Thermodynamic Rarity and the Loss of Mineral Wealth

Antonio Valero and Alicia Valero
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Antonio Valero: Research Center for Energy Resources and Consumption (CIRCE), Universidad de Zaragoza,Mariano Esquillor Gómez 15, Zaragoza 50018, Spain
Alicia Valero: Research Center for Energy Resources and Consumption (CIRCE), Universidad de Zaragoza,Mariano Esquillor Gómez 15, Zaragoza 50018, Spain

Energies, 2015, vol. 8, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: The second law of thermodynamics and, specifically, exergy analysis have been traditionally used for the assessment and optimization of energy systems. Nevertheless, as shown in this paper, exergy could also constitute a powerful tool for the evaluation of mineral commodities. That said, new or re-defined exergy-based concepts need to be developed. This paper presents Thanatia as a baseline for evaluating the exergy of any mineral in the crust and opens the door to discuss the “thermodynamic rarity” concept as a basis for exergy analyses for mineral systems. Thermodynamic rarity is understood as the amount of exergy needed to obtain a given mineral from a completely degraded state, denoted as Thanatia. The rarer the mineral, the greater the associated exergy costs. It quantifies value, as it relates to concentration, chemical composition and cohesion, key aspects that determine whether a mine is exploitable. The theory further allows one to quantify the gradual loss of mineral capital on Earth as a consequence of “rarefaction processes” that occur at a mineral’s end-of-life, when a commodity is wasted, and at its beginning-of-life, where mining ore grades decline after extraction.

Keywords: exergy; mineral resources; Thanatia; thermodynamic rarity; exergy cost; mining; beneficiation; exergy replacement cost (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: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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