Abstract:Mining is not only an essential component of social and economic development since prehistoric time, but it also gives a large impact on our civilization. Gold is a noble metal that is highly valued. The extraction of minerals from earth is known as traditional mining. Gold also can be extracted from electronic waste or e-waste, and this new concept is called urban mining. There are many stages in traditional and urban mining process. However, in this study, the focus was on crushing and grinding processes to produce 1 kg of gold. Crushing and grinding are processes in the milling stage. This research evaluates and compares the environmental impacts of crushing and grinding processes, based on electricity consumption. About 50 to 65% of total electricity in milling was used for crushing and grinding processes. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used as a tool to evaluate the environmental burdens of electricity usage in converting ore and electronic waste to gold bars. The Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) of this process was interpreted by using Eco-indicator 99 assessment methods in SimaPro software. The impact categories included in this study were carcinogens, respiratory organics, respiratory inorganics, radiation, climate change, ozone layer, ecotoxicity, acidification or eutrophication, land use and minerals. The results showed that crushing and grinding from traditional mining gave the largest impact to the environment with single score of 399 Pt compared to the urban mining with only 1.81 Pt score. The highest impact in both types of mining is to human health.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.