Extraction energy as a function of ore grade decline: the case of coltan

Abstract:

Coltan is a valuable mineral composed mainly of columbite and tantalite, used in electronic devices due to its specific properties. Nowadays, 60% of coltan extraction comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, with no or minimal environmental and social standards. The scarcity of this mineral, the wide range of use in all electronic devices, and the demand expected of this mineral, makes coltan an essential case of study. Consequently, it is expected to significantly reduce the concentration in mines and therefore, increase the energy needed to extract it. In this paper, we have developed a model in HSC Chemistry software to evaluate the energy needed to extract the mineral as ore grade declines. Accordingly, we have created different scenarios to determine at which moment the so-called "urban mining", i.e., extraction from secondary resources and mine tailings would become cost-effective.

Año de publicación:

2021

Keywords:

• extraction
• Mineral production
• specific energy
• tailings
• coltan

Fuente:

scopus