Energy and Minerals

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Lecture 9
ENERGY AND MINERALS

• Energy and Minerals

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Mineral

• A mineral is any naturally occurring inorganic
  substance or element found in the Earths crust
• The word rock refers to solid mineral deposits
• An ore is rock that contains a large proportion
  of a particular mineral, making it profitable for
  mining or extraction.

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Types of Minerals

• Metals are minerals e.g. iron, aluminium and
  copper, which are malleable, lustrous and good
  conductors of heat and electricity.
• Non-metallic minerals lack these characteristics
  e.g. sand, stone, salt and phosphates.

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Uses of Minerals

• many can be extracted converted into useful
  materials
• For example
• - aluminium is used to make cars airplanes
• - steel is an essential building material
• - copper is used for electrical
  communication wiring
• - sulphur is used to make plastics refine oil

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Jamaicas Bauxite Resource
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Mining

• - the various processes whereby minerals are
  extracted
• The 2 main types of mining are
• Sub-surface Mining
• Surface Mining

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Mining

• Sub-surface Mining
• - extraction of a metal ore or fuel resource
  from a deep underground deposit
• Surface Mining
• - removal of soil before extracting a mineral
  deposit found fairly close to the earths surface

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Mining

• Overburden
• - layer of soil and rock overlying mineral
  deposit
• - removed during surface mining

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Mining

• Spoil
• - unwanted rock and other waste material
  produced when a material is removed from the
  earths surface or subsurface.

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Environmental Implications of Bauxite Mining in
Jamaica
Extraction    - Mining involves deforestation
- Noise pollution - Dust pollution
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Environmental Implications of Bauxite Mining in
Jamaica (Contd)
Deforestation - Habitat
destruction - Soil erosion -
Sedimentation of rivers - Smothering of
aquatic habitats
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Processing Bauxite
This involves smelting melting the ore at high
temperatures to help separate impurities from the
molten metal. If air pollution control devices
are not installed, many dangerous gases are
emitted during smelting.
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Environmental Implications of Bauxite Mining in
Jamaica (Contd)
Processing - Processing and disposal of
minerals pollute the air, soil and water. -
Rio Cobre polluted to the point where fish
kills observed - Air pollution implicated in
roof damage, fence damage
www.pollutionissues.com/Li-Na/Mining.html
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Possible Chemical Contaminants of Mine Wastewaters

• Cyanide
• Lead
• Mercury
• Nickel
• Nitrate
• Radon
• Sulphur-based compounds

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Environmental Implications of Bauxite Mining in
Jamaica (Contd)
Solutions - Construct marshes or ponds
downstream from mines. - When a mine is
abandoned, the land can be reclaimed, or
restored to semi-natural conditions - New
disposal method for red mud - Install expensive
pollution control devices to smelters
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Fossil Fuel

• Product of partial or complete decomposition of
  plants and animals that occur as crude oil, coal,
  natural gas, or heavy oils
• Formed as a result of exposure to heat and
  pressure in the earths crust over millions of
  years
• non-renewable, exhaustible resource

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Nuclear Energy

• - energy released when atomic nuclei undergo a
  nuclear reaction, such as nuclear fission or
  nuclear fusion

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Alternate Energy Sources

• Renewable energy sources are sources of energy
  that are replenished by natural processes so that
  they can be used indefinitely. They include
• Direct Solar Energy
• Wind Energy
• Hydropower
• Ocean Thermal Energy
• Geothermal Energy
• Tidal Energy

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Alternate Energy Sources in Jamaica

• Renewable energy sources account for only 9 of
  energy mix.
• Projected to reach 20 by 2030 (Renewable
  energy policy)
• 23 wind turbines of 20.7 MW capacity
  commissioned at Wigton wind
  farm in Manchester in May 2004.
• Facility upgraded to generate 38.7 MW in 2011
• New 3MW wind power facility commissioned by
  JPS
• at Munro in St. Elizabeth in Oct 2010.
• 6.4 MW expansion of the hydro-electricity
  facility
• at Maggotty in St Elizabeth planned to begin
  Sept 2011.

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Energy Conservation
Energy conservation is moderating or eliminating
wasteful or unnecessary energy-consuming
activities. Energy efficiency is using
technology to accomplish a particular task with
less energy.
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Waste Management

• Solid Waste
• - Any unwanted or discarded material that is not
  a liquid or a gas
• - It is estimated that approximately 1 billion
  tonnes of waste is generated across the island
  annually.
• - 70 collected
• - Half is generated in the Riverton wastershed.

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Types of Solid Waste

• Municipal Solid Waste
• - solid materials discarded by homes and
  businesses in or near urban areas
• Non-municipal Waste
• - includes waste from mining, agriculture,
  industry

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HOW TO GET RID OF SOLID WASTE

• dump
• bury
• burn
• recycle

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Open Dumps

• unsanitary
• malodorous
• methane gas released as wastes decompose
• fire pollutes air with acrid smoke
• hazardous wastes leach into groundwater

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Sanitary Landfills

• wastes are spread out in thin layers, compacted
  and covered daily
• lined with clay and plastic before being filled
  with garbage
• open burning is discouraged
• methane gas is collected and burned to produce
  steam or electricity

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Sanitary Landfills contd

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Incineration

• kills germs
• reduces the volume of waste going into landfills
  by 60
• puts toxic substances
• into the atmosphere
• the amount of material to be buried is greatly
  reduced but its toxicity is increased

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Recycling

• - collecting and reprocessing a resource so that
  it can be made into new products

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Composting

• Compost
• - a sweet-smelling, dark-brown humus that is
  rich in organic matter and soil nutrients
• - produced by mixing biodegradable solid waste
  with soil

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Recycling in the Caribbean contd
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PROPER SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

• REUSE using a product more than once, either
  for the same purpose or for an alternate purpose
  e.g. refillable glass bottles.
• REDUCE decrease in the amount of solid material
  used through proper design in manufacture and
  decreased actual use by consumer
• RECYCLE collect and reprocess many materials
  found in solid waste into new products of the
  same or different type.

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Legislation

• The National Solid Waste Management Act was
  passed in 2001.
• The National Solid Waste Management Authority was
  established in April 2002.
• The public cleanliness regulations were drafted
  and gazetted in 2003.

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Legislation

• The penalty for throwing, dropping or otherwise
  depositing and leaving any litter in any public
  place is 2,000
• The penalty for willfully breaking any bottle or
  any glass or any article made of glass in, or, on
  any public place without lawful authority is
  5,000
• The penalty for employing or recruiting person(s)
  who erect, display, deposit or affix anything in
  a public place or on any building, wall, fence or
  structure is 10,000.