MINING INDUSTRY, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
with emphasis on Africa Fernando P. Carvalho Instituto Superior T茅cnico/Campus Tecnol贸gico Nuclear Universidade de Lisboa. Portugal (e-mail: carvalho@itn.pt)
Topics • • • •
MINING TODAY PRACTICES: past, present, future URGENT NEEDS THE WAY FORWARD: potential project themes
Mining industries by sectors • Examples:
Oil and gas Phosphate Uranium Shale gas Artisanal mining
• Higlights of products, impacts and unresolved issues
Sector: oil and gas industry
Oil spills • Oil drilling at sea grew • Oil spills impact on fisheries, aquaculture, wildlife, turism • Crude is toxic to . biota • Hydrocarbons take time to degrade • Ecosystems recover very slowly
Pipe de-scaling and impacts Cases investigated: North Sea, Norway Sea 226Ra
concentration in scales: 40 Bq/g
Radiation risks: • Exposure of workers • Dispersal of radioactive waste in environment
Sector: phosphate industry Phosphor and more‌ Sedimentary rock Fosforite contains fluorapatite Ca5(PO4)3F
Phosphate, Phospor, Fluor, Calcium, but also Cadmium, Arsenic, Uranium, Mercury, etc. 7
World phosphate industry A sedimentary rock rich in essential elements (P) to plant growth
8
Environmental impacts
Fluor into atmosphere
…and stock piles of phosphogypsum
Many contaminants stay in phosphogypsum Some Phosphoric acid producers release PG in the sea (Morocco) Impact on marine environment and fisheries 9
Sector: heavy mineral sands
(coastal sands mining )
Heavy mineral sands mining Coastal sand deposits may contain heavy minerals of high value, such as zircon, rutile, garnet, columbite
Coast of Mozambique
Impacts of heavy mineral sands mining • Destruction of sand dunes barrier - protection of coastal plains and villages during storms • Removal of consolidated barriers against sea level rise and coastal erosion • Habitat destruction and impact on coastal fisheries
Sector: uranium mining and milling
New demands for uranium
New mines needed. New countries want to be uranium producers.
Uranium production: the first step of fuel cycle
No reason to stop U production with arguments about nuclear proliferation!
Uranium market Current nuclear power World Total of NPP: 447 Fuel needs increases. World market for uranium (trade and shipping) increases.
Uranium resources
Nuclear power plants
Uranium Mill Tailings Solid waste • • • •
Fine sands, high specific activity of 226Ra, 230Th, 210Pb, 210Po,… Low concentrations of uranium May contain stable metals, eg., As, Y, Bi, Fe, Cu, etc and sludge (mud) from water treatment
Uranium industry impacts Mines and Mills: • Occupational exposure to radioactivity • Environmental radioactive contamination (water, soils, air, food chain) • Uranium milling waste with lasting radiological impact • Populations rarely aware and tend to re-use mining and milling waste
Shale gas and ¨hydrofracking¨
Environmental impacts from shale gas extraction • Use of large amounts of water • Large amounts of toxic chemicals • Sands for injection in wells (from Africa, beach shores) • Contamination of water resources • Earthquakes • Release of large activity of radium and radon
Sector: Artisanal mining
Sieving river sand for ilmenite (Mozambique)
Artisanal mining and rare metals Human dimension For survival of populations in many African , South America , and South Asia countries
Panning for gold (Burkina Faso)
Grinding rock to extract Tantalite
Impacts Exposure of large population groups to hazardous chemicals • Thousands of people live on artisanal mining • Family activity, children exposed Serious environmental contamination (Hg, As, Ra, …)
Mining impacts in populated areas • Mine waste, contaminated water, and dust close to communities with obvious direct impact on population health • Dirty landscape, natural resources compromised • Last decades: development of guidelines, EIA, regulations, criteria – in some countries • Development of concepts such as exposed population, critical group, social license, etc
Mining impacts in desert areas
Uranium mining in the Sahara desert, Niger • Current mining. No legacy yet. • Very remote area , no critical group or exposed population • No environmental and no radiological impacts?
New population Near 80 000(!) settled around, attracted by the mines Metal scrappers: re-use scrap from the mine to manufacture goods
New productions Water is a very limited resource Process water and waste water from the mine facilities are used in irrigation (gardens)
New exposure pathways Despite the remote location it is still needed to • Ensure radiological safety of local population • Protect groundwater resources • Avoid dispersion of contaminated dust
Mining in coastal areas • May compromise soil and water and also Fisheries and Aquaculture and Turism
TIMELINE The Past The Present The Future
The past • Legacy of abandoned mines and waste piles • Persistent environmental impacts • Contaminated water, soils, groundwater, crops, arable land, coastal seas,…
The unplanned costs of mining • Occupational health: silicosis, lung cancer,risk of explosion, coal mining, … • Environmental health: oil spills, fisheries, aquaculture and turism • Environmental remediation of legacy: – Germany 60 Billion Euros (reunified Germany) – Portugal 120 Million Euros
• China: the cost of rapid industrialization
Environmental remediation Tailings cover Aerial view of Urgeiriรงa (early 2008)
Multi layer cap
The present • Enthusiasm with mining: uranium, heavy mineral sands, shale gas,… • Mining boom in Africa: plenty of new projects • Need for good practices in mining projects • Lack of mining laws and regulations in place (regulatory infrastructure for: licensing, inspection,labour safety, environmental impact, taxation, …) • Lack of qualified human resources (economists, geologists, engineers, practitioners of occupational health, waste management, environmental protection, …)
The future • What future do we want ? Several answers. • The future we need: Sustainable development Healthy environment, healthy cities, healthy people Preserve resources for future generations
We still need mining…
The pilars for ensuring any future WATER
FOOD
ENERGY
For ensuring the future, needed in place Particularly in South hemisphere: • Infrastructures, regulations, qualified personnel,… • Good mining contracts • Revenues for the countries supplying raw materials • Good industrial practice, waste management • Environmental protection
The way forward: • Learn with the past • Develop awareness • Enforce new mining concepts, laws and regulations • Educate and train human resources
Possible starting points • Regional workshops to enhance awareness • Specific training workshops on technical matters • Expert missions to assist local organizations in field assessment of selected impacted areas and provide a report/advice Example assess impact of coastal sands mining on way of living of local communities and natural resources, • Topical Lectures in the countries to complement local education programmes (in collaboration with local Universities, Ministries, Industrial associations, Foundations, etc.) • Scholarships for training students abroad • …in partnership with
organizations !
industries, Govs, local
Gaps and opportunities for NGOs Areas often not addressed by Gov projects when dealing with mining industry: Social impacts, disruption of way of living Jeopardy of natural resources and cultural heritage Artisanal mining, population income, hazards Population awareness of public health issues Preparation of the post-mine
Thank you for your kind attention
OSI