Strategies To Secure Future Mineral Supplies Flashcards
Why do new technologies need tk be invented for mineral extraction
As we need tk find and extract new deposits including low grade and less accessible deposits
What is remote sensing? (Energy)
Looking for minerals from a distance
How can remote sensing be improved
Better satellites that carry better sensors for more detailed images
How does remote sensing work
Light waves are sent to the surface and different minerals reflect the light in different ways
How can better field equipment help
Testing cab be done more accurately and quickly
How has tech advancement meant depth of minerals is less of a problem
Minerals that were inaccessible can now be exploited
What is the exploration of low grade ores
Looking for minerals of a lower grade
How do we normally get mineral out of rock
Smelting the ore done at high temperatures = costly
What is bioleaching
Mining that extracts valuable metals from low grade ore with the help of microorganisms like bacteria or Archaea
What bacteria are used for bio mining
Acidiphilic (love acid)
What are acidicphilic bacteria used to extract
Gold
Copper
Zinc
Lead
How is the solution from bio leaching separated
Electrolysis
What are the benefits Of bio mining
Less energy used
No sulphur dioxide used (environmental harmful)
Why are low concentrations not a problem for bacteria
Ignore the waste that surrounds the metals
What can be the extraction yield of bio mining
90% in some cases
What is phyto mining
The use of plants to abrob metals from the soil
What is the process of phytomining
Plant absorb metal
Plant is harvested then burned to produce ash containing metal
Acid added to ash to produce a metal leachate
Metal obtained by electrolysis
Why isnt phyto mining currently viable
Large scale harvesting is currenlty mire costly than current mining techniques
What is leachate collection
Leachate from spoil heaps collected for any dissolved metal ions
Is leachate collection currently used
No as supply isnt low enough to be needed
How is concentration of leachate increased
Re-ciruclating through the spoil
How are the ions extracted from the leachate
Electrolysis
What is cradle to cradle design
Describes the potentially infinite corculation of minerals and nutrients
Something can be re-used
What are the benefits of recycling
Conservation of resources
Reduced energy use
Reduced impact from extraction and processing
Reduced waste disposal
Is all recycling old used products
No- industrial waste like metal trimmingsand discarded part of manufacturing
What is the problem with recycling
Not always cheaper as time consuming
Why is identification of minerals a problem
Metals or mineral are mixed time consuming and difficult to identify
How many different types of plastic are there
More than 50
Why is seperation a problem
When resource is identified it needs tk be seperated with alloya this may not be possible
How is quality affected by recycling
The more a resource is recyled the worse it gets becomes fragile
How is recycling environmentally damaging
More trips for collection and after seperation
Why is contamination a problem when recycling
Can be hazadous and may be un-recyclable
What is one of the biggest problems with recycling
Lack of consumer cooperation
