Management of Mineral Resources


Book Description

This book is concerned with the analysis of some of the internal, controllable factors that influence mining production effectiveness. It combines the best thinking in mining and management so that practitioners can devise a concrete strategy for generating maximum shareholder value.




Minerals, Critical Minerals, and the U.S. Economy


Book Description

Minerals are part of virtually every product we use. Common examples include copper used in electrical wiring and titanium used to make airplane frames and paint pigments. The Information Age has ushered in a number of new mineral uses in a number of products including cell phones (e.g., tantalum) and liquid crystal displays (e.g., indium). For some minerals, such as the platinum group metals used to make cataytic converters in cars, there is no substitute. If the supply of any given mineral were to become restricted, consumers and sectors of the U.S. economy could be significantly affected. Risks to minerals supplies can include a sudden increase in demand or the possibility that natural ores can be exhausted or become too difficult to extract. Minerals are more vulnerable to supply restrictions if they come from a limited number of mines, mining companies, or nations. Baseline information on minerals is currently collected at the federal level, but no established methodology has existed to identify potentially critical minerals. This book develops such a methodology and suggests an enhanced federal initiative to collect and analyze the additional data needed to support this type of tool.




Critical Mineral Resources of the United States


Book Description

As the importance and dependence of specific mineral commodities increase, so does concern about their supply. The United States is currently 100 percent reliant on foreign sources for 20 mineral commodities and imports the majority of its supply of more than 50 mineral commodities. Mineral commodities that have important uses and face potential supply disruption are critical to American economic and national security. However, a mineral commodity's importance and the nature of its supply chain can change with time; a mineral commodity that may not have been considered critical 25 years ago may be critical today, and one considered critical today may not be so in the future. The U.S. Geological Survey has produced this volume to describe a select group of mineral commodities currently critical to our economy and security. For each mineral commodity covered, the authors provide a comprehensive look at (1) the commodity's use; (2) the geology and global distribution of the mineral deposit types that account for the present and possible future supply of the commodity; (3) the current status of production, reserves, and resources in the United States and globally; and (4) environmental considerations related to the commodity's production from different types of mineral deposits. The volume describes U.S. critical mineral resources in a global context, for no country can be self-sufficient for all its mineral commodity needs, and the United States will always rely on global mineral commodity supply chains. This volume provides the scientific understanding of critical mineral resources required for informed decisionmaking by those responsible for ensuring that the United States has a secure and sustainable supply of mineral commodities.




Closed Loop Management in Mineral Resource Extraction


Book Description

This book describes an innovative closed-loop concept that allows the feedback of online data from operational monitoring to create mining intelligence. The application of this concept promises significant improvements in economic and environmental key performance indicators for any mining operation. Combining theory with industrial case studies, the book guides readers through this process by providing theoretical background, addressing practical issues related to operational implementation, and illustrating the impact on selected examples. This new concept is presented using the example of a bulk and gold mining application, but is applicable at any mine where grade control is important. The book is of interest to industrial professionals involved in operational monitoring, mining intelligence, and mine planning optimization, as well as to researchers and academics in the field of applied geostatistics.




Essentials of Mineral Exploration and Evaluation


Book Description

Essentials of Mineral Exploration and Evaluation offers a thorough overview of methods used in mineral exploration campaigns, evaluation, reporting and economic assessment processes. Fully illustrated to cover the state-of-the-art exploration techniques and evaluation of mineral assets being practiced globally, this up-to-date reference offers balanced coverage of the latest knowledge and current global trends in successful mineral exploration and evaluation. From mineral deposits, to remote sensing, to sampling and analysis, Essentials of Mineral Exploration and Evaluation offers an extensive look at this rapidly changing field. - Covers the complete spectrum of all aspects of ore deposits and mining them, providing a "one-stop shop" for experts and students - Presents the most up-to-date information on developments and methods in all areas of mineral exploration - Includes chapters on application of GIS, statistics, and geostatistics in mineral exploration and evaluation - Includes case studies to enhance practical application of concepts




Mineral Resource Governance and Human Development in Ghana


Book Description

This book investigates how mineral resources can be governed to promote people-centred development in Ghana, focusing on the three main human development variables: living standards, education and health. Ghana is endowed with abundant mineral resources. The mineral sector accounts for about 14% of total tax revenue, driven mostly by an increase in export earnings from the gold sector and the commencement of crude oil exports. However, the country has not yet been able to use its natural resources to promote human development, and the majority of the population still lives on less than $2 a day. This book argues for a paradigm shift in the discussion of mineral resources, one that looks to govern natural resources in such a way as to improve standards of living, health, education, income levels, empowerment, quality of work and threats from violence. The human-centred mineral resource governance approach developed by this book will not only be useful to Ghana, but can also be applied to other mineral-rich countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This book will be important to upper-level students and researchers of natural resource management, international development and African studies, as well as to NGOs, practitioners and policymakers who recognise the importance of linking natural resources income to human development.




