El medio ambiente en la minería

EL MEDIO AMBIENTE EN LA MINERlA ~,Kt.on/yr 200 "5- '50- 125'" 100 7~ ID 2~ D1~~D~~~~~::~~~::~~1:~~~~~~~~ - illV '.0 1990 Figun: 2: The ROnnskir works. SDl -emission and copper production 114 Yr Emissions were initially reduced by means of increasing the metal content oC the smelter's principal raw material, a gold-bearing copper coneentrate from the Boliden mine, which was located c10se by. Coneentration by mineral processing led to a steady diminishing oC the sulphur content, which was reflected in reduced emissions. Beginning in the 19508, sulphur-bearing gases began being captured and converted into sulphuric acid and, later during the 19708, into liquid sulphur dioxide. And even sinee the building of the requisite gas-conversion plants, there has been a steady decline in emissions. The reductions accomplished sinee the beginningof the 19808are attributabJeboth to increased encapsulation and an increasingly environment-adapted method of operating the production facilities, as well as successive improvements in the functioning of the sulphur plants. Some of the more recent improvements are: - conversion oC the sulphuric 8Cid pIailt to double absorption - transition to single-converter mode of operation in the copper converting which means that all converter gas can be treated in the sulphur plants. The combined measures have resulted in a sulphur-containment level that presentIy is almost 98 percent.