Chapter 6: Resources

Resources… anything we use to support our way of life, including metal, wood, air, water and soil.

Types of Resources Renewable Resource Nonrenewable Resource Resource that can be replaced by nature at a rate close to its rate of use. Ex. Solar energy Nonrenewable Resource Resource that exists in a fixed amount, or is used up faster than it can be replaced by nature. Ex. iron

Mineral Resources

Mineral Resources Ore: Rocks which have enough of an element to make separation profitable Ore Mineral: mineral from which the element is extracted; the valuable mineral Gangue: the rest of the rock; the non-valuable part

Resource vs. Reserve Ore Resource: the estimate of the total amount of a mineral thought to exist Ore Reserve: the amount of known deposits of a mineral in ores that are worth mining at the present time

Types of Metal Mineral Resources Precious Metals - Products which command a very high market price Ex. Gold, silver, platinum Base Metals - Less expensive metals that have many uses Ex. Copper, lead, zinc, aluminum

Types of Non-metal Resources Fossil Fuels Once-living plants and animals that have formed high-energy chemicals that we use as fuel sources Ex. Coal, crude oil, natural gas Other Non-metal Resources Wide variety of materials that have properties that make them useful Ex. Limestone, gypsum, graphite, asbestos, potash

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels formed from remains of plants and animals that thrived long ago. Mostly made of hydrocarbons (H and C) Smaller molecules form natural gas Larger molecules form petroleum (crude oil)

Burning of fossil fuels releases chemical energy stored within them Approximately 85% of energy comes from non-renewable sources   We are burning fossil fuels millions of times faster than the rate of which they are forming today.

Coal Organic sedimentary rock formed from plant material buried in swamp water Solid, mostly carbon – hydrogen and oxygen get driven away over time Coal is used to: generate electricity make steel - supply raw material for chemicals

Types of Coal Peat - Compressed mass of plant remains Lignite - Compressed and aged peat (soft, brown coal) Bituminous coal - Soft coal (approx. 85% carbon); takes millions of years to form Anthracite - Hard coal (90-95% carbon); formed by regional metamorphism

Petroleum and Natural Gas sedimentary material of organic origin liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon (H and C compounds)

Petroleum and Natural Gas formed by slow chemical changes in plant and animal materials buried under clay in shallow water liquids and gases rise until they are trapped by impermeable rock layers – oil traps (usually anticlines)

Petroleum and natural gas is used for: Fuel for transportation (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel) Heating (kerosene, fuel oil, natural gas) Asphalt Raw material for plastics, fertilizers, dyes and medicines

Tar Sands Consist of sand deposits with pore spaces filled with bitumen (“tar”) Bitumen is a dried residue of petroleum

Tar Sands Only recently been utilized, as new technologies and higher oil prices make it economic to extract. Large deposits found in the Athabaska region (in northern Alberta).

Uranium not a fossil fuel, but non-renewable used in nuclear reactors to generate electricity fission creates nuclear waste which must be stored away from living things for millions of years.

Stages of Mineral Development From Stone to Metals Stages of Mineral Development

Exploration Geologists use clues to determine if an ore body exists. changes in gravitational or magnetic forces in the earth soil sampling drill holes core samples Assessments are then made to determine if the deposit is then worth mining

Types of Mines 1) Quarries: Ore is at the surface

Types of Mines 2) Open Pit Mines: Ore is near the surface

Types of Mines 3) Underground Mines: Ore is at depth

Types of Mines 4) Wells: Ore is a liquid or gas and is pumped out of the ground

Extraction of Minerals Careful surveying and constant ore quality analysis need to be carried out. Blasting breaks up the rock so it can be removed. Waste rock needs to be separated from more profitable ore.

Extraction of Minerals Gravel is sorted with screens to size; other non-metal ores are crushed and screened and then shipped for use. Metal ores are moved to a milling site by truck or conveyor belt.

Milling Metal ore is ground into gravel-like consistency. Water is then added, and then the ore is tumbled at high speed Ore is crushed into a fine, watery slurry.

Concentrating Slurry is separated by flotation. Frothers are added to the slurry which cause the mineral compounds to float to the surface with the air bubbles. Minerals are then skimmed off and dried, removing most of the water. The mineral compound left is now referred to concentrate.

Smelting  In most concentrates, the metals are still trapped in compounds. Smelting is the process where concentrate is either roasted or leached so that the metals are freed from the compounds.

Refining Impure metal is placed in an electrolytic solution, which purifies the metal to 99.9% purity.