinum
• Palladium
• Rhodium
• Cerium
• Zirconium
• lanthanum

Electric Motor Components

• Neodynium
• Praesodynium
• Dysprosium
• terbium

Diesel Fuel Additive Components

• Cerium
• Lanthanum

Global Rare Earth Oxide Production Trends

Describe the trends in the graph (2
marks)
Which country has
the highest amount
of exploitable
deposits?
Suggest why China's
production trend has
increased so
dramatically (2
marks)

• Large country,
• Cheap transport,
• Cheap labour
• Few environmental
  safeguards,
• Plentiful ore
  deposits.

Global Rare Earth Oxide (REO) Production Trends
140,000
130,000
120,000
110,000
Production, metric tons
100,000
90,000
80,000
70,000
Other
USA
China
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
1956
1965
1985
2002
2010

Sustainability of Exploitation Levels

Is this level of exploitation sustainable?
Global Rare Earth Oxide (REO) Production Trends
140,000
130,000
120,000
110,000
Production, metric tons
100,000
90,000
80,000
Other
JUSA
China
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
1956
1965
1985
2002
2010

Problem 1 - High Grade Deposits Depleting

• We need to develop new technologies
  to find and extract new deposits,
  including low-grade and inaccessible
  deposits,
• Design products that minimise the
  amount of material needed and
  extend its lifetime.

Problem 2 - Energy Intensive Metal Extraction

• Normal method of extracting a
  metal from its ore is called
  smelting,
• Using high temperatures to
  chemically reduce the ore,
• Amount of energy needed to do this
  increases exponentially as the ore
  purity declines,
• So smelting may not be economically
  viable if we want to exploit more
  low-grade deposits.
  Inside America's Super Smelter (youtube.com)

Increasing Quantity of Mineral Reserves

How can we increase quantity
of mineral reserves?

1. Exploit low-grade deposits such
   as spoil heaps,
2. Bigger and better machinery,
3. Better exploratory techniques,
4. Cradle to cradle design.
5. Recycling,

1. Exploit Low-Grade Deposits like Spoil Heaps

1. Exploit low-grade deposits such as
spoil heaps,
Spoil heaps created from waste removed whilst mining this
will contain small amounts of mineral ore.
Can extract the ore from the waste using the following
methods:

• Bioleaching
• Phyto-mining
• Leachate collection
• Polymer adsorption
• Iron displacement

1.1 Exploit Low-Grade Deposits - Bioleaching

• Bacteria/fungi are grown on the
  crushed ore,
• Acidophilic bacteria can oxidise
  sulphide ores to produce
  sulphuric acid which dissolves
  the metals contained within e.g.
  copper, zinc, lead.
• The metals are then separated
  out using electrolysis,
• Aspergillus fungi produce acids
  that can dissolve metals such as
  nickel, lead, copper and tin.
  Fe3+
  Microbial Fe2+
  oxidation
  Fe2+
  H2ASO4
  Cu2+
  Arsenic
  release
  Copper
  release
  M+
  K
  Fe3+
  Microbial elemental
  sulfur oxidation
  Scorodite
  Precipitation
  Enargite
  oxidation
  >SO 2 --
  Jarosite
  precipitation
  AsO 3-
  As3+
  Cut
  50
  SO
  SC
  FeASO4
  So
  FeAsO 4
  FeASO
  Cu,ASSA
  Chile revolutionising mining with bacteria biotech (youtube.com)
  SO,2-
  «As5+4
  ((M+)Fe3(SO4)2(OH)6)

1.2. Exploit Low-Grade Deposits - Phyto-mining

• Some plants absorb metal ions from
  soil/water and concentrate them in
  their leaves,
• Once the plants have absorbed the
  metals, they are harvested and
  incinerated ,
• The carbon, oxygen and hydrogen
  will be released during combustion,
• Leaving concentrated metals in the
  ash that can be dissolved by acids
  and then separated by electrolysis.
  CO2 + H2
  Au nanoparticles
  -
  >
  50 nm
  CO + H2O
  -
  >
  Enzymatic
  Processing
  Gold
  (Au)
  Au+ 1
  Final Application
  as a catalyst
  0
  O
  Degraded plant material
  rich in gold nanoparticlesCOPPER
  METAL
  SOIL CONTAINING
  LOW PERCENTAGE
  OF COPPER ORE
  PLANTS ARE
  BURNT IN AIR
  ASH CONTAINING
  HIGH PERCENTAGE
  OF COPPER COMPOUND
  Copyright @ Save My Exams. All Rights Reserved

1.3. Exploit Low-Grade Deposits - Leachate Collection

• Spoil heap leachate
  containing dissolved
  soluble metal ions is
  collected,
• The metals are then
  extracted by electrolysis.

1.4. Exploit Low-Grade Deposits - Polymer Adsorption

• Metal ions dissolved in seawater will
  adsorb onto the surface of some polymers
  and can be collected later
• Natural polymers (lignin from wood) or
  synthetic polymers can be used,
  Scientists Extract Uranium Powder from
  Seawater with Yarn (youtube.com)
• This method is being developed to extract
  uranium and may provide a low-energy
  method of producing fuel for the nuclear
  power industry.

