95
A variety of rare earth element compounds
(involving yttrium, lanthanum, terbium, europium, dysprosium and gadolinium) are used in
small quantities to produce colours in the
touchscreen. Some compounds are also applied
to reduce UV light penetration into the phone.
Batteries of smartphones are generally
made of lithium for which usually the minerals spodumene (LiAlSi 2 O 6 ) and lepidolite
(KLi 2 Al(Si 4 O 10 )(F,OH)) are mined.
The central processing unit (CPU) is composed of silica with some additional elements
like arsenic and gallium.
Data storage in smartphones is solved by
the widespread magnetic method for which
neodymium is used mostly with iron and
boron as alloys. Tantalum is the major component of micro-capacitors.
Copper is used for wiring in your smartphone. Nickel is used for electrical
connections.
Nickel is also used in the microphone while
alloys including the elements praseodymium,
gadolinium and neodymium are used in the
magnets in the speaker and microphone.
Vibration when a text message is received
or someone is calling and we muted the phone
but would like to sense the call is induced by
using a weight moved in a magnetic field. For
the vibration unit neodymium, terbium and
dysprosium are used while the moving weight
is generally made of tungsten.
ing and to provide many other products and services that we customers need or enjoy. In
addition, mining is an important pillar of the
national economy in numerous countries, and
sometimes it is essential in the economy of certain producing countries. It provides employment, dividends and taxes that are used for
running hospitals, schools and public facilities.
Mining industry produces indirectly a trained
workforce and small businesses that can service
communities. As such, modern life in the form
we experience today would be impossible without mining, and therefore mining will remain
part of the economy in the long term (National
Research Council 2002; Hooke et al. 2012). This
also means that we have to find ways to reduce
the environmental impact of mining such as
reducing the amount of mining undertaken, helping recycling in order to reduce demand for minerals and metals. By controlling the extent of
mining, not only its effects can be reduced but the
limited non-renewable resources can also be
spared for future generations and also for hopefully more effective and less harmful utilisation.
Currently, however, mining is expanding
globally in response to the demand of energy
resources, metals, construction minerals, and
industrial minerals. The extraction of metals has
increased by more than 75%, non-metallic industrial minerals by 53% and construction materials
by 106% since the 1970s (Azapagic 2004).
Figure 4.21 indicates that the number of currently
operating and potential mines worldwide is high
and although their extent cannot be measured in
the figure their density is well illustrated. The
global extent of land area impacted by mining
and quarrying is debated but recent estimates
range between 400,000 and 800,000 km
2
which
is around 0.3–0.6% of Earth’s ice-free land surface (Hooke et al. 2012; Cherlet et al. 2018). An
estimated 40 million people are involved in largescale mining, representing around 1% of the
world’s workforce and a further 13 million people are involved in artisanal small-scale mining
(Azapagic 2004). Around 200–250 million
people are employed indirectly in relation to
mining.
Although the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (June 2012) recognised the importance of mining, particularly to
developing countries, it also urged that the negative environmental and social impacts of mining
be addressed (Mudd 2009).
It has been estimated that around 45 billion
tonnes of raw material minerals were extracted
worldwide in 2010. By 2030 this is expected to
4.1 Changes in the Outer Boundary Zone of the Earth’s Crust
A variety of rare earth element compounds
(involving yttrium, lanthanum, terbium, europium, dysprosium and gadolinium) are used in
small quantities to produce colours in the
touchscreen. Some compounds are also applied
to reduce UV light penetration into the phone.
Batteries of smartphones are generally
made of lithium for which usually the minerals spodumene (LiAlSi 2 O 6 ) and lepidolite
(KLi 2 Al(Si 4 O 10 )(F,OH)) are mined.
The central processing unit (CPU) is composed of silica with some additional elements
like arsenic and gallium.
Data storage in smartphones is solved by
the widespread magnetic method for which
neodymium is used mostly with iron and
boron as alloys. Tantalum is the major component of micro-capacitors.
Copper is used for wiring in your smartphone. Nickel is used for electrical
connections.
Nickel is also used in the microphone while
alloys including the elements praseodymium,
gadolinium and neodymium are used in the
magnets in the speaker and microphone.
Vibration when a text message is received
or someone is calling and we muted the phone
but would like to sense the call is induced by
using a weight moved in a magnetic field. For
the vibration unit neodymium, terbium and
dysprosium are used while the moving weight
is generally made of tungsten.
ing and to provide many other products and services that we customers need or enjoy. In
addition, mining is an important pillar of the
national economy in numerous countries, and
sometimes it is essential in the economy of certain producing countries. It provides employment, dividends and taxes that are used for
running hospitals, schools and public facilities.
Mining industry produces indirectly a trained
workforce and small businesses that can service
communities. As such, modern life in the form
we experience today would be impossible without mining, and therefore mining will remain
part of the economy in the long term (National
Research Council 2002; Hooke et al. 2012). This
also means that we have to find ways to reduce
the environmental impact of mining such as
reducing the amount of mining undertaken, helping recycling in order to reduce demand for minerals and metals. By controlling the extent of
mining, not only its effects can be reduced but the
limited non-renewable resources can also be
spared for future generations and also for hopefully more effective and less harmful utilisation.
Currently, however, mining is expanding
globally in response to the demand of energy
resources, metals, construction minerals, and
industrial minerals. The extraction of metals has
increased by more than 75%, non-metallic industrial minerals by 53% and construction materials
by 106% since the 1970s (Azapagic 2004).
Figure 4.21 indicates that the number of currently
operating and potential mines worldwide is high
and although their extent cannot be measured in
the figure their density is well illustrated. The
global extent of land area impacted by mining
and quarrying is debated but recent estimates
range between 400,000 and 800,000 km
2
which
is around 0.3–0.6% of Earth’s ice-free land surface (Hooke et al. 2012; Cherlet et al. 2018). An
estimated 40 million people are involved in largescale mining, representing around 1% of the
world’s workforce and a further 13 million people are involved in artisanal small-scale mining
(Azapagic 2004). Around 200–250 million
people are employed indirectly in relation to
mining.
Although the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (June 2012) recognised the importance of mining, particularly to
developing countries, it also urged that the negative environmental and social impacts of mining
be addressed (Mudd 2009).
It has been estimated that around 45 billion
tonnes of raw material minerals were extracted
worldwide in 2010. By 2030 this is expected to
4.1 Changes in the Outer Boundary Zone of the Earth’s Crust