scholarly journals Metals in Spent Mobile Phones (SMP) – a new challenge for mineral resources management

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 45-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Szamałek ◽  
Krzysztof Galos

Abstract The world sales of mobile phones is growing very dynamically (in 2015 reaching a level of approx. 1.92 billion units). The number of worldwide mobile phones in use is also rapidly increasing (it is estimated that their amount is approx. 7 billion units). The life cycle of a mobile phone is short (commonly approx. 18 months), which is mainly associated with the changing trends, technical progress and competition. This is the reason why a growing number of spent mobile phones (SMP) is stored in homes - the number of SM P worldwide is estimated at approx. 14 billion units. In Poland, estimated number of SMP stored in homes is approx. 100 million units (including approx. 30 million spent smartphones). Mobile phones contain various quantities of valuable metals such as: Cu, Ni, Ag, Au, PMG, Co, Li, Pb, Sn, Zn, REE , Ga, In, Fe, Cr, Nb, Ta, Ti. The concentration of such metals in mobile phones often times exceeds the concentration of these elements in primary deposits. It is estimated that SM Ps stored in Polish homes contain approx. 1,344 Mg Cu, 27 Mg Ag, 2.6 Mg Au, 1 Mg Pd, 4.3 Mg Nd, 0.8 Mg Pr, and 454 Mg Co. Worldwide, SMPs contain at least 196,000 Mg Cu, 70,000 Mg Co, 4,000 Mg Ag, 400 Mg Au, 140 Mg Pd, 630 Mg Nd, 126 Mg Pr. This creates new challenges for mineral resources management, especially regarding introduction of new effective directions of utilization of metals recovered from SMPs. The recovery of metals from SMPs will in fact decrease the extraction of minerals from primary deposits, which will have a positive impact on the environment, and reduce the stream of existing e-wastes. The collection of SMPs in Poland is currently at a very low level, probably not exceeding 1%. It is therefore necessary to introduce new efficient SM P collection systems combined, for example, with the obligation to transfer the spent telephone to the operator while obtaining a new one. The authors suggest the need to begin research on the development of efficient technologies of metal recovery from spent mobile phones.

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 538-550
Author(s):  
Laura Naranjo ◽  
Jorge Castillo ◽  
Valesca Montes ◽  
Eleuterio Yáñez

Society's awareness of environmental issues increases every day. In this context, the concept of carbon footprint (CF) arises as a calculation tool that quantifies greenhouse gasses (GHG) emitted during the life cycle (LC) of a product. This calculation method is used in many productive sectors throughout the world; however, the Chilean fisheries sector has not notified the use of this tool or initiatives in that sense. This study performs a calculation of the CF of artisanal gillnet hake (Merluccius gayi gayi) fishery of the Caleta Portales, located in Valparaíso, Chile. The ISO 14040: 2006 methodology was used. The analysis was limited from the boat departure until the catch is landed, as a gate-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA). The fuel consumption data and information related to the fleet were used as the main source of information. The Caleta Portales hake landings were 1,340.484 kg in 2011 and 703,411 kg in 2012. This fleet released into the atmosphere in 2011, 0.47 CO2 equivalent per kg of hake landed, and 0.58 kg CO2 eq, in 2012. It is the first result of CF reported in a Chilean fishery. This result can lead to an increase in the competitiveness of this hake fishery, as it can generate a positive impact on encouraging consumers to prefer the consumption from those places that have calculated the CF and are less than other food products.


2011 ◽  
Vol 291-294 ◽  
pp. 1748-1751
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Chang Shui Liu ◽  
Lian Feng Gao ◽  
Zhen Guo Zhang ◽  
Peng Zhang

Rare earth metals are an important strategic resource. Due to scarce reserves, and large consumer demand, it is facing the crisis of resource depletion. Marine are the largest deposits sites in the world. In the long growth history, marine autogenic sedimentary mineral, such as polymetallic nodules, crusts with large quantities, not only contain the enrichment of Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Ni and other valuable metals, but also contain extremely rare earth elements (REE) in the crust. Thus, in the process of developing marine mineral resources, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Ni and other metals are used, while it is possible for the development and utilization of the associated rare earth mineral. Marine may become a new field of rare earth resources development.


2018 ◽  
Vol 272 ◽  
pp. 273-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Břetislav Teplý ◽  
Tomáš Vymazal ◽  
Pavla Rovnaníková

Efficient sustainability management requires the use of tools that enable the quantification, measurement or comparison of material, technological and construction variants. Tools of this kind which have been developed around the world in recent years include various indicators, indexes, etc. Generally, technical, economic, ecological and socio-cultural areas must all be included. Such a tool can be used as a powerful marketing aid and as support for the transition to the “circular economy”. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) procedures are also used, alongside other approaches. LCA is a method that evaluates the life cycle of a structure from the point of view of its effect on the environment. Processes starting with the mining of mineral resources and including their transport, production and use up to their final processing as waste (recycling) are all taken into account. In addition, consideration is given to energy and raw material costs, and to environmental impact throughout the whole life cycle – e.g. through emissions. The presented contribution focuses on the quantification of sustainability connected with the use of various types of concrete with regard to their resistance against the effect of degrading influences. Sustainability factors are also determined using information regarding service life and “eco-costs”. The aim is to present a suitable methodology which can simplify decision-making concerning the design and choice of concrete mixes from a wider perspective, i.e. not only from the aspects of load-bearing capacity or durability.


