Introduction to mineral resources-E2
| Numbering Code | U-LAS15 20011 LE58 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ Second semester |
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| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Lecture |
| Target Year | Mainly 1st & 2nd year students | Target Student | For science students |
| Language | English | Day/Period | Wed.1 |
| Instructor name | MCLELLAN，Benjamin (Graduate School of Energy Science Professor) | ||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course | Minerals are important for society to function, but it is useful to know how they are formed, extracted and converted into useful products. This course will introduce students to earth sciences, with a focus on mineral resources, as well as looking at how these resources are converted into useful materials and what wastes are produced in the process. We will focus on how minerals can be considered "critical" to society now and in the future. | ||
| Course Goals | From this course the students will be expected to know how mineral resources are situated geologically, how they are measured, how mining and minerals processing leads to final products that are used in society and what the implications of the extraction of minerals are for the environment. | ||
| Schedule and Contents |
This course will cover the following topics: Week 1 - 4 (Basics of Geology and Earth Sciences with a focus on mineral resources) 1. Introduction to earth sciences and the importance for minerals resources 2. Geology and the lithosphere - geological time and formations 3. Processes of rock and mineral formation 4. Mineralogy Week 5-14 (Minerals resources and their extraction, transformation into mineral products) 5. Reserves, resources, geological uncertainty and economics 6. Mineral deposits and mining 7. Beneficiation of ore and minerals processing - general considerations 8. Manufacturing mineral products - general considerations 9. Critical minerals methodologies 10. Critical minerals case study 1 - Rare earths / rare metals 11. Critical minerals case study 2 - Base metals 12. Waste, recycling and environmental impacts 13. Social impacts of minerals - Dutch disease and conflict 14. Future mining - what comes next? Each of the above topics covers 1-2 weeks, with one class per week. The course overall consists of 14 classes and one feedback session. |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy |
The course will be assessed based on: 1. participation (30%) 2. small exercises (20%) 3. final presentation (10%) 4. final assignment (40%) Scores will be given on a scale of 0-100. |
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| Course Requirements | None | ||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) |
Class materials will be loaded on PandA and pre-reading may be required. Final assessment is typically a report, which will require a number of hours for research and writing. |
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| References, etc. |
Earth Science (13th Edition), Edward J. Tarbuck, Frederick K. Lutgens, Dennis G Tasa; 2011 Earth Science and the Environment (4th edition), Graham R. Thompson, Jon Turk; 2009 Mining, society and a sustainable world, Jeremy.P. Richards, 2009 De Re Metallica, Georgius Agricola, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/38015/38015-h/38015-h.htm Hubbert Curves (Peak Oil), M. King Hubbert, https://web.archive.org/web/20080527233843/http://www.hubbertpeak.com/hubbert/1956/1956.pdf The Coal Question , Jevons, https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/jevons-the-coal-question Critical Metals Handbook, Gus Gunn Minerals, metals and sustainability, W.J. Rankin, 2011, Textbook is not necessary, but is a useful reference and will be referred to in class. |
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| Related URL |
https://www.iied.org/mining-minerals-sustainable-development-mmsd https://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/mineral-resource-governance-21st-century https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/poverty-reduction/Managing-Mining-for-SD.html |
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