Waste Management Techniques for Improved Environmental and Public Health: Emerging Research and Opportunities


Book Description

A central concern that has remained relevant in recent years has been the management of waste and pollution. Improper disposal methods such as open-air burning and unsafe recycling have led to significant public and environmental health issues including respiratory disorders, resource depletion, and infant mortality. Adopting new waste management techniques is a necessity in order to preserve the health of the global community and ecosystem. Waste Management Techniques for Improved Environmental and Public Health: Emerging Research and Opportunities provides innovative insights into the advancing methods and technologies of reducing pollution and promoting sustainable development. The content within this publication examines ecological technologies, risk assessment, and green operation. It is designed for ecologists, biologists, researchers, enterprises, academicians, policymakers, scientists, environmental engineers, and students seeking current research on developing theories and techniques within waste moderation and environmental protection.




Mining and the Environment


Book Description

The history of mining is replete with controversy of which much is related to environmental damage and consequent community outrage. Over recent decades, this has led to increased pressure to improve the environmental and social performance of mining operations, particularly in developing countries. The industry has responded by embracing the ideals of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Mining and the Environment identifies and discusses the wide range of social and environmental issues pertaining to mining, with particular reference to mining in developing countries, from where many of the project examples and case studies have been selected. Following an introductory overview of pressing issues, the book illustrates how environmental and social impact assessment, such as defined in "The Equator Principles", integrates with the mining lifecycle and how environmental and social management aims to eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive mining impacts. Practical approaches are provided for managing issues ranging from land acquisition and resettlement of Indigenous peoples, to the technical aspects of acid rock drainage and mine waste management. Moreover, thorough analyses of ways and means of sharing non-transitory mining benefits with host communities are presented to allow mining to provide sustainable benefits for the affected communities. This second edition of Mining and the Environment includes new chapters on Health Impact Assessment, Biodiversity and Gender Issues, all of which have become more important since the first edition appeared a decade ago. The wide coverage of issues and the many real-life case studies make this practice-oriented book a reference and key reading. It is intended for environmental consultants, engineers, regulators and operators in the field and for students to use as a course textbook. As much of the matter applies to the extractive industries as a whole, it will also serve environmental professionals in the oil and gas industries. Karlheinz Spitz and John Trudinger both have multiple years of experience in the assessment of mining projects around the world. The combination of their expertise and knowledge about social, economic, and environmental performance of mining and mine waste management has resulted in this in-depth coverage of the requirements for responsible and sustainable mining.




Mineral Resources


Book Description

This comprehensive textbook covers all major topics related to the utilization of mineral resources for human activities. It begins with general concepts like definitions of mineral resources, mineral resources and humans, recycling mineral resources, distribution of minerals resources across Earth, and international standards in mining, among others. Then it turns to a classification of mineral resources, covering the main types from a geological standpoint. The exploration of mineral resources is also treated, including geophysical methods of exploration, borehole geophysical logging, geochemical methods, drilling methods, and mineral deposit models in exploration. Further, the book addresses the evaluation of mineral resources, from sampling techniques to the economic evaluation of mining projects (i.e. types and density of sampling, mean grade definition and calculation, Sichel’s estimator, evaluation methods – classical and geostatistical, economic evaluation – NPV, IRR, and PP, estimation of risk, and software for evaluating mineral resources). It subsequently describes key mineral resource exploitation methods (open pit and underground mining) and the mineral processing required to obtain saleable products (crushing, grinding, sizing, ore separation, and concentrate dewatering, also with some text devoted to tailings dams). Lastly, the book discusses the environmental impact of mining, covering all the aspects of this very important topic, from the description of diverse impacts to the environmental impact assessment (EIA), which is essential in modern mining projects.




Quantifying the Unknown


Book Description

"Copper, zinc, gold and silver mineralizations exist on the deep ocean floor, at great depths, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen. None of these mineralizations within Norwegian jurisdiction have been thoroughly investigated yet, but they are likely to contain significant amounts of minerals and metals crucial to society and the 'Green Shift'. Should these mineralizations, which contain minerals and metals that you and I use every day, be developed and mined? The question is premature: we need to know more before we can answer it. We need to know more about the formation, location and characteristics of these potential deposits, as well as the environmental, social and financial consequences of potential extraction. We need to evaluate mining alternatives and how to process the extracted ore. How should we answer this question? The ultimate decisions will be determined politically, and knowledge will be the defining factor. Knowledge gained from proper mineral resource management. Quantifying the Unknown sets out to estimate the amount of minerals and metals on the deep ocean floor along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, in particular, copper, zinc, gold and silver contained in so-called 'seafloor massive sulphide deposits'. These deposits are modern analogues of those mined worldwide on land today. The method used to quantify the amounts of these resources is known as 'play analysis'. It shares aspects of methodologies used on land for similar purposes and has been employed extensively to assess untapped petroleum resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Play analysis enables a quantification of the potential as well as associated uncertainty. The potential is large, but the uncertainty is also significant. Whether and how this potential is realized remains to be seen." This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.