Quantifying the Recoverable Resources of Companion Metals: A Preliminary Study of Australian Mineral Resources

Gavin M. Mudd, Mohan Yellishetty, Barbara K. Reck and T. E. Graedel
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Gavin M. Mudd: Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
Mohan Yellishetty: Mining Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
Barbara K. Reck: School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
T. E. Graedel: School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA

Resources, 2014, vol. 3, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: The long-term availability of mineral resources is crucial in underpinning human society, technology, and economic activity, and in managing anthropogenic environmental impacts. This is increasingly true for metals that do not generally form the primary product of mines (“host” metals), such as copper or iron, but are recovered as by-products (or sometimes co-products during the processing of primary ores). For these “companion” metals, it is therefore useful to develop methodologies to estimate the recoverable resource, i.e. , the amount that could, if desired, be extracted and put into use over the next several decades. We describe here a methodological approach to estimating the recoverable resources of companion metals in metal ores, using preliminary data for some particular host/companion pairs in Australia as examples.

Keywords: mineral resources; sustainable mining; companion metals; Australia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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