Copper Mining Effects

In Australia, the copper deposits are more then 250 million years old. The country contains 6% of the worlds economic copper resources and is third in the world. The country is also ranked fifth for production of the metal (Australia, 2016).

The purpose of the experiment is to cycle solid copper through a series of five reactions. At different stages of the cycle, copper was present in different forms. First reaction involves reaction between the copper and nitric acid, and copper changed from elemental state to an aqueous. The second reaction converted the aqueous Cu2+ into the solid copper (2) hydroxide. In the third reaction Cu(OH)2 decomposed into copper 2 oxide and water when heated. When solid CuO reacted with sulfuric acid, the copper returned to solution as an ion (Cu2+). The cycle of reactions was completed with the reaction where elemental copper was regenerated by Zn and Cu

Fossil Fuels are extremely harmful to the environment, especially in the ways the fuel is obtained, such as mining or hydraulic fracturing. Coal, a commonly used fossil fuel, can be obtained by strip mining, mountaintop mining, or underground mining (“Coal Explained”). Strip mining has disastrous effects on the environment because of the destructive nature of the process, which removes all soil, rock, trees, and plants above coal deposits. The runoff from this pollutes streams and rivers nearby, which can harm aquatic life and disfigure the body of water,

Not only is it used for electricity conduction, heat conduction and primitive alloys of bronze but also for the production of transportation means like trains and cars. Renewable energy is also produced by things that have lots of copper in them. For example in one single wind turbine with a strength of 3-Watts, there are approximately four tons of copper. This all effects are positive, but what about the negative dark side of copper?

Some important things made from metals include cars, bridges, appliances, power generation, infrastructure, and obviously many more. Everything electrical needs copper, (which is mined), to function. A major concern for the mine is that it will pollute and destroy the nearby natural

There are many factors that contribute to Idaho’s pollution problem, but mining may be the biggest. Mining is a huge industry in Idaho, hence the nickname “The Gem State”. The biggest product from Idaho’s mines is silver. Silver mines are some of the largest polluters in the state. Bunker Hill, or Silver Valley, as the Coeur d’Alene region is known for its numerous mines, was recently named a Superfund site. A Superfund site is a site under protection for removal of toxic wastes by the EPA. Although that beautiful valley was also once known for its abundant wildlife, now the rivers are flooded with phosphorous, selenium, zinc, lead, silver, cadmium, and arsenic, all from tailings of several mines in the region. Lake Coeur d’Alene now contains over 70 million tons of toxic waste sediments in its bottom. This pollution has endangered people in the area for years. In Smelterville, where a smelter ran for nearly 100 years, a large number of people have been diagnosed with health complications caused by extremely high levels of lead and other toxins in their blood. These conditions, for most, have existed nearly all their lives. Many remember being ill for most of their childhood and on. In 1973, before the smelter was closed, the average lead toxin level per deciliter of blood in children tested was 70. A reading of 10 is considered high alert. Rocky Hill, who grew up in Smelterville and

Imagine drifting slowly on a canoe while fishing one of Minnesota's crystal clear waters on a beautiful, sunny day. Now imagine being interrupted by the loud, ongoing sounds of drilling and being told the fish were too dangerous to eat. This is only one of many potential harms of sulfide mining. PolyMet, a new mining company would like to bring sulfide mining, also known as copper-nickel mining to Minnesota. This would involve the extraction of copper and various other metals from sulfide, hence the name. The sulfide that comes out of this type of mining can have serious consequences on the environment. Events that occurred in the past and facts mentioned in the books titled Taconite Dreams by Jeffrey Manuel and Fractured Land by Lisa

To learn more about copper, David Pogue visits the New York Mercantile Exchange. As Pogue walks into the room hoping to exchange his crate full of copper items, he finds out that the event is for buying or selling copper futures. Besides the fact that copper isn’t as value as silver or gold, it is a valuable metal that is used in all kinds of things. Copper is in wires, electronics and computer chips, plumbing and other building materials. Copper has been prized for millennia for its unique properties.

|1. Copper metal (penny) at the start |Tarnished, worn out, brownish, copper-colored, fine solid. |

The lab performed required the use of quantitative and analytical analysis along with limiting reagent analysis. The reaction of Copper (II) Sulfate, CuSO4, mass of 7.0015g with 2.0095g Fe or iron powder produced a solid precipitate of copper while the solution remained the blue color. Through this the appropriate reaction had to be determined out of the two possibilities. Through the use of a vacuum filtration system the mass of Cu was found to be 2.1726g which meant that through limiting reagent analysis Fe was determined to be the limiting reagent and the chemical reaction was determined to be as following:-

Despite assurances, no mine has ever not polluted the surrounding area. Pollution can affect the surrounding wilderness for hundreds of years. In 2015, when the Animas River was polluted from a mine, 300 million gallons of wastewater were leaked into the river(CNN). The lead levels were 1200 times higher than normal after the spill. Consequently, the PolyMet mine could prevent future generations from enjoying the untouched wilderness in the years to come. In addition to pollution, the mine will also remove several wildlife habitats. Urban sprawl has led to land turned into shopping malls and homes, so the mines will be piling onto the problem of rapidly receding wilderness.

Each of these factors influence the environmental impact that uranium mining has. These environmental impacts are associated with the management of solid waste and water, and the chemicals and emissions that are released as a result of the processing. Such aspects influence the not only the surrounding ecosystems and native flora and fauna that live in them but also the wider community, especially residents living near mining operations (Mudd,

Early uses of the element include jewelry, weapons, and tools. The element was first used around 9000 b.c.e. and was found in northern Iraq. Copper was first used by Native Americans around 2500 b.c.e. One of the first skills that the ancient coppersmith must have learned how to do was shape the metal, possibly by heating. This element was first used to its full potential when Coppersmiths began to use tin with copper to make an alloy called bronze. An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals with properties differs from those of the individual metal. The alloy was first discovered as early as 4000 b.c.e. Bronze was used similar to copper due to the many variety of tools, weapons, and jewelry that are created from the alloy. It differs from copper in the way that with tin added, the alloy is a better conductor and easier to shape than the metal alone. Copper was used as the primary metal of the world to around 3000 b.c.e when society discovered iron. Many copper compounds are used in today’s agricultural, medical, and pest-control jobs. Copper Acetate (Cu20 (C2H3O2) 2) is a

Another threat to the environment is acid mine drainage (also known as acid rock drainage). Acid mine drainage is "the outflow of acidic water from a mining site." This acid is formed by the oxidation of iron sulfide. The oxidation occurs when iron sulfide is exposed to the air or to dissolved oxygen in the water, which causes the iron to rust and the sulfur reacts with the water to forum sulfuric acid (Coil, D., McKittrick, E., and Higman, B., 2010). Figure 2 illustrates the sulfuric acid that is formed.

The mining industry has seen an explosive growth from the past few decades. It has played an important role in economic growth, infrastructure development and a raise in the living standard of the whole world. According to the Australian National Accounting System, the mining sector has made contributions of 9.8% GDP growth to the Australian economy between 2008 to 2009 (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2012). However, the mining industry has caused many environmental issues such as adverse effect to air, land and water quality and continues to affect global environment as a whole. According to the World Health Organization, it evaluated that 25% of worldwide death are directly associated with environmental pollution (Blacksmith Institute, n.d). This essay will outline the environmental issue raised by the mining industry with pinpoint focus on the effects to air, water and land. It will also provide strategies for mining companies to improve the environmental conditions.