Exergy-Based Sustainability Assessment of Gold Mining in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Pit and Alluvial Mining

Natalia A. Cano-Londoño (), Javier Ordoñez-Loza, Héctor I. Velásquez and Heriberto Cabezas
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Natalia A. Cano-Londoño: Grupo de Investigación Fenómenos de Superficie-Michael Polanyi, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Kra 80 No. 65–223, Medellín 050041, Colombia
Javier Ordoñez-Loza: Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR), University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
Héctor I. Velásquez: Grupo de Bioprocesos y Flujos Reactivos, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Kra 80 No. 65–223, Medellín 050041, Colombia
Heriberto Cabezas: Department of Applied Sustainability, Széchenyi István University, 9026 Győr, Hungary

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-27

Abstract: Thermodynamic methods such as exergy analysis enable the evaluation of environmental load (environmental impacts) by quantifying entropy generation and exergy destruction associated with using renewable and non-renewable resources throughout a production system. Based on the principle that environmental impacts occur when exergy is dissipated into the environment, this study applies exergy analysis as a tool for assessing the sustainability of gold mining in Colombia. Two extraction technologies—open-pit and alluvial mining—are evaluated by calculating exergy efficiencies, cumulative exergy demand (CExD), and associated environmental impacts. The results reveal significant differences between the two methods: open-pit mining is heavily dependent on fossil fuels (53% of input exergy), with 99.62% of total exergy destroyed, resulting in an exergy efficiency of just 0.37% and a sustainability index (SI) of 1.00. In contrast, alluvial mining relies predominantly on water (94%), with 69% of input exergy destroyed, an exergy efficiency of 31%, and an SI of 1.46. Four strategies are proposed to reduce environmental burdens: improving efficiency, minimizing exergy losses, integrating renewable energy, and adopting circular economy principles. This study presents the first application of exergy analysis to comprehensively assess the exergy cost of gold production, from extraction through refining, casting, and molding, highlighting critical exergy hotspots and offering a thermodynamic foundation for optimizing resource use in mineral processing.

Keywords: exergy analysis; gold mining; sustainability assessment; circular economy; exergy efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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