Nonrenewable Mineral Resources

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Chapter 15

• Nonrenewable Mineral Resources

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MINERALS, ROCKS, AND THE ROCK CYCLE

• The earths crust consists of solid inorganic
  elements and compounds called minerals that can
  sometimes be used as resources.
• Mineral resource is a concentration of naturally
  occurring material in or on the earths crust
  that can be extracted and processed into useful
  materials at an affordable cost.

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General Classification of Nonrenewable Mineral
Resources

• The U.S. Geological Survey classifies mineral
  resources into four major categories
• Identified known location, quantity, and quality
  or existence known based on direct evidence and
  measurements.
• Undiscovered potential supplies that are assumed
  to exist.
• Reserves identified resources that can be
  extracted profitably.
• Other undiscovered or identified resources not
  classified as reserves

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General Classification of Nonrenewable Mineral
Resources

• Examples are fossil fuels (coal, oil), metallic
  minerals (copper, iron), and nonmetallic minerals
  (sand, gravel).

Figure 15-7
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GEOLOGIC PROCESSES

• Deposits of nonrenewable mineral resources in the
  earths crust vary in their abundance and
  distribution.
• A very slow chemical cycle recycles three types
  of rock found in the earths crust
• Sedimentary rock (sandstone, limestone).
• Metamorphic rock (slate, marble, quartzite).
• Igneous rock (granite, pumice, basalt).

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Rock Cycle
Figure 15-8
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ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF USING MINERAL RESOURCES

• The extraction, processing, and use of mineral
  resources has a large environmental impact.

Figure 15-9
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Surface mining
Metal ore
Separation of ore from gangue
Smelting
Melting metal
Conversion to product
Discarding of product (scattered in environment)
Recycling
Fig. 15-9, p. 344
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Natural Capital Degradation
Extracting, Processing, and Using Nonrenewable
Mineral and Energy Resources
Steps
Environmental effects
Mining
Disturbed land mining accidents health hazards,
mine waste dumping, oil spills and blowouts
noise ugliness heat
Exploration, extraction
Processing
Solid wastes radioactive material air, water,
and soil pollution noise safety and health
hazards ugliness heat
Transportation, purification, manufacturing
Use
Noise ugliness thermal water pollution
pollution of air, water, and soil solid and
radioactive wastes safety and health hazards
heat
Transportation or transmission to individual
user, eventual use, and discarding
Fig. 15-10, p. 344
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ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF USING MINERAL RESOURCES

• Minerals are removed through a variety of methods
  that vary widely in their costs, safety factors,
  and levels of environmental harm.
• A variety of methods are used based on mineral
  depth.
• Surface mining shallow deposits are removed.
• Subsurface mining deep deposits are removed.

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Open-pit Mining

• Machines dig holes and remove ores, sand, gravel,
  and stone.
• Toxic groundwater can accumulate at the bottom.

Figure 15-11
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Area Strip Mining

• Earth movers strips away overburden, and giant
  shovels removes mineral deposit.
• Often leaves highly erodible hills of rubble
  called spoil banks.

Figure 15-12
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Contour Strip Mining

• Used on hilly or mountainous terrain.
• Unless the land is restored, a wall of dirt is
  left in front of a highly erodible bank called a
  highwall.

Figure 15-13
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Mountaintop Removal

• Machinery removes the tops of mountains to expose
  coal.
• The resulting waste rock and dirt are dumped into
  the streams and valleys below.

Figure 15-14
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Mining Impacts

• Metal ores are smelted or treated with
  (potentially toxic) chemicals to extract the
  desired metal.

Figure 15-15
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SUPPLIES OF MINERAL RESOURCES

• The future supply of a resource depends on its
  affordable supply and how rapidly that supply is
  used.
• A rising price for a scarce mineral resource can
  increase supplies and encourage more efficient
  use.

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SUPPLIES OF MINERAL RESOURCES

• Depletion curves for a renewable resource using
  three sets of assumptions.
• Dashed vertical lines represent times when 80
  depletion occurs.

Figure 15-16
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SUPPLIES OF MINERAL RESOURCES

• New technologies can increase the mining of
  low-grade ores at affordable prices, but harmful
  environmental effects can limit this approach.
• Most minerals in seawater and on the deep ocean
  floor cost too much to extract, and there are
  squabbles over who owns them.

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USING MINERAL RESOURCES MORE SUSTAINABLY

• Scientists and engineers are developing new types
  of materials as substitutes for many metals.
• Recycling valuable and scarce metals saves money
  and has a lower environmental impact then mining
  and extracting them from their ores.

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Solutions
Sustainable Use of Nonrenewable Minerals
Do not waste mineral resources.
Recycle and reuse 6080 of mineral resources.
Include the harmful environmental costs of
mining and processing minerals in the prices of
items (full-cost pricing).
Reduce subsidies for mining mineral resources.
Increase subsidies for recycling, reuse, and
finding less environmentally harmful substitutes.
Redesign manufacturing processes to use less
mineral resources and to produce less pollution
and waste.
Have the mineral-based wastes of one
manufacturing process become the raw materials
for other processes.
Sell services instead of things.
Slow population growth.
Fig. 15-18, p. 351
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Case Study The Ecoindustrial Revolution

• Growing signs point to an ecoindustrial
  revolution taking place over the next 50 years.
• The goal is to redesign industrial manufacturing
  processes to mimic how nature deals with wastes.
• Industries can interact in complex resource
  exchange webs in which wastes from manufacturer
  become raw materials for another.

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Sludge
Pharmaceutical plant
Local farmers
Sludge
Greenhouses
Waste heat
Waste heat
Waste heat
Fish farming
Waste heat
Surplus natural gas
Electric power plant
Fly ash
Oil refinery
Surplus sulfur
Waste calcium sulfate
Waste heat
Cement manufacturer
Surplus natural gas
Sulfuric acid producer
Wallboard factory
Area homes
Fig. 15-19, p. 352