Major Components of Seawater

The big 6 of
major
components of
seawater
Sodium
(30.6%)
Sulfur
(7.7%)
Magnesium
(4%)
Calcium (1.1%)
Potassium
Carbon
Bromine
Boron
Strontium
Flourine
Chlorine
(55%)

1.5. Exploit Low-Grade Deposits - Iron Displacement

• Iron has a higher reactivity
  than copper so will displace
  copper ions in a solution,
• Therefore the iron will
  dissolve into solution as the
  copper ions are deposited as
  solid copper metal which can
  be collected.
  iron nail
  Leave for one week while
  reaction takes place
  blue copper
  sulphate
  solution
  green iron
  sulphate
  solution
  Copper metal
  on iron
  Before
  After
  increasing chemical reactivity, reducing power and ease of ionization
  K
  potassium
  Na
  sodium
  Ca
  calcium
  Mg
  magnesium
  AI
  aluminium
  Zn
  zinc
  Fe
  iron
  Pb
  lead
  H
  hydrogen
  Cu
  copper
  Ag
  silver
  Single-replacement Reaction
  A
  +
  B
  C
  Reactants
  A
  C
  +
  B
  Products

2. Bigger and Better Machinery for Mining

• Deep mining: using machines allows mining
  underground where it may be too
  hot/dangerous for people,
• Larger machinery = larger mines,
• especially important in open-cast mines
  as it allows overburden and minerals to
  be extracted quickly and cost-
  effectively,
• Machinery has allowed deeper open-cast mine
  creation,
  Example: Bingham Canyon Mine- in production
  since 1906, pit is over 970m deep, 4km wide.
  Bingham Canyon Mine (Kennecott Copper Mine) - Drone footage (youtube.com)

3. Better Exploratory Techniques - Exploiting Inaccessible Deposits

• Polymetallic/manganese nodules:
• Metal-rich nodules found on the seabed,
• 5-10cm in diameter at depths of 4000-5000m
• Contain about 30% manganese with smaller amounts
  of iron, nickel, copper, cobalt and titanium,
• Large-scale exploitation will be expensive and
  require international agreement on ownership of the
  seabed,
• Recovery will disturb the seabed and kill benthic
  organisms and increase water turbidity.
• Is it worth it?
  Polymetallic Nodules (youtube.com)

4. Cradle to Cradle Design & Circular Economy

• If the lifetime of the mineral can be
  extended then the need to exploit
  reserves will be reduced,
• Cradle-cradle design: designing
  products so that materials are able to
  be reused at the end of their useful
  lives,
• This includes easy separation of
  components and identification of
  materials
  dle
  Production
  O
  Technical Nutrients
  Product
  Technical Cycle
  for Products for Service
  Disassembly
  Use
  Return to
  ProducerInfinite regenerative
  capacity of the Earth
  Infinite
  resources
  Resource
  extraction
  Production
  Distribution
  Consumption
  Dispose
  TAKE
  MAKE
  -
  WASTE
  Circular economy
  A circular economy is an alternative to
  a traditional linear economy (make, use,
  dispose) we keep resources in use for
  as long as possible, extract the
  maximum value whilst in use, then
  recover and regenerate at the end of
  each service life
  Design/manufacture
  Recycling sector
  Retailer
  circular
  economy
  use/repair/recycling
  Consumer/householder/LAS

5. Recycling - Advantages of Recycling

• Conservation of mineral
  resources,
• Reduced energy use,
• Reduced mineral extraction/
  processing impacts,
• Reduced waste disposal
  impacts.
  Incinerators: New plans to limit burning rubbish for energy - BBC News

5. Recycling - Problems with Recycling

Where does my mixed recycling go? (updated Dec'24) - WRWA

• Identification of materials- laborious and slow
• Separation of mixed materials- difficult
• Reduction in quality of resource,
• Increased transport costs/impacts,
• Collection difficulties,
• Lack of consumer cooperation- in separating their
  waste
• Waste losses- not all used materials can be recycled.

Where Does My Recycling Go?

Plastic Bottles

Milk, fizzy drinks etc.
Spain and
Northampton (UK)

Cardboard

Netherlands
Cheshire
O Dinnington

Sturdy Plastics

Trigger Spray,
Plastic Containers
Norfolk
Northampton
Spain

Glass

Germany

Mixed Paper

Tilbury (UK)
Netherlands and
Germany

Clear Recycling Sacks

Spain

Paper

Newspapers and
Pamphlets
Germany and Norfolk (UK)

Plastic Pots, Tubs and Trays

Spain

Cans

Steel and Aluminum
Cheshire and
Dinnington (UK)
Germany

Quiz: How Long to Break Down?

Quiz: guess how long to break down:

• Nappy,
  500-600 years.
• Cotton t-shirt, 6 months.
• Glass bottle, 1 million years.
• Plastic bottle,
  1 million years.
• Paper bag, 2 months.
• Banana peel,
  1 month.
• Aluminium can. 20 years.
  Landfill Mining

Plenary: Mining Questions!

Plenary:
mining
questions!