Technology strategies to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality for China’s metal mines

Abstract

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to human activities have significantly caused climate change since the Industrial Revolution. China aims to achieve its carbon emissions peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. This paper attempts to review and discuss technical strategies to achieve the "dual-carbon" targets in Chinese metal mines. First, global carbon emissions and emission intensity from metal mining industries are analysed. The metal mining status and carbon emissions in China are then examined. Further, advanced technologies for carbon mitigation and carbon sequestration in metal mines are reviewed. Finally, a technical roadmap for achieving carbon-neutrality in Chinese metal mines are proposed. It has been found that some international giants have already made carbon reduction targets and planned to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Moreover, improving mining efficiency by developing advanced technologies and replacing fossil fuel with renewable energy are two key approaches to reducing GHG emissions. Green mines can significantly benefit the carbon neutrality process for metal mines through carbon absorption of reclamation vegetation. The geothermal energy extraction from operating and abandoned metal mines is a promising technology for providing clean energy and contributing to the carbon neutrality target for Chinese metal mines. Carbon sequestration by mining backfill and tailing through mineral carbonation has the potential to permanently and safely store carbon dioxide, which can eventually transform the metal mining industry to become carbon neutral or even carbon negative.

Enhanced Selective Reduction of Laterite for the Highly Efficient Enrichment of Ni and Co by NaFeS2 and Its Recycling

“…The emphasis on utilizing nickel resources has transitioned toward laterite nickel ore. The advancement of ferronickel production using laterite has enabled the employment of Class II nickel for the manufacture of stainless steel, thereby substituting the costly Class I nickel (purity of >99% nickel). , Amidst the swift growth of the new energy sector and the limited capacity of Class I nickel, several nickel producers have declared their intention to transform nickel pig iron into nickel matte to be used as a raw material for battery production. , The conversion mentioned indeed helps address the issue of nickel shortages for batteries. However, the traditional ferronickel production method, the rotary kiln-electric furnace (RKEF) process, is known for its high-energy consumption and emission-intensive nature. − The reductive roasting-magnetic separation process has the potential to address these two issues effectively. , Furthermore, the magnetic concentrate obtained from this process shows excellent acid-leaching properties under atmospheric pressure …”

“…4,5 Amidst the swift growth of the new energy sector and the limited capacity of Class I nickel, several nickel producers have declared their intention to transform nickel pig iron into nickel matte to be used as a raw material for battery production. 6,7 The conversion mentioned indeed helps address the issue of nickel shortages for batteries. However, the traditional ferronickel production method, the rotary kiln-electric furnace (RKEF) process, is known for its high-energy consumption and emission-intensive nature.…”

Recent Progress on Photocatalytic CO2 Conversion Reactions over Plasmonic Metal-based Catalysts

“…In addition, the massive consumption of fossil energy leads to excessive emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO 2 , which has caused an array of environmental problems. , There have been proposals worldwide to implement “carbon peak” and “carbon neutral” strategies due to the energy crisis and environmental issues. It is a promising avenue to achieve these strategies if a sustainable and renewable energy source is adopted to convert CO 2 into high value-added chemicals. , In this context, photocatalytic CO 2 conversion is of great potential, since it could synthesize artificial fuels such as CO, CH 4 , and CH 3 OH via reducing CO 2 under different oxidants with the solar energy as the only input energy source during the whole process, thus solving the global energy crisis and environmental issues simultaneously. − However, the photocatalytic efficiency of CO 2 conversion is still insufficient for industrialization and commercialization because of various deficiencies, such as narrow light response range, sluggish charge transfer/separation behavior, and difficult activation process of reactants, which limit the photocatalytic performance significantly. − …”

Prioritization of Negative Carbon Strategies in the Cargo Industry with the SWARA/WASPAS Method

“…There are several industrial processes that release significant amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere (Sinha and Chaturvedi, 2019). Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have caused significant climate change since the Industrial Revolution (Guo et al, 2022), and climate change and its social, environmental, economic and ethical implications are major interconnected challenges facing human societies. is widely accepted (Huisingh et al, 2015).…”