Application of risk assessment to improve sustainability in bauxite mining

Kloeckner, Jonas; Alves, João Lucas O.; Silva, Flavio H.T.; Guimaraes, Octavio R.A.; Bassani, Marcel Antônio Arcari; Costa, João Felipe Coimbra Leite

doi:10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102328

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Five aspects are particularly important to distinguish: (a) dilution of the metal in the Earth’s crust; , (b) dispersion, porosity, and granularity; ,, (c) chemical impurity content, also referred to as gangue; , (d) degree of dilution or respectively richness of the sought-after metals in the ores, i.e. minerals of different degree of quality and purity; and (e) thermal, mechanical, and chemical processing methods required for mineral benefication before the actual metallurgical use, such as roasting, sintering, or pelletization, Figure .…”

Section: Feedstock For Sustainable Metal Production: Minerals Metals ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bauxite is a widespread mineral mixture from which aluminum oxide (alumina) is extracted, which then serves as oxide feedstock in fused-salt electrolysis for aluminum production. , Bauxite usually occurs in the form of thin weathering layers in shallow depth in tropical and subtropical regions. ,, The layers are often only 2–5 m thick, found just below the surface or even directly on the ground. This allows the use of inexpensive open pit mining methods for extraction.…”

Section: Feedstock For Sustainable Metal Production: Minerals Metals ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several authors made suggestions to make the Bayer process for alumina production from bauxite more sustainable. ,, They discussed and evaluated the different process steps involved, the alumina yield, energy consumption, and the amount of waste produced, Figure . Interestingly they came to the results that the Pedersen process variant which is based on the processing of laterite ores with a low ratio between the target oxide Al 2 O 3 and the accompanying Fe 2 O 3 is actually more sustainable than the Bayer process with regard to the absence of red mud production and with production of consumable added-value by-products such as pig iron and gray mud.…”

Section: Feedstock For Sustainable Metal Production: Minerals Metals ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…79,345 Bauxite usually occurs in the form of thin weathering layers in shallow depth in tropical and subtropical regions. 79,260,346 The layers are often only 2−5 m thick, found just below the surface or even directly on the ground. This allows the use of inexpensive open pit mining methods for extraction.…”

Section: Porosity Of Pelletized Mineral Feedstock Used In Direct Redu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Materials Science behind Sustainable Metals and Alloys

Raabe

2023

Chem. Rev.

100

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Production of metals stands for 40% of all industrial greenhouse gas emissions, 10% of the global energy consumption, 3.2 billion tonnes of minerals mined, and several billion tonnes of by-products every year. Therefore, metals must become more sustainable. A circular economy model does not work, because market demand exceeds the available scrap currently by about two-thirds. Even under optimal conditions, at least one-third of the metals will also in the future come from primary production, creating huge emissions. Although the influence of metals on global warming has been discussed with respect to mitigation strategies and socio-economic factors, the fundamental materials science to make the metallurgical sector more sustainable has been less addressed. This may be attributed to the fact that the field of sustainable metals describes a global challenge, but not yet a homogeneous research field. However, the sheer magnitude of this challenge and its huge environmental effects, caused by more than 2 billion tonnes of metals produced every year, make its sustainability an essential research topic not only from a technological point of view but also from a basic materials research perspective. Therefore, this paper aims to identify and discuss the most pressing scientific bottleneck questions and key mechanisms, considering metal synthesis from primary (minerals), secondary (scrap), and tertiary (re-mined) sources as well as the energy-intensive downstream processing. Focus is placed on materials science aspects, particularly on those that help reduce CO2 emissions, and less on process engineering or economy. The paper does not describe the devastating influence of metal-related greenhouse gas emissions on climate, but scientific approaches how to solve this problem, through research that can render metallurgy fossil-free. The content is considering only direct measures to metallurgical sustainability (production) and not indirect measures that materials leverage through their properties (strength, weight, longevity, functionality).

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Section: Feedstock For Sustainable Metal Production: Minerals Metals ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Feedstock For Sustainable Metal Production: Minerals Metals ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Feedstock For Sustainable Metal Production: Minerals Metals ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Porosity Of Pelletized Mineral Feedstock Used In Direct Redu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Materials Science behind Sustainable Metals and Alloys

Raabe

2023

Chem. Rev.

100

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“…Bauxite mining is an activity of economic and social importance (Kloeckner et al, 2021; Kuan et al, 2020). However, this activity normally has a great impact on vegetation, fauna, and soil due to the removal of vegetation cover and superficial soil layers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus adsorption in a degraded soil under forestry recovery after bauxite mining in Paragominas, eastern Amazon, Brazil

et al. 2023

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The availability and retention of phosphorus (P) in soils under recovery process after mining operations play an important role in the management of this nutrient. The objective of this study was to evaluate the P adsorption in a reconstituted soil as a function of two forest recovery processes after bauxite mining. We evaluated three systems: native forest (FOR), planting of forest seedlings after bauxite mining (TPL), and natural regeneration of vegetation after bauxite mining (NRV). In each system, eight sampling plots were deployed. In each plot, we collected litter and soil samples. The soil samples were collected at depths of 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, and 20–40 cm, for soil chemical analysis and adjustment of P adsorption isotherms. We also performed an inventory of the tree vegetation to obtain basal area (G) and species diversity (H′). Forest was significantly superior with respect to most soil fertility, litter, and vegetation attributes, followed by natural regeneration and planting. In general, the adsorption curves and maximum phosphorus adsorption capacity (MPAC) in soil followed the order planting > natural regeneration > forest. We observed a negative relationship between phosphorus adsorption and soil organic matter, potential acidity, and available phosphorus. This result highlights the importance of biomass conservation and maintenance to ensure phosphorus availability in reclamation practices. Furthermore, such results indicate that both soil cover and plant species diversity should be considered when selecting species to improve P availability for reclamation of mined areas.

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