recycling and life cycle assessments

• copper-rich ores are in short supply
• We can extract copper from low-grade ores
• Low grade ore means there isn't much copper in it
• Traditional methods of copper mining are damaging to the environment
• What is bioleaching?

  bacteria convert copper compounds in ore into soluble copper compounds, which separates the copper from the ore. Leachate is extracted using electrolysis or displacement.
• What is phytomining?

  gowing plants in soil that contains copper.

  Copper builds up in the leaves.

  plants are harvested and burned in a furnace

  copper extracted from ash using electrolysis or displacement
• Mining and extracting takes a lot of energy.
• Recycling metals uses a lot less energy than mining and extracting new, raw material.
• A blast furnace is used to extract copper from ore at very high temperatures using carbon
• life cycle assessments show total environmental costs
• A life cycle assessment looks at every stage of a products life to assess the impact it would have on the environment.
• Name problems with LCAs (life cycle assesments)

  pollutants are hard to give a numerical value

  Can have bias