APES Day 87…return to your mines and complete (15 minutes)

How did your mines do? Did you make a profit? What would have to do to process (purify and distribute) the resource? Ores, Fossil Fuels (Natural gas, coal, oil), uranium?

External costs?

Full-cost pricing factors in external costs in the price of goods/services

Internal costs?

Marginal costs?

Intangible costs?

Costs/Benefit analysis

How does the 1977 Surface Mining Reclamation Act assist (SMRCA)?

Price Elasticity High Price elasticity: Restaurants dinner, Plasma

TV, Laptops, Refrigerators, ChocolatesLow Price elasticity: beef, loaves/ bread, table salt, beer, MacDonald's chicken nuggets, bottled water at Airport

High Income elasticity: Luxury Cars, Artwork Paintings, Air conditioners, Perfumes, Costly JewelryLow Income elasticity: Gasoline, bread, eggs, milk

General Mining Law of 1872

take valuable hardrock minerals including gold, silver, and uranium from public lands without royalty payment to the taxpayer -- unlike other mining industries that extract coal, oil or natural gas;

buy valuable mineral bearing public lands for no more than $5 per acre -- 1872 prices

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT which is part of the Department of Interior

Processing the ore Removing the gangue produce piles called tailings..can runoff from wind or water to contaminate surface or groundwater Placer Mining - Hydraulically washing out metals

deposited in streambed gravel. Destroys streambeds and fills water with suspended solids

Heap-leach-Crushed ore piled in large heaps and sprayed with a dilute alkaline cyanide solution which percolates through the pile to dissolve the gold.

Effluent left behind in ponds.

Processing continued

Smelting- Roasting ore to release metals. Major source of air pollution. Lead and other heavy

metals…video action…cost/benefits

SMCRASteps to Restore Land

Re-contouring land to original topography

Improve soil quality by adding topsoil/nutrients

Replanting native vegetationMonitoring the land for 5/10 years

Based on climateThe more arid the harder it is

Low precipitation Low fertility of the soils wind erosion and runoff due to slower

growth

Coal is high in sulfurAcidification can result: groundwater,

surface water, soilHeavy metals broken down and

transportedReduced plant growth because of the

lower pH

Remedies to Coal tailingsBuffer with limestoneCover tailingsCatch basins or pondsbioremediation

Burning of Coal leads to… Increase carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide

hence global warming and acid precipitation

Mercury and arsenic released Thermal pollutionParticulatesUranium and thorium released

How can we reduce?

CONSERVING GEOLOGIC RESOURCES Recycling

Aluminum must be extracted from bauxite by electrolysis. Recycling waste aluminum consumes one-twentieth the energy

of extraction from raw ore. Nearly two-thirds of all aluminum beverage cans in US are recycled.

Saves 90-95% of energy required to make aluminum cans from bauxite

Other metals commonly recycled: Platinum, gold, copper, lead, iron, steel.

Reduction is best or find alternatives

ReduceReuseRecycle

Coal Economic advantagesAbundant so lower costMore electrical appliances need

electricityTechnology is available

Proven-In-Place Coal Reserves

North America, China and Russia have 50% of coal resources

Coal formationPeat…decaying plants in a bogLignate-Over 1 million years of

pressure and heat can form(40% C)Subituminous (100 million yrs…40-

60% C)Bituminous (over 100 million yrs…60-

80% C)Anthracite (over 300 million yrs…80-98% C

Coal Obtained Coal is a sedimentary rock therefore forms in

bands or layers. It can be strip minded or tunneled. The material above the vein is called “overburden”

High particulates Since we dig it can hit the water table where

water lowers its pH due to coal dust.Black Lung Disease - Inflammation

and fibrosis caused by accumulation of coal dust in the lungs or airways.

Coal TransportCrush it and sort it Wash it so heavier impurities fall outShip with rail or bargeShip in a “slurry” of water and crushed

rock through pipelines.

Uses of coal

Electricity=90%Steel mills use Bituminous coal

in airtight ovens to form pure carbon called COKE=7%

Coke is used with iron to make steel.2% other industry processes…cement

industries1% home heating

Air Pollution Coal burning releases radioactivity and

toxic metals into the atmosphere. Coal combustion is responsible for 25% of all

atmospheric mercury pollution in the US. Coal contains up to 10% sulfur by weight.

Unless removed by washing or flue-gas scrubbing, sulfur is released and oxidizes to sulfur dioxide or sulfate

Coal GasificationHeat coal in a large reactor with

oxygen and steam. Impurities are removed and gases react with hydrogen to make methane gas.

Gas must be used as it is produced

Coal:Balancing Needs?