Objective

Discuss About The Management Responsibility And Environmental?

Sustainable engineering refers to the designing and processing of the energy and resources which does not compromise the natural environment. Mining is a multifaceted industry with complex chains and processes. Extraction of minerals can become more environmentally sustainable and the impacts can be reduced by applying the latest tools and technologies. The aim of this report is to determine sustainable engineering practices for extraction of minerals and materials (Viveros 2016).

Historically, the mining industry is the oldest industry that has a major influence on the social and economic forces. The use of mineral resources has been for making tools and weapons. In the recent times, the government policies have changed and the extractive industry need to ensure that mineral extraction is done with appropriate environmental standards (Shen, Muduli and Barve 2015). In the future of mining operations, technology is likely to play a significant role. Innovation using technology shall help in building a long-term sustainable future in the mining industry. The global context of mining involves a good understanding of the overall scale of international mining industry, in terms of size and profitability. The field of mining depends on the size of target deposit of minerals like iron ore, bauxite, gold and others (Soni and Wolkersdorfer 2016).

The mining and minerals industry is advancing towards sustainability but encounters certain issues in the current scenario. Mineral extraction has multiple phases that are associated with different environmental impact (Schoenberger 2016). In the exploratory phase, there are surveys, field studies and other exploratory excavations. If this phase identifies huge deposits of mineral ore, development phase is begun. The mining site needs preparation and clearing which can have significant environmental impacts (de Burgh-Woodman and Torrisi 2017).

Figure 1: Average Cumulative Energy Cost of Bioproducts

Source: (Whiting, Carmona and Sousa 2017)

The objective of this report is to determine sustainable engineering solutions that can minimize the impact from site preparation and cleaning. Further, after preparing the areas, the extraction process is begun. Open-pit mining may be conducted in which heavy machinery is used for removing vegetation, forests and trees from the surface. In case of underground mining, there are less environmental risks. Further, extraction of minerals involves disposal of overburden and waste rock. The high quantity of waste can contain certain toxic substances as seen in Baotou Coal Mine in China. The black sludge as presented in the below figure makes the lake toxic (News.Com.Au 2015).

Sustainability Factors

Figure 2: Toxic Lake Formation from Black Sludge of Baotou Coal Mine in China

Source: (News.Com.Au 2015)

This paper shall help in carefully assessing the mining project and help adapt to sustainable engineering practices. Further, ore extraction creates environmental impacts such as dust from haul roads, emissions and soil depletion. The mining process also involves disposal phase in which adequate quantity of tailings is generated. This report shall help in assessing the ways to dispose tailing to prevent the release of toxic compounds into the environment (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017).

Figure 3: Cumulative of Inspected and Addressed Mineral Processing Facilities

Source: (Epa.gov 2017)

With the increase in population, the consumption of minerals and metals have significantly increased. The people have significantly increased the usage of metals, furniture, ornaments and others that require significant mining and mineral extraction activities. To satisfy the needs of the current population and social trends, mining activities have to be at the peak to satisfy current needs. This paper shall aim to devise alternative modes of waste management and disposal at mining sites in the extraction process so that the needs of the future generation do not have to be compromised (Squelch, Stothard and Laurence 2015).

The three factors that influence sustainability in the mining industry are: social, economic and environmental factors. These three factors are also the three pillars of corporate social responsibility that ensures sustainability in any industry (Erkayao?lu and Demirel 2016).

As opined by Ogan et al. (2016), there is a need for effective framework for sustainability in the mining industry. In this research study by Ogan et al. (2016), an effective framework was developed to control the impact from granite mining and utilisation. Granites are formed under earth due to high temperature and pressure. Granite is extracted or mined from quarries in Nigeria. The extraction process involves either from open pit or open cut quarries for design and construction process. There is high demand for granite in the country as it is in its developing stage. It is argued that such extraction in the region is causing the destruction and removal of flora and fauna, endangering plant and animal species, high political impact on humans and others. Therefore, to ensure sustainability and address long-term goals, an effective framework shall be necessary to control the impact and manage waste products. The location of quarry plays a significant role as the impact of waste generated from pre-extraction and extraction process impacts granite quarrying. It is suggested to prepare an environmental impact analysis (EIA), pre-feasibility study and social impact analysis that shall be useful for the quarry managers (Lei, Pan and Lin 2016).

