The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Global carbon dioxide removal potential of waste materials from metal and diamond mining

Global carbon dioxide removal potential of waste materials from metal and diamond mining
Global carbon dioxide removal potential of waste materials from metal and diamond mining
There is growing urgency for CO2 removal strategies to slow the increase of, and potentially lower, atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Enhanced weathering, whereby the natural reactions between CO2 and silicate minerals that produce dissolved bicarbonate ions are accelerated, has the potential to remove substantial CO2 on decadal to centennial timescales. The global mining industry produces huge volumes of fine wastes that could be utilised as feedstock for enhanced weathering. We have compiled a global database of the enhanced weathering potential of mined metal and diamond commodity tailings from silicate-hosted deposits. Our data indicate that all deposit types, notably mafic and ultramafic rock-hosted operations and high tonnage Cu-hosting deposits, have the potential to capture ~1.1–4.5 Gt CO2 annually, between 31 and 125% of the industry's primary emissions. However, current knowledge suggests that dissolution rates of many minerals are relatively slow, such that only a fraction (~3–21%) of this potential may be realised on timescales of <50 years. Field trials in mine settings are urgently needed and, if this prediction is confirmed, then methodologies for accelerating weathering reactions will need to be developed.
Bullock, Liam A
c6ffb9b0-0a54-4ab2-9edb-f97280e6ce2d
James, Rachael
79aa1d5c-675d-4ba3-85be-fb20798c02f4
Matter, Juerg
abb60c24-b6cb-4d1a-a108-6fc51ee20395
Renforth, Phil
69d95185-fb9b-4b81-bbd9-9cd649455c50
Teagle, Damon
396539c5-acbe-4dfa-bb9b-94af878fe286
Bullock, Liam A
c6ffb9b0-0a54-4ab2-9edb-f97280e6ce2d
James, Rachael
79aa1d5c-675d-4ba3-85be-fb20798c02f4
Matter, Juerg
abb60c24-b6cb-4d1a-a108-6fc51ee20395
Renforth, Phil
69d95185-fb9b-4b81-bbd9-9cd649455c50
Teagle, Damon
396539c5-acbe-4dfa-bb9b-94af878fe286

Bullock, Liam A, James, Rachael, Matter, Juerg, Renforth, Phil and Teagle, Damon (2021) Global carbon dioxide removal potential of waste materials from metal and diamond mining. Frontiers in Climate, 3. (doi:10.3389/fclim.2021.694175).

Record type: Article

Abstract

There is growing urgency for CO2 removal strategies to slow the increase of, and potentially lower, atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Enhanced weathering, whereby the natural reactions between CO2 and silicate minerals that produce dissolved bicarbonate ions are accelerated, has the potential to remove substantial CO2 on decadal to centennial timescales. The global mining industry produces huge volumes of fine wastes that could be utilised as feedstock for enhanced weathering. We have compiled a global database of the enhanced weathering potential of mined metal and diamond commodity tailings from silicate-hosted deposits. Our data indicate that all deposit types, notably mafic and ultramafic rock-hosted operations and high tonnage Cu-hosting deposits, have the potential to capture ~1.1–4.5 Gt CO2 annually, between 31 and 125% of the industry's primary emissions. However, current knowledge suggests that dissolution rates of many minerals are relatively slow, such that only a fraction (~3–21%) of this potential may be realised on timescales of <50 years. Field trials in mine settings are urgently needed and, if this prediction is confirmed, then methodologies for accelerating weathering reactions will need to be developed.

Text
fclim-03-694175 (1) - Version of Record
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (2MB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 28 June 2021
Published date: 28 July 2021

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 454342
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/454342
PURE UUID: 410fbc58-b6b6-4b29-a254-547af03ded74
ORCID for Rachael James: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7402-2315
ORCID for Juerg Matter: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1070-7371
ORCID for Damon Teagle: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4416-8409

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 07 Feb 2022 17:52
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:30

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Liam A Bullock
Author: Rachael James ORCID iD
Author: Juerg Matter ORCID iD
Author: Phil Renforth
Author: Damon Teagle ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×