Earth Science 100 Beard

Alex Beard PHYS 100: Earth Science Stephen Walker October 27, 2024

Air and Water Pollution Caused by Green Industry

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Air and water pollution caused by the mining and shipping of rare earth metals used in creating green technology components counteract any gains created by electric cars etc.

Hypothesis

Definition

Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. ("Air Pollution")

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Rare Earth mining Causing pollution

There are two methods for mining REEs one is to take the top soil off the area and create a leaching pond to separate the minerals, while the other requires drilling holes into the earth and pumping chemicals into the ground to create a leaching pond that way. Both can leave waste behind and could potentially leach into the water supply. “Both methods produce mountains of toxic waste, with high risk of environmental and health hazards. For every ton of rare earth produced, the mining process yields 13kg of dust, 9,600-12,000 cubic meters of waste gas, 75 cubic meters of wastewater, and one ton of radioactive residue. This stems from the fact that rare earth element ores have metals that, when mixed with leaching pond chemicals, contaminate air, water, and soil. Most worrying is that rare earth ores are often laced with radioactive thorium and uranium, which result in especially detrimental health effects. Overall, for every ton of rare earth, 2,000 tons of toxic waste are produced.” ("Not so Green")

Mining in general can cause earthquakes by digging to deep or also by just taking to much soil off the top. Pertaining to green energy though the worry about polluiotn comes more from the aspect of air and water pollution. "Mining also damages natural resources in other ways by polluting the air with greenhouse gas emissions and toxic aerosols, driving deforestation worldwide, and threatening biodiversity, sometimes in protected areas. For nearby communities, environmental damage from mining can lead to health problems, including cancers and respiratory diseases; poisoned fish and crops; and long-lasting, sometimes violent land use conflicts." ("Will Mining")

Processing of Minerals

Processing plants of Rare Earth minerals are plagued by severe environemental problems. One main problems is that the plants toxic waste water will leach into the local ground water. Also as depending were the plant is located the waste water could potentially be leached into the oceans during monsoons or hurricaines. ("Boom")

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Long Term Effects?

Long term consiquences for our earths systems when minining for the rare earth minerals that are needed to a future without fossil fuels can go either way. WIthout more oversite and advancements to a cleaner way of obtaining the minerals, it could be just as detremental to our envireonment and not fix the problems it hopes to fix. Poisoning our water, long term health effects, and who knows what kind of bi-products are being blown into the air. On the other hand though if these problems are addressed and fixed, then the long term health of the planet can be achieved.

Potential Contanmiantion

Rare earth mineral processing, used to create green energy, could potentially leach water into the ocean causing polution that could effect marine life and human life. ("Boom")

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REE Air Pollution

"For every ton of rare earth produced, the mining process yields 13kg of dust, 9,600-12,000 cubic meters of waste gas."("Not so Green"). The processing of REEs seems to produce alot of waste and pollution into the atmosphere which will most certainly create problems for the earths atmosphere.

New methods for mining the materials could help counter act the harm caused by the current processes. Stricter regulations could also have an effect on the over polluiton caused by mining for the minerals needed for green energy.

Reducing the sector’s environmental and social footprint means adopting improved regulations and lower-impact methods, Odell says. This can be done, for example, by improving community consultation processes, ensuring comprehensive mine closure and remediation of abandoned mine sites, and exploring ways to reduce or reuse11 mining waste. ("Will Mining")

Harvard researchers have developed a new method for extracting REEs using bacteria rather than toxic chemicals to separate metals from each other. Likewise, researchers at Purdue University found a way to extract REEs from coal ash instead of mining for ores. ("Not so Green")

Viable Solutions

I believe that the answer is not necessarily in green energy, including turbine, solar panels, and harnessing the power of the oceans. History has shown us time and time again that when we think we figure out a problem usually it cuases another problem further down the line. I this instance though I think the answer is staring us in the face and has been around for close to 100 years now. I think we should be focused on Nuclear energy to power the world. Most people hear this and freak out because of the acidents that have happened in the past, but that was with old technology. With our computers and technololgy now Nuclear is actually, in my opion, the safest and best option going forward. Does it come with its own source of problems? Absolutely, but I feel like they are easier to tackle than poluting our planet with "green energy" just beacuse oil is bad. Also our civilization would fall without oil, just about every product we use in life today comes from the oil industry.

I've been on this earth for a little while now, and I can assure you the climate is changing. The question to me is house much is us, and how much is the eb and flow of the earths natural processes. My family has worked in the oil industry in one form or another since world war 2, and the current generation is working the in the green industry working on the wind turbines. Ive listened to many podcasts on the subject from both side of the arugement during my time as a Fedex driver with nothing else to do. I say all this so I can go on to tell you what I believe is the solution for our energy "crisis".

Proposed Solutions

Unofortuantly I think my hypothosis may be correct. It sounds like the mining of rare earth minerals may be just as bad and hazardus for the envirionment as drilling for oil. Unless these processes are refined, and it sounds like some are trying to do so, it seems to be offsetting are good energy we get from them. And thats just the mining part. We did not touch of the carbon foot print from shipping the minerals, or production of the final green product. My gut tells me that the ocean tankers shipping these minerals and products have to have a carbon footprint all of their own that offsets and gains produced by the final products. Not including the poisoning of water and air pollution caused at the mining sites. As I said in my solutions page I think we should start looking into nuclear power if we really want to become as green as er possibly can.

Was my hypothosis right?

Ives • January 28, Mi. (n.d.). Boom in mining rare earths poses mounting toxic risks. Yale E360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/boom_in_mining_rare_earths_poses_mounting_toxic_risks

Will mining the resources needed for clean energy cause problems for the environment?. MIT Climate Portal. (n.d.). https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/will-mining-resources-needed-clean-energy-cause-problems-environment

Nayar, J. (2021, August 12). Not so “green” technology: The complicated legacy of rare earth mining. Harvard International Review. https://hir.harvard.edu/not-so-green-technology-the-complicated-legacy-of-rare-earth-mining/

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Air Pollution. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1

References