2014 SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING SUMMIT AND EXHIBITION SHECHTMAN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM John...

2014 SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING SUMMIT AND EXHIBITIONSHECHTMAN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

John A. Meech

University of British Columbia

Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

[email protected]

Sustainable Mining –Is it Really Possible?

mailto:[email protected]

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt


CERM3 Mission Statement

• Foster high regard for Sustainable Mining practices and concern for the environment

• Develop innovative methods to ensure the future sustainability of the Mining Industry

• Train the next generation of Mining and Processing Engineers for the 21st Century

• Improve the image of Mining in society


Papers and Topics

1. Suzette McFaul: creating small businesses in mining communities

2. Chris Anderson: Phytoextraction in developing countries

3. Jessica Wang: Remining Old Tailings Dams

4. Gustavo Angelosi: Changing Habits of Artisanal Miners

5. Ladan Mohammadi: Confined Spaces Issues

6. Mory Ghomshei: High-temperature Geothermal Energy in Canada

7. Ricky Gu: Bitcoin – the "New Gold" for a Safe-haven investment

8. Sixto Aguero: Energy Use in Cement Production

9. John Meech: Fuzzy Logic for decision-making

10. Peipei Shi: Phytomining PGMs

11. André Xavier: First Nations Issues in Canada

Britannia Beach

UBC-CERM3 at Britannia Beach

UBC-CERM3 has been involved at Britannia Beach since 2001 when we installed a plug inside the 2200 Level tunnel to create a research facility.

This plug had the “spin-off” benefit of eliminating all pollution flowing into Britannia Creek and the surface waters of Howe Sound.

• Acid mine drainage from tunnels (620 m3/hr) - ~800 kg of Cu & Zn / day

• Over 10,000 tonnes of metal since closure

• Groundwater contamination on the Fan - impacts on aquatic life

• Waste dumps and stockpiles and tailings at bottom of Howe Sound

• Public safety - sealing abandoned adits, demolition of derelict buildings

Reclamation Issues in 2001

Millennium Plug Research Project

Pollution Plume – pre 2001

Some people like to drink the Britannia Creek water and it is now safe to do so, although like all natural water streams in the wild, it is not recommended without prior chemical treatment.

Outcome – September 2011

Numerous Media ReportsReturn of Adult Pink Salmon to Britannia Creek

EPCOR Water Treatment Plant

Started up December 2005

Capital Cost = ~ $12.0M Operating Costs = ~ $ 1.5M

Revenue Generation Potential

Cu Concentrate

Zn Concentrate

187.0 tonnes per year of contained copper

185.5 tonnes per year of contained zinc

51.1% Cu, 2.1% Zn, 0.24% Fe, 33.1% S

Sludge Reduction (15-20%) Value = $13,600 - $18,000Lime Savings (32%) Value = $64,000 per year

Additional Benefits

52.4% Zn, 1.5% Cu, 0.3% Cd, 0.8% Fe, 27.1% S

Combined Annual Value = $615,000 net smelter return Potential Cladding Material Value = $895,000 from sludge

Metal Recovery Plant Capital Costs = $2,500,000 to $4,500,000


• Sustaining • The Company• The Environment• The Communities

• Technical-economic Issues

• Environmental protection and remediation

• Creating happy, productive communities• occupational health and safety• preventing or mitigating emissions and impacts• providing employment, health care, education

• First Nations/Aboriginal/Indigenous People

Aspects of Sustainable Mining

• Correcting legacy sites• Over 1,000 derelict sites in Canada

• Who is responsible? • Can we prioritize this work?

• Future mine closure plans• Develop walk-away solutions?

• Restore the site or change its use?• Practice perpetual monitoring & treatment?

• Dealing with Artisanal Mining • Site Remediation (environmental and social)

• Training in new processing methods

Aspects of Sustainable Mining

"to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs."

• a number of definitions exist

• The Bruntland Commission's definition

Note: temporal, political, social, and spatial components are part of this definition

- like maybe 600 or more

What is Sustainability?