Environmental Factors

Figure 4: Effective Framework

Source: Ogan et al. (2016)

The most obvious benefit from mining activities is economic wealth. The mineral extraction and mining industry has created additional jobs across a range of occupations such as mechanical engineering, geologists, truck drivers and tradesmen. Potential training in the indigenous communities can be created that shall increase skilled labour count. It is suggested that the materials that are economic in the mining activities may be wastage if there is unplanned interruption in the extraction activities (Marnika, Christodoulou and Xenidis 2015). About 75% of the mining activities close prematurely if there is an un-extracted resource left behind, or due to drop in commodity prices (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017). Such reasons can lead to wastage of resources and become sterilised. It is argued that one of the reasons of solid waste deposits is non-utilisation of resources than depletion (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017).

The large scale impact of mining and mineral extraction can cause human displacement and resettlement. The people living in the mining areas can lose access to clean water as mining projects impact water quality. Public health can be affected due to the discharge of hazardous substances in the environment. Mining and mineral extraction activities affect the cultural and aesthetic resources. One of the significant factors in social sustainability is time. For technological innovation, time is important. Time allows economic extraction of minerals and metals (Anawar 2015). An example of Broken Hill mining area is considered that allowed zinc extraction after technological advances. Similarly, adequate time must be devoted to enhance social sustainability. It is suggested that social impact analysis is a versatile tool that shall enable decision makers to make informed decisions. Social impact assessment, in practice, should be more closely linked to the extended international perspective and principles (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017). The community members expect to be employed. Ghana experiences youth unemployment issues in its gold mining areas due to inadequate skills, unwillingness to work and lack of capital. It is recommended that training can be provided to the people as it shall help addressing long-term social sustainability (Essah and Andrews 2016).

A hierarchy has been developed that shall help in addressing the future issues related to mining activities. The hierarchy is based on the pyramid “reduce, reuse, recycle” (3Rs) for reflecting its specificity. The main issue related to mining activities is disposal of waste. The below table shows the global metal flows in mining.

Economic Factors

Figure 5: Global Metal Flows

Source: (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017)

Reduce and Prevent

The first in hierarchy is ‘reduce’, that may be source reduction, waste prevention or avoidance. The most desirable option for sustainable engineering shall be preventing waste, not just for mining, but other categories also. However, it is difficult to achieve this goal where waste can be reduced. It is argued that in the context of resource scarcity it is also about minimising the loss of ore’s valuable components, the target metals, and minimising the dissemination of contaminants from waste to the surrounding environment. Waste can be prevented by ‘avoiding high grading’ where a significant part of materials may be left behind. ‘Pre-concentration methods’ can also help in reducing amount of barren material and enhancing mineral extraction. Also, ‘by-product recovery’ technique can be used that combines multiple technologies for recovering main minerals and its by-products (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017).

Figure 6: Waste Management Hierarchy

Source: (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017)

Reprocess

The second priority in the hierarchy is to reprocess. It is argued that waste reprocessing provides same advantages that are observed in waste prevention. It is further added that waste reprocessing may encourage an organization to reprocess its own or another organization’s waste. The phytomining technology can be used to enhance the mining sustainability. However, the biggest disadvantage is that the large scale plants and sites tend to be more costly than extracting the minerals and metals. The argument is further supported by some scavenger companies who put forward their technical expertise through magnetation. The process of separating waste through magnet is cost effective but it may not separate the waste completely stuck on the metals. In some gold mines such as Mount Morgan, Australia, unwanted copper-cyanide complexes may form during the mineral processing stage, causing an over-consumption of cyanide and decreased recovery rates for gold and silver (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017).

Figure 7: Waste Management Activities

Source: (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017)

Downcycle

The third in the hierarchy is downcycling in which the bulk of waste materials can be used for a low purpose such as generating low value. However, it can be proven beneficial by using highly reactive material. The method is advantageous as it lessens the environmental impact by putting waste to reuse. However, it may discouraged if the process proves to be uneconomic. It is further added that backfilling may be used as another way of downcycling. Another method suggested is backfilling which may not make the waste disappear. The cemented paste backfill can be used as a mix of water, tailings and binder. Another technique is carbon storage which can be a potential option for carbon dioxide emissions mitigation (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017).

