Sustainable Use of Rocks

• Supply of rocks and minerals is finite
• Sustainable use - use that meets the needs of the present without affecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs

  • fully sustainable resources will never run out e.g. fishereies, agriculture and forestry as the resources can be regrown
  • rocks and minerals cannot last indefinitely
• Sustainable resource - resource that can be continuously replenished e.g. agriculture, forestry, etc.
• Sustainable development - development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• Mine wastes must be processed for the second time aka double processing (increasing efficiency of extraction)

  • allows the valuable minerals to be recovered and reduces the risk of pollution due to mine waste
• Chemical treatment of the waste and biological treatment (using microorganisms) still extract much of the valuable minerals within it (increasing efficiency of extraction)
• Using an open-pit mine as its more efficient than underground mining because it is less technically difficult to extract remaining minerals than using underground mining (increasing efficiency of extraction)

  • wastage still occurs
• Improvements in the performance of the machines used in mining and processing (increasing efficiency of extraction)
• Greater use of data analysis by computers to predict geological conditions (increasing efficiency of extraction)

  • surface mining has more potential for increase in efficiency than sub-surface mining as it’s difficult to predict geological conditions underground
• Engineering solutions e.g. design of steel beams with the same strength but using less steel (increasing the effiency of use)
• Recycling can turn metals back to clean metals

  • Recycling rocks and minerals uses less energy than processing the ores or conentrates to make metals
  • Recycling rocks and minerals produces less waste and so reduces the risk of pollution
• Governments may pass laws that require manufacturers to become responsible for recycling and reusing
• Using substitutes for relatively scarce materials e.g. copper can be replaced by fibre optic cables