Environmental Concerns of Mining 2017 answers

Environmental Concerns of Mining 2010 Name: _______________________ 1. Coal is often contaminated with what element? a) Carbon b) Silicon c) Sulfur d) Uranium e) Sodium 2. The acid most commonly found in mine drainage is a) carbonic acid b) sulfuric acid c) hydrochloric acid d) acetic acid e) citric acid 3. Which of the following is not a renewable resource? I Wind II Soil III Natural gas IV Water V Copper ore a) III only b) III and IV c) III and V d) I, II and IV e) I, II, III, IV and V 4. Which of the following fossil fuels involves the least number of environmental problems during the extraction from the ground? a) Natural gas b) Strip mining of coal c) Tar sand d) Deep water crude oil drilling e) Underground shaft mining of coal Reason: To extract natural gas, the mining company only needs to drill a single hole into the ground and the gas, being less dense than the surrounding water and oil will naturally rise; all the other options require much more land use to extract the resource 5. Describe one environmental problem and one safety hazard associated with a) underground mining Environmental problems include rain and ground water seeping into the shaft and picking up toxic tailings. Safety hazards include mine collapse, and also poor ventilation for the miners which can cause diseases such as silicosis, black lung disease; also miners suffer hearing loss. b) surface mining (open pit) Environmental problems include rain water running over the tailings and picking up toxic materials. A lot of land use is used for the mine, and takes away natural habitat for local ecosystems, and there is the deforestation to create the mine. Safety concerns include explosions that are typically used to clear a lot of rock, and the dangers of lots of heavy machinery c) mineral processing after mining Environmental concerns include the smelting of the ore which produces toxins, often dispersed into the atmosphere. Tailings ponds are often

contaminated, and have to be disposed of correctly. Safety concerns include the miners and factory workers being exposed to these toxins. Explosions can happen at refineries. d) oil well drilling on land Environmental concerns include containing spills, and the destruction of habitat. Safety concerns include blow-outs of the oil wells. e) oil well drilling at sea Environmental concerns include containing spills, which is invariably more challenging than on land because the sea disperses the spill quite readily. And if the spill is on the sea floor, it is very difficult to cap the well, as was the case in the Louisiana coast in April 2010. Safety concerns include blow-outs of the oil wells. There is a lot of heavy equipment and machinery associated with oil well drilling; oil well drillers are highly skilled workers, and require a lot of training. 6. Coal dust is very toxic to the lungs and causes a) arthritis b) cancer c) premature deaths d) black lung disease e) bad breath 7. After an ore is mined, the unusable part that remains and placed in piles is called a) tailings b) overburden c) leachate d) reclamation e) seam waste 8. China leads the world in reliance on coal as a fuel source. Coal accounts for about 70% of China’s energy production and has fueled the country’s swift rise in the global market. China’s ever increasin g industrialization continues to increase the country’s dependency on coal as its main fuel source. Though demand is currently outpacing production, China has enough coal reserves to sustain its economic growth for another century. a) What are the benefits of using coal over other fossil fuels? Coal is a cheap source of energy, and readily available. China has a lot of supply which requires fewer transportation costs over other types of fuel. b) What problems might China face in its reliance on coal as a fuel source? China will eventually run out of coal because it is a non-renewable resource. And the pollution produced (carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, and sulfur to produce acid rain) will decrease productivity in the future because these problems will have to be solved instead of more industrialization. The health problems will start to rise, which will divert capital and investment from industrialization to clean up the environment. c) What steps can China take to minimize the social and environmental risks of coal use? China needs to diversify its energy production and begin using cleaner and renewable energy resources. This will have the double benefit of keeping the population healthier and diversifying the economy. 9. Explain how acid rain is formed. What fossil fuel is the primary source of acid rain? Acid rain is formed when sulfur is released into the atmosphere when coal is burned. The sulfur reacts with water vapour to form sulfuric acid, which falls as acid rain.