Earth Science Project by Group 10

8/9/2019 Earth Science Project by Group 10

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Frederick Irving L. Rico

Jane Marie Apelado

Ms. Charity Mulig


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GEOLOGIST

Tasks

E

CONO

MIST

INDUSTRIALIST


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Introduction

A businessman would like to increase his earningsthrough mining. Learning about his interest in the

field, three companies immediately came up with

project proposals for three different mineral

reserves. Company A proposed for manganese,Company B recommended phosphates; Company C

envisioned a coal mining industry. However, the

businessman, seeing the project to involve a huge

amount of money, thought of hiring your expertiseas a team MINERAL EXPERTS to help him decide

where to invest.


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PROPOSALS: Data on Mineral Reserves

Manganese Mining

Phosphate Mining

Coal Mining


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Proposal from COMPANY A:

MANGANESE MINING


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Company A- MANGANESEMINING

Manganese is a chemicalelement, designated by

the symbol Mn. It has the

atomic number 25. It is

found as a free element innature (often in

combination with iron),

and in many minerals. As

a free element,

manganese is a metalwith important industrial

metal alloy uses,

particularly in stainless

steels.


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Market Value and Mine Life Cost of Mining

Manganese ore containing

35% or more manganese was

not produced domestically in

2008. Manganese ore wasconsumed mainly by eight

firms with plants principally

in the East and Midwest.

Australia's Consolidated

Minerals has established a

10-year mine life.

Australia is the third largest

producer of manganese ore

in the world, producing 2.55

Mt in 2003, 12% of globalproduction.

In 2003, Australian exports of

manganese ore totaled 2.14

Mt valued at A$312 million.


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Environmental Effects

Manganese compounds exist naturallyin the environment as solids in the soils

and small particles in the water.

Manganese particles in air are present

in dust particles. These usually settle to

earth within a few days. Humans enhance manganese

concentrations in the air by industrial

activities and through burning fossil

fuels.

Manganese that derives from humansources can also enter surface water,

groundwater and sewage water.

Through the application of manganese

pesticides, manganese will enter soils.


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Health Effects

The human body containsapproximately ten milligrams of

manganese, most of which is found in

the liver, bones, and kidneys. This trace

element is a cofactor for a number of

important enzymes, including arginase,cholinesterase, phosphoglucomutase,

pyruvate carboxylase, mitochondrial

superoxide dismutase and several

phosphates, peptidases and

glycosyltransferases.

Manganese functions with vitamin K in

the formation of prothrombin.


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Health Effects

Manganese is an essential element forhuman health shortages. But it can

also cause health effects. These are the

following effects:

Skin problems Birth defects

Fatness

Changes of hair color

Lowered cholesterol levels


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Proposal from COMPANY B:

PHOSPHATE MINING


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Company B- PHOSPHATEMINING

A phosphate, aninorganic chemical, is a

salt of phosphoric acid. In

organic chemistry, a

phosphate, or

organophosphate, is an

ester of phosphoric acid.

Organic phosphates are

important in biochemistry

and biogeochemistry orecology.


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The mine has an estimated life of

27 years. The project is expected to

produce 3.9 mta of phosphate

concentrate with a minimum grade

of 29% of phosphorus pentoxide,

which is mostly used in fertilizers.

Vale will invest $479M in the

project, which is scheduled to start

production in 2010.

In 2003, nine U.S. firms in four

states mined phosphate rock ore,

compared to 20 firms in 1997. In

2003 mines produced an estimated

33.3 million metric tons of

phosphate rock, with a value of

$895 million f.o.b. mine.

TheUnited States is the world's

leading producer and consumer ofphosphate rock, over 90 percent of

which is used to produce chemical

fertilizers and animal feed

supplements.


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Phosphate will stimulate the growth ofplankton and aquatic plants which

provide food for larger organisms,

including: zooplankton, fish, humans,

and other mammals. Initially, this

increased productivity will cause anincrease in the fish population and

overall biological diversity of the

system. But as the phosphate loading

continues and there is a build-up of

phosphate in the lake or surface water

ecosystem, the aging process of lake orsurface water ecosystem will be

accelerated.


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Eutrophication (from the Greek -meaning "well nourished") is enhanced

production of primary producers

resulting in reduced stability of the

ecosystem. Excessive nutrient inputs,

usually nitrogen and phosphate, havebeen shown to be the main cause of

eutrophication over the past 30 years.

This aging process can result in large

fluctuations in the lake water quality

and trophic status and in some cases

periodic blooms of cyanobacteria.


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Health Effects

Phosphate rock is also radioactive.

There are two key areas of concern for

impacts to public health. The first is

whether the radioactive elements can

get into water supplies, be released to

the air, absorbed into the skin or

accumulated in fish or animals. The

second concern is what happens when

the radioactive particles, such as

radium and thorium, are concentratedin the clay settling ponds.


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Proposal from COMPANY C:

COAL MINING


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Company C- COAL MINING

Coal is a readily combustible

black or brownish-black

sedimentary rock normally

occurring in rock strata in

layers or veins called coal

beds. The harder forms, suchas anthracite coal, can be

regarded as metamorphic rock

because of later exposure to

elevated temperature and

pressure. Coal is composed

primarily of carbon along withvariable quantities of other

elements, chiefly sulfur,

hydrogen, oxygen and

nitrogen.


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Arch Coal is the second largest coal

producer in the United States,

providing 6% of the coal needed to

generate electricity. With a marketcapitalization of over $4.3 billion,

Arch Coal generates almost $1.8

billion in sales.

Each one of approximately 150

proposed coal plants would impose

high costs not only on the health of

our communities and environment,but will also make it even more

difficult to address global

warming. Additionally, there is a

high likelihood that because of the

choices utilities make today, coal

generated electricity may costcustomers more in the future than

utilities claim.


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Coal mining causes a number ofharmful effects. When coal surfaces are

exposed, pyrite (iron sulfide), also

known as "fool's gold", comes in

contact with water and air and forms

sulfuric acid.

As water drains from the mine, the acid

moves into the waterways, and as long

as rain falls on the mine tailings the

sulfuric acid production continues,

whether the mine is still operating ornot. This process is known as acid rock

drainage (ARD) or acid mine drainage

(AMD).


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If the coal is strip mined, the entireexposed seam leaches sulfuric acid,

leaving the subsoil infertile on the

surface and begins to pollute streams

by acidifying and killing fish, plants, and

aquatic animals which are sensitive todrastic pH shifts.


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Health Effects

The coal industry would like us all to

think coal is clean. But its not.

Burning coal to make electricity can

affect us starting at birth with the

mercury-contaminated breast milk and

blood we get from our mothers, to the

increased risk of heart, lung and liver

diseases we might die from later in life.


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OUR CHOICE


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Our Choice

Coal Mining proposed by Company C is our choicebecause it has the highest sales price among the

three elements mentioned. It is the largest source of

energy for electricity generation worldwide. Although

it has diverse effects to the environment and health,its effects can be mitigated by rehabilitation and

reclamation.


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Sources

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/technology_and_impacts/impacts/the-costs-of-coal.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal#Production_trends

http://www.water-research.net/phosphate.htm


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Documents

Earth Science Project by Group 10