Exploring Mineral Resources: Types, Uses, and Sustainable Practices
This chapter examines the vast world of mineral resources, detailing both metallic and non-metallic minerals like gold, silver, and quartz. It outlines the various methods of mining, including subsurface and surface techniques, and highlights the significance of minerals in everyday life, from batteries to construction materials. Additionally, the text distinguishes between renewable and non-renewable resources, discussing the environmental impact of fossil fuels and the importance of sustainable practices such as conservation, reuse, and recycling to protect these vital resources.
Exploring Mineral Resources: Types, Uses, and Sustainable Practices
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Presentation Transcript
Mineral Resources: • Metallic: Au, Ag, Al, Cu, etc • Non-metallic: S, quartz
Natural Resources: • Air, water, land, nutrients, rocks and minerals
Ore-mineral deposits from which metals or non-metals may be removed for profit • Ore metal • Hematite Fe • Bauxite Al • Cinnabar Cr
Uses of Mineral: • Mineral Use • Galena car batteries • Copper wire • Zinc steel • Graphite pencil, paint, battery • Calcite cement • Halite food • Kaolinite ceramics • Quartz glass • Sulfur gunpowder, medicine • Gypsum plaster
Gemstones—rare minerals , very hard, valuable----diamond, ruby, emerald • Alloy---solid or liquid mixture of two or more metals • Bronze -----Cu, Sn, Pb • Steel----Fe C
Types of mining: • A) subsurface----very deep underground (coal)May form sink holes • B) surface-----”strip”mining—mineral very close to the surface • C) placer----a mining method in which large buckets are attached to a floating barge and the mineral is brought to surface • D) undersea---”nodules” with minerals are brought up from deep under the sea(expensive)
Non-Renewable Resource: one that is used up faster than it can be replaced: • Minerals • Fe, Al, Ag, Au, Ni, Cu, etc ( native elements)
2) fossil fuels----from dead organic matter a) coal b) oil c) gasoline d) natural gas All petroleum products
Fossil fuels are made of “H” and “C” / hydrocarbons • Fossil fuel burns—energy + H2O + CO2 • Fossil fuels produce “greenhouse” gases which will cause the Earth to get too hot
Coal most commonly burned F.F.\ • Carbonization: process of decomposed plant material in swamp becomes mud. • Coal stage: • Peat • Lignite • Bituminous • Anthracite
Petroleum---dead organic matter at the bottom of oceans that have been under high heat and pressure • Natural Gas---- a mixture of hydrocarbons • Oil---made of liquid H-C
Crude oil used to make: • Plastic • Synthetic fabric (nylon, spandex) • Medicine • Wax • Rubber • Insecticide, fertilizer,detergent, shampoo,etc
Coal is most abundant fossil fuel in world • U.S., Russia, China --66% of coal • Most coal -discovered Most natural gas reserves – NOT discovered • Oil Shale –abundant—expensive
Renewable Resources: • Resources that can be replaced in a human life span • Wool, wood, cotton, oxygen, water, air
1) Geothermal ---” energy from the heat of Earth’s interior” • Ht energy turns turbines • San Francisco uses geothermal E. • Iceland---powers 85% of homes because it rests over a mid-ocean ridge that releases lots of geothermal energy
2. Solar energy---energy from the sun • 15 min of sun—energy to power world 1 yr • Two system: • Passive system: no moving parts ( home getting sun through the windows) • Active system: moving parts • Have collectors ---box with glass top (usually on top of a building, ht warms water which ht the area)
Advantage: • No fossil fuel • No pollution • Renewable
Disadvantage: • Expensive • Some places do not get enough sunlight • Storage is difficult
3. Hydroelectric : ( one of the oldest ways) • U.S. --11% of power uses water • Uses moving water over a dam • Water turns a turbine • Turbine runs a generator • Generator makes electricity
Disadvantage of Water: • Destruction of the habitat from flooding a river by a dam
Tides: • Rising and falling of the sea level can be controlled to have water make electricity
4. Biomass: • Plant material, manure, sawdust , vegetable oil, and paper are being used to make fuel • Developing countries use a lot of biomass for fuel
