Meeting Future Demand for Natural Resources Consistent with Global Sustainability Goals
Abstract
Predicting metal and mineral demand in the future is challenging given current changes in energy markets, technology, new materials, and human needs. Regardless, most scenarios predict continuing increases in demand for infrastructure metals, and rapidly expanding but volatile demand for critical metals and minerals. Meeting demand increases while striving to satisfy global sustainability goals will be difficult, particularly when reliance on economies of scale results in less metal or mineral products per unit of rock and resultant energy, water and waste challenges.
Three strategies are proposed to meet these challenges: 1. Development of exploration approaches and technologies that lead to discoveries with concentrations of the commodity of interest above current averages. Given that many areas have been explored, increasing numbers of these discoveries will have to be made at greater depth requiring better use of technology, new cheap drilling technologies with real time data, and rapid integration of data with improved deposit models. In addition to establishing reserves and resources, deposit evaluation must also assess the critical rock and mineral properties for effective mining, processing and environmental management. 2. Mining and processing technologies must enhance selectivity, producing more product from less rock. Sensor-based ore sorting and other approaches to grade engineering, bulk underground mining, and in situ leaching offer potential improvements over current methods. These approaches will decrease waste volumes, but waste that is produced must be managed more effectively minimizing short and long term environmental risks. 3. Development of mines at the camp scale that use synergies to decrease the extractive footprint, minimize energy and water inputs, and deliver more product more effectively. To be successful, these developments will require landscape-scale environmental, cultural and societal base line assessments that minimize cumulative impacts and provide a roadmap for regional sustainable development. Earth scientists play critical roles in each strategy. Furthermore, all require new collaborative approaches among resource companies, between companies and communities, and with researchers and practitioners across multiple disciplines.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.V31G0199T
- Keywords:
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- 0493 Urban systems;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 1030 Geochemical cycles;
- GEOCHEMISTRYDE: 0215 Economic geology;
- GEOHEALTHDE: 3665 Mineral occurrences and deposits;
- MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY