Exergoecology Assessment of Mineral Exports from Latin America: Beyond a Tonnage Perspective

Jose-Luis Palacios, Guiomar Calvo, Alicia Valero and Antonio Valero
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Jose-Luis Palacios: Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Ladrón de Guevara E11·253, P.O.·Box 17-01-2759, Quito, Ecuador
Guiomar Calvo: Research Centre for Energy Resources and Consumption (CIRCE), Universidad de Zaragoza, Calle Mariano Esquillor Gómez, 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Alicia Valero: Research Centre for Energy Resources and Consumption (CIRCE), Universidad de Zaragoza, Calle Mariano Esquillor Gómez, 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Antonio Valero: Research Centre for Energy Resources and Consumption (CIRCE), Universidad de Zaragoza, Calle Mariano Esquillor Gómez, 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Latin America has traditionally been a raw material supplier since colonial times. In this paper, we analyze mineral exports from an exergoecology perspective from twenty countries in Latin American (LA-20). We apply material flow analysis (MFA) principles along with the concept of the exergy replacement cost (ERC), which considers both quantity and thermodynamic quality of minerals, reflecting their scarcity in the crust. ERC determines the energy that would be required to recover minerals to their original conditions in the mines once they have been totally dispersed into the Earth’s crust, with prevailing technology. Using ERC has helped us identify the importance of certain traded minerals that could be overlooked in a traditional MFA based on a mass basis only. Our method has enabled us to determine mineral balance, both in mass (tonnes) and in ERC terms (Mtoe). Using indicators, both in mass and ERC, we have assessed the self-sufficiency and dependency of the region. We have also analyzed the mineral exports flows from Latin America for 2013. Results show that half of the mineral production from LA-20 was mainly exported. High-quality minerals, such as, gold, silver, and aluminum were largely exported to China and the United States. Extraction of high-quality minerals also implies higher losses of natural stock and environmental overburdens in the region.

Keywords: Latin America; material flow analysis; exergy replacement cost; mineral trade; mineral exports; domestic material consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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