The effect of mine aging on the evolution of environmental footprint indicators in the Chilean copper mining industry 2001–2015

Reducing mine water use in arid areas through the use of a byproduct road dust suppressant

“…More recently, Northley et al (2016) proposed a range of opportunities and limitations to the use of water footprinting assessments of the mining industry. Countries like Chile have reduced the average water consumption per ton of copper produced by reusing water from tailing dams (Lagos et al, 2018). Gunson et al (2012) investigated which operations within copper mining are the greatest contributors to water consumption.…”

Leaching of Oxide Copper Ores by Addition of Weak Acid from Copper Smelters

“…For example, in 2017, Chile produced more than 5.5 Kt of copper, with a total water consumption of 13,264 L/s. The main uses of water in Chile are for the irrigation of farming areas (82%) and mining (3%) [35,[37][38][39]. This situation is similar to other countries like South Africa, where the 2018 water consumption was 41% for irrigation and only 4% for mining [40].…”

“…Strong local regulations control the extraction of freshwater and the impact of mining operations (footprint indicators). Mineral processing operations must adapt their production processes based on the nature of the ores, resulting in moderate water consumption and general sustainability [33][34][35].…”

Applying a multi-objective optimization approach in designing water supply systems for mining industries. The case of Chile

“…Chile is known as a mining country as it is a producer and exporter of valuable metals and minerals, such as copper, lithium, potassium, gold, silver, molybdenum, nitrates and iodine (Cisternas and Galvéz, 2014). Mining sector generates significant economic benefits but also creates environmental footprints related mainly to water and energy consumption (Lagos et al, 2018). The majority of mining operations take place at the Atacama Desert, the driest desert on earth (Clarke, 2006).…”