Social Factors

The last in the hierarchy is dispose responsibly. The mining waste must be safely disposed if the other alternatives of waste material management have been considered. The techniques such as stockpiling may be considered which a necessary step is prior to waste reprocessing. It may be beneficial as the anticipation for future use can be made. Techniques that may be suitable for permanent disposal do not necessarily represent good stockpiling alternatives. For example, waste treatment and disposal methods that aim at isolating, diluting, encapsulating or neutralising reactive material (e.g. covering methods, co-disposal or surface treatment of minerals) might make the material less accessible and future reprocessing more costly and less efficient (Lèbre, Corder and Golev 2017).

Conclusively, this report helps in determining sustainable engineering practices for extraction of minerals and materials. mining industry is the oldest industry that has a major influence on the social and economic forces. The high quantity of waste can contain certain toxic substances as seen in Baotou Coal Mine in China. It is argued that extraction in the region is causing the destruction and removal of flora and fauna, endangering plant and animal species, high political impact on humans and others. It is argued that one of the reasons of solid waste deposits is non-utilisation of resources than depletion. It is suggested that social impact analysis is a versatile tool that shall enable decision makers to make informed decisions. Waste can be prevented by ‘avoiding high grading’ where a significant part of materials may be left behind. It is further added that waste reprocessing may encourage an organization to reprocess its own or another organization’s waste.

References

Anawar, H.M., 2015. Sustainable rehabilitation of mining waste and acid mine drainage using geochemistry, mine type, mineralogy, texture, ore extraction and climate knowledge. Journal of environmental management, 158, pp.111-121.

de Burgh-Woodman, H., Bressan, A. and Torrisi, A., 2017. An Evaluation of the State of the CSR Field in Australia: Perspectives from the Banking and Mining Sectors. In Comparative Perspectives on Global Corporate Social Responsibility (pp. 138-164). IGI Global.

Erkayao?lu, M. and Demirel, N., 2016. A comparative life cycle assessment of material handling systems for sustainable mining. Journal of environmental management, 174, pp.1-6.

Essah, M. and Andrews, N., 2016. Linking or de-linking sustainable mining practices and corporate social responsibility? Insights from Ghana. Resources Policy, 50, pp.75-85.

Lèbre, É., Corder, G.D. and Golev, A., 2017. Sustainable practices in the management of mining waste: A focus on the mineral resource. Minerals Engineering, 107, pp.34-42.

Lei, K., Pan, H. and Lin, C., 2016. A landscape approach towards ecological restoration and sustainable development of mining areas. Ecological Engineering, 90, pp.320-325.

Marnika, E., Christodoulou, E. and Xenidis, A., 2015. Sustainable development indicators for mining sites in protected areas: tool development, ranking and scoring of potential environmental impacts and assessment of management scenarios. Journal of Cleaner Production, 101, pp.59-70.

Ogan, D.D., Ndekugri, I.E., Oduoza, C.F. and Khatib, J.M., 2016. Principles for developing an effective framework to control minerals and rocks extraction impacts, mitigate waste and optimise sustainable quarries management. Resources Policy, 47, pp.164-170.

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Shen, L., Muduli, K. and Barve, A., 2015. Developing a sustainable development framework in the context of mining industries: AHP approach. Resources Policy, 46, pp.15-26.

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Soni, A.K. and Wolkersdorfer, C., 2016. Mine water: policy perspective for improving water management in the mining environment with respect to developing economies. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 30(2), pp.115-127.

Squelch, A., Stothard, P. and Laurence, A., 2015. Interactive Virtual Reality Simulation-A Tool for Improving Understanding of Safety and Environmental Risk Relating to Sustainable Mining Practices. In Africa Australia Technical Mining Conference 2015 (pp. 139-144). The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Viveros, H., 2016. Examining stakeholders’ perceptions of mining impacts and corporate social responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 23(1), pp.50-64.

Whiting, K., Carmona, L.G. and Sousa, T., 2017. A review of the use of exergy to evaluate the sustainability of fossil fuels and non-fuel mineral depletion. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 76, pp.202-211.