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Sustainable Resource Processing |
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A strategic analysis of the implications of
sustainable development for minerals processing technology and how that can
be effectively translated into tangible innovations, coherent R&D
responses and business improvement opportunities, all reinforced by
positive corporate values |
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Sustainable Resource Processing |
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Executive Summary |
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Sustainable Resource Processing |
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Strategic Analysis & Framework |
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Sustainable Resource Processing |
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Overview Analysis of Current Material Flows |
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Top ten transformed minerals, Price per tonne of
contained |
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in order
of price final
product / US$ |
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PGMs - platinum and palladium2 20.5 Million |
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Gold metal 9
Million |
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Silver metal 0.15 Million |
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Ttitanium metal (sponge) 7000 |
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Nickel metal 6500 |
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Tin metal 5000 |
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Chromium metal 4200 |
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Titanium in titanium dioxide pigment 3750 |
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Manganese in electrolytic manganese
dioxide 2000 |
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Magnesium metal 1850 |
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1: Weighted average price |
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Note: Price and monetary value are prima facie
indicative of the resources (natural, human and financial) that Society is
prepared to exchange for products, however these measures exclude resource
factors on which Society has not yet placed a price (notably environmental
degradation) |
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Top ten transformed minerals, Value of virgin material Cumulative percentage |
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in order of value content1 / Billion
US$ of total production value |
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Iron metal (steel) 110 32% |
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Cement (Portland) 102 62% |
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Aluminium metal 38 73% |
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Copper metal 22 80% |
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Gold - total virgin metal2 22 86% |
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Titanium in titanium dioxide pigment 10 89% |
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Zinc metal 8.4 92% |
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Nickel - total metallic content of
products 7.6 94% |
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PGMs - total platinum and palladium 7.2 96% |
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Nickel metal (included in total nickel) 4.7 |
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Manganese - total metallic content3 4.6 97% |
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1: Value indicates the resources devoted to the
extraction of the virgin material in the quantities used by Society. |
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2: Gold includes virgin gold as byproduct of
other metal production |
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3: Most (> about 75%) of manganese values are
included with steel as alloying elements. |
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Top transformed minerals, Annual production
(mass of Cumulative percentage of |
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in order
of mass produced contained virgin material) total production |
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Cement (Portland) 1700 Mt 73.5% |
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Iron metal (steel) 550 Mt 97.2% |
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Aluminium metal 25 Mt 98.3% |
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Copper metal 13 Mt 98.9% |
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Zinc metal 8.4 Mt 99.3% |
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Manganese - total metallic content1 6.8 Mt 99.5% |
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Lead metal 3.0 Mt 99.7% |
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Chromium - total metallic content1 2.9 Mt 99.8% |
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Titanium in titanium dioxide pigment 2.6 Mt 99.9% |
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Nickel - total metallic content 1.2 Mt |
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Nickel metal (included in total nickel)
0.7 Mt |
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1: Majority of manganese and chromium values are
included with steel as alloying elements |
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Minerals transformed in Australian fraction
of total |
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Australia in order of global value of specified |
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share
of global value virgin
material1 |
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Lead metal 13% |
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Gold - total virgin metal 12% |
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Nickel metal (included in total nickel)2 11% |
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Aluminium metal 7.2% |
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Nickel - total metallic content 6.7% |
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Titanium in titanium dioxide pigment 4.4% |
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Zinc metal 3.8% |
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Copper metal 2.1% |
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Silver - total virgin metal 1.3% |
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Iron metal (steel) 0.8% |
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Cement (Portland) 0.4% |
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1: Value refers only to extraction undertaken in
Australia ( i.e. excludes Australian ores processed elsewhere). |
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2: Nickel metal includes relatively small
proportion of nickel oxide, not separately distinguished. |
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Minerals transformed Value of Australian
transformed Cumulative
percentage |
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in Australia, in order of value virgin production (to of Australian value |
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specified form)1 /
Billion US$ |
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Aluminium metal 2.7 31% |
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Gold - total virgin
metal 2.7 63% |
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Iron metal
(steel) 0.88 73% |
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Nickel - total metallic
content 0.51 79% |
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Nickel metal (included in total nickel)2 0.51 |
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Copper metal 0.46 84% |
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Titanium in titanium dioxide
pigment 0.43 89% |
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Cement (Portland) 0.41 94% |
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Zinc metal 0.32 97% |
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Lead metal 0.19 |
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Silver - total virgin metal 0.03 |
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1: Value refers only to extraction undertaken in
Australia ( i.e. excludes value of Australian ores processed elsewhere). |
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2: Nickel metal includes relatively small
proportion of nickel oxide, not separately distinguished. |
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Recycling from post-consumer (old) scrap. The
most recycled metals, sorted by: |
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Value of virgin metal Apparent ratio2
of recycled Mass recovered |
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replaced1 / Billion US$ to virgin metal
from recycling |
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Iron
39 Lead3
1.1 Iron
193 Mt |
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Copper
5.5 Magnesium3 0.65 Lead 3.3 Mt |
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Aluminium
4.5 Tin
0.40 Copper 3.3
Mt |
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Nickel
2.7 Silver
0.40 Aluminium
3.0 Mt |
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PGMs
2.5 PGMs
0.35 Zinc 1.7 Mt |
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Zinc
1.7 Nickel
0.35 Chromium
0.7 Mt |
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Lead
1.6 Iron
0.35 Nickel 0.4
Mt |
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Silver
1.1 Chromium
0.27 Magnesium 0.2
Mt |
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Chromium
0.5 Copper
0.25 Tin 0.1 kt |
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Tin
0.4 Zinc
0.20 PGMs 123 t |
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Magnesium
0.3 Aluminium
0.12 Silver 7.2
t |
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1: Value does not account for cost of
re-processing recycled material. |
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2: The apparent ratio combines past and current
production - it is not the ultimate fraction recycled |
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3: Apparent recycling ratio is highest for
recycling after short periods of use (e.g. batteries and used beverage
cans). |
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Sustainable Resource Processing |
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Performance Improvement |
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Comalco: Bell Bay Aluminium smelter
(Tasmania) |
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dry scrubbing of smelting fumes |
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fluoride absorbed into ammonia, and fluoride
rich ammonia reused in smelting process |
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95% reduction of ducted F emissions and 70% of
total F emissions |
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70% reduction of water consumption |
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50% reduction of aluminum fluoride |
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Iluka : Capel Synthetic Rutile Plant (WA) |
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integrated heat recovery boiler, generates 6.5
MWh electricity |
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investment of ~ $ 20 million with pay back of ~
8 years based on energy savings |
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avoided wet scrubbing plant with estimated
investment cost of ~ $ 9 million |
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Sun Metals: Townsville Zinc Refinery
(Queensland) |
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environmental controls designed into the new
plant and its construction |
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zero waste water to marine environment |
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total containment of stormwater |
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double lined storage areas with leakage
monitoring |
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Sustainable Resource Processing |
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Regional Synergies |
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Sustainable Resource Processing |
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Business Leadership |
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Sustainable Resource Processing |
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Research and Development |
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Sustainable Resource Processing |
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Organisational Effectiveness |
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Notes