Components of Sustainable Mining

SocialEnvironment

Technology

Politics

Society

EconomicsPhysical

Environment

SocialEnvironment

Technology

Politics

Society

EconomicsPhysical

EnvironmentExploitation

Contexts of Sustainability

SocialEnvironment

Technology

Politics

Society

EconomicsPhysical

Environment

Government and Regulations

Contexts of Sustainable Mining

SocialEnvironment

Technology

Politics

Society

EconomicsPhysical

EnvironmentInve

sting fo

r

The Future


SocialEnvironment

Technology

Politics

Society

EconomicsPhysical

EnvironmentCultu

ral Values


SocialEnvironment

Technology

Politics

Society

EconomicsPhysical

Environment

Working with

Communities


SocialEnvironment

Technology

Politics

Society

EconomicsPhysical

Environment

Sharing theWealth


SocialEnvironment

Technology

Politics

Society

EconomicsPhysical

EnvironmentInve

sting fo

r

The Future

Government and Regulations

ExploitationCultural V

aluesWorking with

Communities

Sharing theWealth


• Exploitation• Government and Regulation

• Investing for the Future• Cultural Values

• Working with Communities• Sharing the Wealth

Are these contexts always in conflict?

If so, what generates such depth of conflict?


The "debate" is between

The "Common Good" and the Individual

Scientific Belief and Faith-based Reasoning

The Strong and the Weak

The Rich and the Poor ("Occupy the mine?")

Producers and Consumers


Causes of the Conflict

Earth’s resources

Financial resources

Availability of extracted values

Mining impacts on the environmentSocial environment of the mine

Impact on social and cultural values

Resources/people to achieve goals

Conflict arises because of

UNCERTAINTY

A New Definition

Sustainable Mining

is

"evaluation and management of the uncertainties and risks associated with earth resource development."


• 1970 – The Environmental Movement• 1988 – The Bruntland Commission• 1995 – Protecting the Environment accepted• 2013 – Sustainability became mature

• Saving the planet (Kyoto Protocol - 1997)

• Peace in our time (Iraqi-US War - 2003)

• Sharing the wealth (Global Warming - 2007)

• Living forever (Nanotechnology - 2012)

• Post-humanism (The Machine Age – 2017)

The Evolution of Sustainable Mining

But what's next?

Life Expectancy at Birth - Canada

Source: Statistics Canada2014 SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING SUMMIT AND EXHIBITION

SHECHTMAN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

World Population Trend by Decade

Year World population 10-yr growth

(mid-year) rate (%)__________________________________________________________________________

1950 2.56 18.9 1960 3.04 22.0 1970 3.71 20.2 1980 4.45 18.5 1990 5.28 15.2 2000 6.08 12.6 20101 6.85 10.7 20201 7.58 8.7 20301 8.25 7.3 20401 8.85 5.6 20501 9.35 4.1

1 Estimated - Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Database.

World Population Trend Factors

• Fertility rates• Rates in Third World 2-3 times Developed

World

• Mortality rates• Need for health care and basic

infrastructure

• Epidemics – HIV / AIDS

• Poverty rates• When poverty declines, fertility rates

decline

• When poverty declines, mortality rates decline

• Life expectancy• Major breakthrough expected to defeat

"old age" via the SENS Project

Fertility Trends – sub-Saharan Africa

HIV / AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa1985 – 2003

UN Millennium Development Goals/Targets

1.Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

- 50% reduction from 1990 levels by 2015 of people living on < $1.25/day

- 100% productive employment for all

2.Achieve universal primary education

- Ensure all children by 2015 are able to complete primary schooling

3.Promote gender equality and empower women

- Eliminate gender disparity in schooling


4.Reduce child mortality

- Lower under-5 mortality rate by 67% between 1990 and 2015

5.Improve maternal health

- Reduce maternal mortality ratio by 75% between 1990 and 2015

6.Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

- Halt spread of HIV/AIDS & start reversal by 2015


7.Ensure environmental sustainability- Integrate sustainable development into

policies- Reduce biodiversity losses significantly by

2010- Access to drinking water and basic sanitation

- 50% increase by 2010- Improve lives of >100 M slum dwellers by

20208.Develop global partnerships for

development- Open, non-discriminatory, rule-based, &

predictable trading/financial system- Meet special needs of least-developed countries

- Long-term sustainable debt for developing countries

- Provide access to affordable, essential drugs- Make new IT and communication systems

available

UN Millennium Development Progress by 2009

• Human development indicators are up

• Extreme poverty is falling rapidly

• Global poverty down by 40% since 1990

• Number of people earning <$1.25 per day declined by ~500 M from 1991 to 2005

• From 42% to 25% of developed world population

• East Asia reached extreme poverty goal by 2005

• Poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is also falling rapidly

UN Millennium Development Progress by 2009

• Children not in school: 115 M (2002) >> 101 M (2007)

• Primary school completion rate (2007)

• 86% - all developing countries• 93% for middle-income countries, and • 65 % for low-income countries (up from 51% in

1991)

• Access to safe drinking water is on track globally

• rapid expansion of infrastructure spending• over 1.6 B people gained access to new sources of

drinking water – from 76 % (1990) to 86 % (2006)

Poverty – Percent living on <$1.25/day

• 48% of the developing world subsist on < $2.00/day

52%

26%

Can we supply the material needs of the Developing World?