Ethanol , a liquid fuel, can be made by bacteria action on biomass
5. Wind— • Movement of air over Earth’s surface • Wind “farms” using high technology wind mills produce lots of energy to make electricy • Disadvantage: • not every place has lots of wind • no good storage method
6.Nuclear Energy: • Nuclear fission: process of splitting heavy atoms into smaller atoms • Neutron—hits atom= energy + newly released neutron • Chain reaction occurs
Nuclear fission use U-235 • 1.Energy 2. water pumped around fuel rods • 3. steam 4. steam turns a turbine • 5. turbine runs a generator 6. electricity
Disadvantage to Nuclear Power: • Dangerous • radioactive ( toxic) wastes
Nuclear Fusion: • Atoms of “H” fuse to form “He” atoms releasing high energy • No safe “fusion reactor” exist yet • Advantage: no pollution and no weapon abilities
Advantages of N. P. • Burn no fossil fuel • no air pollution
Reuse: Au, Ag, Al, • Restore: replant trees • Use less: conserve the energy we have, by using less cut lights off, car pool, cut thermostats up in summer and down in winter, etc
Conservation: • Coal may last about 200 yr • Oil supply will be 50% gone in 20 yr We must learn to : reuse—renew--reduce
Conservation: • The preservation and wise use of natural resources • Recycle: process of recovering valuable materials from waste or scrap
Freshwater: natural resource that we can recycle with rain, but we must try and keep our fresh water sources clean and safe to use • Label the water cycle: • Radiation---evaporation---condensation— • Precipitation---transpiration---runoff and ground water
Impact of mining: • Air pollution • Noise pollution • Water pollution • Wildlife habitat destruction • Fires • Sinkholes
Impact of fossil fuels on Environment global warming---puts greenhouse gases into the atmosphere • mining can pollute the soil
Vocab: • Desertification---drying of land • over grazing livestock can cause this • Prevention: • Rotate the crops • Reduce over grazing • Plant trees and shrubs to hold on to topsoil
Bedrock---unweathered parent rock • Quarries---large holes in Earth from which rock is extracted • Aggregrates: natural resource that mixture of gravel, sand, crushed stone. Va has lots of this resource • Iron ore –most common ore • Gangue---part of ore left after valuable portion is gone
Pollution: environment is changed in a harmful way • Natural sources of pollution: • Forest fire • Volcano • Dust from soil • Salt from sea • Smog----fog + pollution
Radon gas----radioactive gas –pollution from decay of U-235 • Thermal pollution----water getting too hot from the waste of an industry. This depletes the O from the water • Salinization: occurs when salt water evaporates and leaves behind large deposits of salt.
Desalination---taking salt out of water • Hard water---has minerals like Fe, Mg, Ca, P • difficult to use soap • Toxic waste---poisonous waste • Salinity---amount of salt in water • Eutrophication----damaging a lake by accidently adding too much fertilizer
Soil depletion----extreme loss of nutrients from soil • Mineral reserves---all known mineral deposits • Photosynthesis: process of a GREEN plant using sunlight and carbon dioxide, water and chlorophyll to make oxygen and sugar
Acid rain: rain that falls through polluted air • Nodule: lump of minerals on the deep-ocean floor • Lode: mineral deposit made up of many thick mineral veins in a roc
Crude oil: unrefined petroleum • Placer deposit: valuable mineral at the bottom of the oean
Reclamation: mined land is returned to its original condition • Conservation: preservation and wise use of natural resources
Respiration— O2 + sugar => CO2 + H2O • Environment: all your surroundings • Soil fertility: ability of soil to grow plants • Crude oil---fossil fuel made of liquid H-C
Lode---mineral deposit within a rock formation • Reclamation---mined land is returned to its original condition after mining is complete
Examples of reclamation of mined land: • Grass over a landfill • Catfish farm put in after sand and gravel are removed • Cattle pasture cover strip mining areas
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