scholarly journals MODELLING-FRIENDLY LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY OF UNDERGROUND MINING OF BAUXITE: A CASE STUDY FROM JAJCE MINES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 59-76
Author(s):  
Anamarija Grbeš ◽  
Ivo Galić ◽  
Branimir Farkaš ◽  
Ivan Budeš
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Life Cycle Inventory ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Underground Mining ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Compressed Air ◽  
Sublevel Caving ◽  
The Impact

The objective of this paper is the study of the life cycle inventory (LCI) for underground mining of small, clustered deposits of Dinaric Alps-type bauxites, mined in the mountains near Jajce, a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the period 2010-2020. Modelling of the life cycle inventory was done based on the company’s internal reports and project documentation for a variant of the sublevel caving method that involves drilling and blasting. Four mines, located on three exploitation fields, were found in different phases of mine life, different levels of tectonic disturbances and different types of energy: diesel, electricity, and compressed air. The main results of this study are the inventory of underground bauxite exploitation made based on long-term data, the life cycle of one bauxite deposit, and the emission factors from blasting. Underground mining in this case proved to be energy intensive: an average of 52-92 MJ/t was required (as opposed to 37 MJ/t for surface bauxite exploitation in Italy). At the same time, underground bauxite exploitation caused only 5.6-6.4% of the transformation of natural land that is above the mines and deposits. The operations relying on diesel fuel caused local emissions in the air and underground. The operation relying on electricity for DC locomotive and generation of the compressed air were without local emission into the air, although energy efficiency was probably reduced using compressed air as mechanical energy. At the state level, the impact depends on the country’s energy mix, which is still quite dependent on fossil fuels. Engineering estimates of blasting emissions indicated detonators and ammonium nitrate explosives as a potentially important source of environmental impact. The mining industry would significantly benefit from cleaner energy in electricity generation (the energy sector) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The path of air emissions in the underground system, especially lead and nitrogen compounds, needs to be further explored.

scholarly journals Environmental Payback of Renovation Strategies in a Northern Climate—the Impact of Nuclear Power and Fossil Fuels in the Electricity Supply

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas ◽  
Ola Eriksson ◽  
Thomas Olofsson
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this study is to assess how the use of fossil and nuclear power in different renovation scenarios affects the environmental impacts of a multi-family dwelling in Sweden, and how changes in the electricity production with different energy carriers affect the environmental impact. In line with the Paris Agreement, the European Union has set an agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by means of energy efficiency in buildings. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 80% of Europe’s population will be living in buildings that already exist. This means it is important for the European Union to renovate buildings to improve energy efficiency. In this study, eight renovation scenarios, using six different Northern European electricity mixes, were analyzed using the standard of the European Committee for Standardization for life cycle assessment of buildings. This study covers all life cycle steps from cradle to grave. The renovation scenarios include combinations of photovoltaics, geothermal heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, and improvement of the building envelope. The results show that while in some electricity mixes a reduction in the global warming potential can be achieved, it can be at the expense of an increase in radioactive waste production, and, in mixes with a high share of fossil fuels, the global warming potential of the scenarios increases with time, compared with that of the original building. It also shows that in most electricity mixes, scenarios that reduce the active heat demand of the building end up in reducing both the global warming potential and radioactive waste, making them less sensitive to changes in the energy system.

A Life Cycle Assessment Study on a New Countertop Material

2021 ◽  
Vol 897 ◽  
pp. 137-142
Author(s):  
Luiza Silva ◽  
Elisabete Silva ◽  
Isabel Brás ◽  
Idalina Domingos ◽  
Dulcineia Wessel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Photochemical Oxidation ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Product Packaging ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Abiotic Depletion

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the most important analytical tools available to provide the scientific basis of engineering solutions for sustainability. The focus of this study was a LCA (cradle to gate) of a product intended to be used in countertops. The functional unit chosen was 1 m2 of finished panel (countertop) and the boundary system involved the study of raw materials and product packaging and the panel’s production process. The chosen method for impact assessment was EPD (2018) available in SimaPro PhD software and Acidification, Eutrophication, Global Warming, Photochemical Oxidation, Abiotic Depletion (elements), Abiotic Depletion (fossil fuels), Water Scarcity and Ozone Layer Depletion were the impact categories considered. Results showed that the panel’s manufacturing is the process that presented the highest influence in all categories analyzed ranging from 88% on Abiotic Depletion to approximately 101% on Water Scarcity. Polyvinylchloride (PVC) is the greatest contributors to all impact categories except to Photochemical Oxidation that is the Polyester.

scholarly journals Issues of Exploitation of Induction Motors in the Course of Underground Mining Operations

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 579-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanisław Gumula ◽  
Wiktor Hudy ◽  
Malgorzata Piaskowska-Silarska ◽  
Krzysztof Pytel
Keyword(s):  
Induction Motors ◽  
Underground Mining ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Slip Ring ◽  
Input Signals ◽  
Large Distortion ◽  
Oriented System

Abstract Mining industry is one of the most important customers of electric motors. The most commonly used in the contemporary mining industry is alternating current machines used for processing electrical energy into mechanical energy. The operating problems and the influence of qualitative interference acting on the inputs of individual regulators to field-oriented system in the course of underground mining operations has been presented in the publication. The object of controlling the speed is a slip-ring induction motor. Settings of regulators were calculated using an evolutionary algorithm. Examination of system dynamics was performed by a computer with the use of the MATLAB / Simulink software. According to analyzes, large distortion of input signals of regulators adversely affects the rotational speed that pursued by the control system, which may cause a large vibration of the whole system and, consequently, its much faster destruction. Designed system is characterized by a significantly better resistance to interference. The system is stable with the properly selected settings of regulators, which is particularly important during the operation of machinery used in underground mining.