Problem 1: Declining ore grades

Problem 2: Environmental and social issues

- Legacy sites

- Artisanal miners

- Historical views of mining

Declining Trend in Ore Grades - Copper

Declining Trend in Ore Grades - Gold

Top Ten Gold Mines in the World (2012)

Name Tonnes Grade Contained Location Owner

(Mt) (g/t) Ounces

1. Grasberg 4,909 0.56 88,106,000 IndonesiaFreeport-McMoran

2. Lihir 830 2.10 56,000,000 PNG Newcrest

3. Muruntau 625 2.49 50,000,000 Uzbekistan Gov't. Usbekistan

4. Mponeng 122 12.60 49,550,000 South AfricaAnglogold Ashanti

5. Olimpiada 459 3.22 47,500,000 Russia Polyus Gold

6. Oyu Tolgoi 3,754 0.38 46,085,000 MongoliaIvanhoe/Rio Tinto

7. Pueblo Viejo 490 2.38 37,452,000 Dom. Rep.Barrick/Goldcorp

8. Cadia East 2,300 0.45 33,000,000 AustraliaNewcrest

9. Obuasi 154 5.98 29,520,000 Ghana Anglogold Ashanti

10. South Deep 149 6.16 29,000,000 South AfricaGoldfields

http://www.nrh.co.il/i/pdf/NRH_Research_2012_World_Gold_Deposits.pdf



World Gold Geological Reserves

Gold Deposit Size Number of Deposits Gold Reserves (measured + indicated + inferred) >100,000 oz 4,400 115,000 t Au

>10,000 oz 22,000 15,000 t Au

FACT: Limited knowledge about small gold deposit reserves

Source: Schodde, 2010

Four Possible Solutions

• Recycling

• Mining small, high-grade deposits

- working with artisanal miners

• Deep-sea Mining

• Mining in Space

Recycling: e-Waste (cell phones)

• 7 billion mobile phones (2012) worldwide• 87% of the world population has a cell phone• Asian countries have highest cell/capita (~3)• Cell phone life is about 18 months • A cell phone (100 g) consists of about:

• 58% plastic• 25% metals• 16% ceramics• 1% flame retardant

Source: Rankin, W.J. 2011. Minerals, Metals and Sustainability. CRC Press, 419p.

Metals in a Cell Phone

Metal g/phone Grade Value ($/t)

Copper 16.00 16.0% ~$ 1,050

Silver 0.35 3,500 g/t ~$ 2,000

Gold 0.034 340 g/t ~$12,500

Palladium 0.075 750 g/t ~$18,000

Platinum 0.00034 3.4 g/t ~$ 140

Other (Fe, Al, Co, Ni, Mn, Sb,

etc.)

8.54 8.54 % -

Total 25 25.00% ~$33,690• Grades are far above today's ores• Problem – diffused locations & low tonnage

Urban Mining – sorting e-waste by hand

Deep-Ocean Mining – black-smokers

Distribution of Hydrothermal Vent Fields

Deep-Ocean Mining - Impacts

Lockheed-Martin and Mn-nodule mining

Nautilus Minerals Inc. – Solwara Prospects

http://www.nautilusminerals.com

0 20 40 60 80 100 km

http://www.nautilusminerals.com/

Nautilus Minerals Inc.

http://www.nautilusminerals.com

http://www.nautilusminerals.com/

Mining in Space – Hunting for Asteroids

• Planetary Resources

ARKYD Series 100 - Space Telescope

The ARKYD 100, a commercial space telescope within reach of private citizens

http://www.planetaryresources.com/technology/leo-space-telescope/



Resources of Interest

- Helium-3 (Moon)- Platinum Group Metals (Asteroids)

Space Exploration Support

- Hydrogen- Oxygen- Titanium

• Sustainable Mining is possible, but complex• Individuals & consortia must participate• The World is becoming a better place• Poverty is being reduced• Ore grades are declining• Mining in the 21st Century will evolve into

• Mining smaller, high-grade deposits (artisanal mining)• Urban Mining – recycling e-waste• Deep-sea mining of high-grade black-smokers• Mining in Space (true sustainability!)

Conclusion

• Canada Foundation for Innovation• BC Knowledge Development Fund• Stewart Blusson UBC Grant• Teck Resources, BHP Billiton, Shell Oil• US Department of State, DARPA• UNIDO• All the UBC research collaborators

Acknowledgement


Thanks for listening!

Questions?


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