Author(s):  
A. Rashedi ◽  
Taslima Khanam ◽  
Mirjam Jonkman

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sudden and abrupt change in global energy landscape. Traditional fossil fuels that serve as the linchpin of the modern civilization have found their consumption rapidly fell across the most categories due to strict lockdown and stringent measures that have been adopted to suppress the disease. These changes consequently steered various environmental benefits across the world in recent time. The present article is an attempt to investigate these environmental benefits and reversals that have been materialized in this unfolding situation due to reduced consumption of fossil fuels. Life cycle assessment tool has been used hereby to evaluate nine environmental impacts and one energy based impact. These impacts include: ozone formation (terrestrial ecosystems), terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, land use, mineral resources scarcity and cumulative exergy demand. Outcomes from the study demonstrate that COVID-19 has delivered impressive changes in global environment and life cycle exergy demand with about 11-25% curtailment in all above-mentioned impacts in 2020 in comparison to their corresponding readings in 2019.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 6048
Author(s):  
A. Rashedi ◽  
Taslima Khanam ◽  
Mirjam Jonkman

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sudden and abrupt change in global energy landscape. Traditional fossil fuels that serve as the linchpin of modern civilization have found their consumption has rapidly fallen across most categories due to strict lockdown and stringent measures that have been adopted to suppress the disease. These changes consequently steered various environmental benefits across the world in recent time. The present article is an attempt to investigate these environmental benefits and reversals that have been materialized in this unfolding situation due to reduced consumption of fossil fuels. The life cycle assessment tool was used hereby to evaluate nine environmental impacts and one energy based impact. These impacts include ozone formation (terrestrial ecosystems), terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, land use, mineral resources scarcity, and cumulative exergy demand. Outcomes from the study demonstrate that COVID-19 has delivered impressive changes in global environment and life cycle exergy demand, with about 11–25% curtailment in all the above-mentioned impacts in 2020 in comparison to their corresponding readings in 2019.


2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (142) ◽  
pp. 113-126
Author(s):  
Enrique Dussel Peters

China's socioeconomic accumulation in the last 30 years has been probably one of the most outstanding global developments and has resulted in massive new challenges for core and periphery countries. The article examines how China's rapid and massive integration to the world market has posed new challenges for countries such as Mexico - and most of Latin America - as a result of China's successful exportoriented industrialization. China's accumulation and global integration process does, however, not only question and challenges the export-possibilities in the periphery, but also the global inability to provide energy in the medium term.


CCIT Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-148
Author(s):  
H. Abdul Hamid Arribathi ◽  
Dedeh Supriyanti ◽  
Lusyani Sunarya

Information technology is increasingly developing and has a positive impact on the world of education. The implementation of student counseling with a Knowledge Management System is one of the contributions of information technology in the world of education. Many benefits provided by the Student Counseling Knowledge Management System, in managing the knowledge needed by the counselor section to document student consultations. The development and implementation of a KMS counseling system costs more to employ professional staff to maintain and improve; KMS student counseling application; For this reason, it is necessary to design a Cloud Computing-based Student Counseling Knowledge Management System. The research method carried out in the first stage is to collect data and information about Knowledge Management and Student Counseling, and how to use it to create a Knowledge Management System Application, Student Counseling Based on cloud computing. Furthermore, conducting a literature study and literature review, system design is in the form of data architecture compounding, process design, network design, and user interface design. The design results of this system can facilitate educational institutions in conducting online cloud computing-based student counseling


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iúri Novaes Luna ◽  
Valéria De Bettio Mattos

This book, comprised of 13 chapters, presents papers which discuss the processes related to the career along one’s life cycle, from adolescents’ professional choices until processes of retirement. Notwithstanding the diversity of life and work contexts, present in the different chapters, they all somewhat correspond in their central purpose, presenting both perspectives and challenges related to contemporary career interventions. Some chapters address themes that are still seldom explored in national literature, while others discuss subjects that are long established in the area, however they are innovative. The authors study them in the context of changes in the world of work in the second decade of the 21st century, of the new career models and psychosocial processes that are linked to human development throughout life. The studies and practices in vocational guidance, career development and retirement, included in this book, are the results of research and practice in recent years carried out by professionals, professors and academics that in different ways have collaborated with the activities of LIOP - Laboratory of Information and Professional Guidance, at the Federal University of Santa Catarina.


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