Life Cycle Inventory Data Development for Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Thailand's Electricity Grid Generation Systems

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viganda Varabuntoonvit ◽  
Yucho Sadamichi ◽  
Seizo Kato ◽  
Thumrongrut Mungcharoen
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Life Cycle Inventory ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Generation System ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Electricity Grid ◽  
The Impact

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a well known methodology to assess the impact on the environment over the life cycle of a product, process, or activity. This methodology is based on the LCI (Life Cycle Inventory) database, a data set of all resources (material and energy) that are consumed or emitted in order to produce 1 unit of the product. Because electricity is a basic infrastructure, a Thailand electricity grid LCI database is needed to assess the environmental impact not only for the product used in Thailand, but also for any product that is exported to other countries. A complete LCI database for the electricity grid in Thailand is not yet available, and the LCI database developed in this work applies from the fuel acquisition stage to the production stage. The analysis shows the unique characteristics of the Thailand electricity grid. An LCI database for each type of fuel and for each electricity generation system was developed. The characteristics of each type of fuel and electricity generation system are indicated in terms of Life Cycle GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions to reflect their global warming potential. Data on the Life Cycle GHG emission per kWh of electricity produced are also provided. The first Thailand LCI database for the fuels used in the electricity generation system was developed using data obtained from the EGAT (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand), IPPs (Independent Power Producers), and PTT (Petroleum Authority of Thailand) during the Thai fiscal year 2005 (from October 2004 to September 2005). The database was used to analyze the current situation and the characteristics of the electricity generation system in Thailand and to compare it with the systems used in other developed countries.

scholarly journals Devising Mineral Resource Supply Pathways to a Low-Carbon Electricity Generation by 2100

Resources ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Boubault ◽  
Nadia Maïzi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Integrated Assessment ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Integrated Assessment Model ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Life Cycle Inventories ◽  
The Impact

Achieving a “carbon neutral” world by 2100 or earlier in a context of economic growth implies a drastic and profound transformation of the way energy is supplied and consumed in our societies. In this paper, we use life-cycle inventories of electricity-generating technologies and an integrated assessment model (TIMES Integrated Assessment Model) to project the global raw material requirements in two scenarios: a second shared socioeconomic pathway baseline, and a 2 °C scenario by 2100. Material usage reported in the life-cycle inventories is distributed into three phases, namely construction, operation, and decommissioning. Material supply dynamics and the impact of the 2 °C warming limit are quantified for three raw fossil fuels and forty-eight metallic and nonmetallic mineral resources. Depending on the time horizon, graphite, sand, sulfur, borates, aluminum, chromium, nickel, silver, gold, rare earth elements or their substitutes could face a sharp increase in usage as a result of a massive installation of low-carbon technologies. Ignoring nonfuel resource availability and value in deep decarbonation, circular economy, or decoupling scenarios can potentially generate misleading, contradictory, or unachievable climate policies.

scholarly journals Comparison of life cycle assessment for different volume polypropylene jars

2012 ◽  
pp. 159-167
Author(s):  
Nevena Krkic ◽  
Vera Lazic ◽  
Danijela Suput
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Injection Molding ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Life Cycle Inventory ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

When deciding what packaging is the most appropriate for a product there are many factors to be considered. One of them is the impact of the packaging on environment. In this work, life cycle inventory and life cycle assessment of two different volume packagings were compared. The data were collected on the types and amounts of materials and energy consumption in the process of packaging and distribution of hand cream packed in polypropylene jars of 200 and 350 mL. Life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle impact assessment (LCA) were calculated. It was found that the total mass flow was higher for the jars of 350 mL. After analyzing individual flows, it was found that in both cycles (polypropylene jars of 200 and 350 mL),the consumption of fresh water was a dominant flow. This fresh water flow is mostly (95%) consumed in the injection molding process of manufacturing jars from polypropylene granules. The LCA analysis showed no significant difference in global warming potential between different volume jars. The process that mostly affected global warming was the production of polypropylene jars from polypropylene granules by injection molding for both jar volumes. Judging by the global warming potential, there is no difference of the environmental impact between investigated jars, but considering the mass flow and water consumption, more environmental friendly were the 200 mL jars.

Identifying energy and carbon footprint optimization potentials of a sludge treatment line with Life Cycle Assessment

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Remy ◽  
B. Lesjean ◽  
J. Waschnewski
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Sludge Treatment ◽  
Treatment Line ◽  
The Impact

This study exemplifies the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a tool to quantify the environmental impacts of processes for wastewater treatment. In a case study, the sludge treatment line of a large wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is analysed in terms of cumulative energy demand and the emission of greenhouse gases (carbon footprint). Sludge treatment consists of anaerobic digestion, dewatering, drying, and disposal of stabilized sludge in mono- or co-incineration in power plants or cement kilns. All relevant forms of energy demand (electricity, heat, chemicals, fossil fuels, transport) and greenhouse gas emissions (fossil CO2, CH4, N2O) are accounted in the assessment, including the treatment of return liquor from dewatering in the WWTP. Results show that the existing process is positive in energy balance (–162 MJ/PECOD * a) and carbon footprint (–11.6 kg CO2-eq/PECOD * a) by supplying secondary products such as electricity from biogas production or mono-incineration and substituting fossil fuels in co-incineration. However, disposal routes for stabilized sludge differ considerably in their energy and greenhouse gas profiles. In total, LCA proves to be a suitable tool to support future investment decisions with information of environmental relevance on the impact of wastewater treatment, but also urban water systems in general.

scholarly journals Environmental Impact Associated with the Supply Chain and Production of Grounding and Roasting Coffee through Life Cycle Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Giraldi-Díaz ◽  
Lorena De Medina-Salas ◽  
Eduardo Castillo-González ◽  
Rosario León-Lira
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Analysis ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Product System ◽  
Carbon Footprints ◽  
Residual Biomass ◽  
The Impact

Coffee is the beverage resulting from the infusion of roasted and ground seeds of the coffee fruit. It is one of the most commercialized products in the world and represents a high interest agro-industrial product in Mexico. The demand for this product has grown in great measure in the last decade, thus it is becoming more important to make environmental and energetic evaluations of its manufacturing process. In this sense, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a useful tool for the purposes of this study, as it quantifies the wake of environmental impacts associated to the production and supply chain from its inputs and outputs of the product system. Therefore, the impact categories studied were carbon, energetic, and water footprints. The cultivation phase led to global contributions between 61% and 67% in magnitude for energy and carbon footprints, respectively; meanwhile, the coffee benefit process was the phase with the most contributions to the water footprint (54%). The residual biomass from the product system used as the energy supply within the coffee drying sub-phase represented energy savings of around 41% in comparison to the use of conventional fossil fuels, thus reducing the global impact associated to the system’s product.

scholarly journals The MINETRAIN project: Lifelong Learning opportunities for mining industry related professionals in real-life underground mining conditions; Dealing with the aftermath of two innovative pilot courses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Barakos ◽  
Kirsi Luolavirta ◽  
Jari Joutsenvaara ◽  
Saija Luukkanen ◽  
Hannah Julia Puputti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Underground Mining ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Mine Site ◽  
Mining Conditions ◽  
Mining Projects ◽  
Mine Sites ◽  
And Training

<p>Being at the phase of entering the new digital era, the mining industry is constantly facing challenges utilizing the introduction of data-oriented and multi-criteria decision-making concepts, demand for real-time solutions and need for experienced staff. Hence, lifelong updating of knowledge and skills of mining experts has become increasingly important and recognized worldwide as a challenge for developing a sustainable mining sector. It is also well acknowledged that an interdisciplinary understanding of mining professionals over the integrated mine value chain is expected to optimize the efficiency of operations and in turn, enhance the feasibility of mining projects.  Given also the nature of the vast majority of mining activities, practical know-how is of great importance. There are, however, very few opportunities around the world for hands-on training in real mining conditions, and even less so at actual mine sites.</p><p>Hence, the idea of transforming abandoned or closing mines into training facilities is becoming more and more attractive among mining industry professionals, academics and researchers. Nevertheless, the theory is far from practice, and such an endeavour is by no means easy. In this concept, the Pyhäsalmi Cu-Zn Mine, in northern Finland is shortly to cease its operations. New activities are being investigated for the post-usage of the mine site. This in mind, Callio has been established as an umbrella organization to offer opportunities for business, development and research projects in the existing unique mine environment. Accordingly, the MINETRAIN project was launched in 2018 to investigate the possibility of utilization of the Pyhäsalmi Mine site for the education of mining experts and students. As a training and educational facility, the Pyhäsalmi mine will provide a globally unique environment, with training possibilities covering topics over the entire Mine Life Cycle; from exploration to mine closure.</p><p>To test the feasibility of Pyhäsalmi mine as an educational and training site, two pilot training courses have been developed during the last two years in the context of MINETRAIN, namely Mine Life Cycle and Digital Life of a Mine. The participation was tremendous, and the feedback received from the trainees has been highly positive; the obtained worldwide attraction strongly implies a great interest among mining professionals in practical education. Hence, in this paper, the challenges faced and the lessons learnt from the organization of these pilot courses are discussed with respect to the viable transition of Pyhäsalmi mine to an educational and training underground facility.</p>

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