The Production, Resource, Depletion, Peak Year
and Use of the Mineral Resources of the Earth
Climate Change Agreements, fossil fuel restriction, carbon dioxide reduction, environmental protection, increasing population, energy depletion are all factors that affect the mineral resources of the Earth.
This is a table of the minerals of the earth in terms of production rates, resource duration rates, depletion years, peak years and current technological uses.
It is intended to be an ongoing reference up through 2020; the years of oil and energy depletion; through 2050; the shift over to a renewable manufacturing society; and beyond into an end of manufacturing and a new era of renewing to fulfil needs.
As an example of the scale of the changes the reader should refer to the following
- Copper has approximately 25-58 resource years left up to 2034-2069 with a peak year of 2022-2040.This changes the nature of all of the electrical systems used by humanity.
- Crude petroleum has approximately 48 years resource left up to 2059 with a peak year around 2015 to 2035. This changes all of the energy systems, engineering systems, medicinal systems, material systems, transport systems, food production, water production, political systems and economic systems of humanity.
Recycling of minerals and metals is taking place but; in accordance with the laws of thermodynamics; more energy and so more material, is always put in than is retrieved.
Without energy. Oil, lubrication, electrical systems mining of all minerals will cease.
This is the problem facing our society in 2013.
MINERAL PRODUCTION RESOURCE RES / YRS DEP YR PK YR
metric tons metric tons
bauxite 248,000,000 75,000,000,000 302 2313 2162
alumina 82,100,000 75,000,000,000 914 2925 2468
alumina and aluminium, now being recycled globally
aluminium 45,200,000 75,000,000,000 1659 3670 2840
Used in aerospace, automotive, packing, building industry
antimony 147,000 1,831,000 12-14 2023 2017
white arsenic 1,500 45,000 17-30 2026-2041 2018-2026
Used in electronics, semiconductors
asbestos 2,000,000 200,000,000 100 2111 2061
barytes 9,000,000 740,000,000 82 2093 2052
bentonite 15,500,000
Used in mining, drilling, lubrication, groundwater barriers, laxatives
fuller earth 3,300,000
berylium 5,040 80,000 16-70 2027-2079 2019-2044
Used in inertial guidance systems, turbine blades, lasers, rocket engine liners, springs, aircraft brakes, ball bearings, injection and blow moulds, electrical contacts, X-ray tube windows, spark plugs, electrical components, ceramics, gears, aircraft engines, oil and gas, welding electrodes.
bismuth 3,400 250,000 38-74 2047-2085 2028-2048
Used in soldering alloys, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, ceramics, paints, catalysts
borates 5,483,810 210,000 1 2012 2011
bromine 674,000,000 unlimited – found in seawater
cadmium 21,200 6,000,000 20-283 2029-2294 2019-2153
Used in electronics
chromium ores and 26,300,000 70 2079 2044
concentrates 26,300,000 12,000,000,000 456 2467 2239
Used in alloying element for (stainless) steel, nickel and aluminium alloys; high speed tool steels, oxidation prevention.
coal 7,739,000,000 861,000,000,000 111 2122 2067
Used as an energy generation source fuel. Likely to be reduced to zero production after 2015
cobalt 151,000 15,000,000 59-99 2068-2110 2039-2061
cobalt metal 82,300
Used in the manufacture of super alloys, cutting and wear resistant materials
copper 16,200,000 940,000,000 25-58 2034- 2069 2022- 2040
Used in building, electronics, electrical wiring, conductors, batteries
smelting copper 13,200,000
refined copper 19,500,000
diamond 123,600,000 32
Used in gemstones, cutting and shaping, engineering
diatomite 2,680,000 800,000,000 299 2310 2161
Used in building materials, polishing compounds, filtration, filler material in rubber, paint, roofing, and paper
feldspar 20,875,000 92,600 0 2011 2011
Used in glass, including beverage containers and insulation for housing and building
flourspar 6,000,000
gallium
Used in semiconductors
germanium metal 128,000 450,000 4 2015 2013
Used in industrial glasses, electronics, light and temperature sensors
gold 2,600,000 31,000 0-15 2011-2024 2011-2017
Used in currency, jewellery, conductors. bullion.
graphite 2,100,000 71,000,000 34 2045 2028
Used in pencils, conductors, lubricants
gypsum 141,300,000 2,474,000 1 2011 2011
Used in building materials , medicines, food additives, brewing
indium 641 14,102 22 2033 2022
Used in electronics, lubricant, medicines, vacuum seals
iodine 27,800,000 unlimited found in food
iron ore 3,102,000,000 198,528,000,000 64 2075 2043
Used in automotive, yellow goods, packaging, building industry
pig iron 1,159,000,000 48 2057 2033
crude steel 1,516,000,000 48 2057 2033
ferro alloys
kaolin 25,700,000
Used in ceramics, toothpaste, paint, cosmetics, insect spray
lead 4,700,000 1,500,000,000 319 2330 2171
Used in building, batteries
refined lead 10,400,000 19 2028 2019
lithium 150,000 13,000,000 70-87 2079-2098 2044-2055
Used as an alloying element for aluminium, batteries
magnesite 23,100,000 13,100,000,000 567 2578 2295
magnesium metal 785,084 29-70 2038-2079 2024-2044
Used in alloying element for steel and aluminium alloy
manganese ore 47,300,000
Used in alloying element for steel and aluminium alloys, depolarizer in zinc carbon batteries
and alkaline batteries
mercury 2,100,000 24 2033 2021
mica 307,000
molybdenum 254,000 33 2042 2026
Used as an alloying element for steel
nepheline syenite 5,548,000
nickel 1,826,000 130,000,000 30-71 2039-2082 2024-2047
Used as an alloying element for steel, super alloys, batteries
smelted/refined nickel 1,615,000
niobium 40 2049 2029
Used as an alloying element for steel
neodymium
palladium
perlite 3,469,696
crude petroleum 3,980,000,000 191,500,000,000 48 2059 2015 -2035
Used as a Fuel, Medicines, plastics, lubricants, fertilizers, Insecticides
natural gas 3,403,000
(million cubic metres)
Used as a fuel, distilled products
phosphate rock 203,000,000
platinum 492,000 100,000 0-70 2011-2079 2011-2044
potash 35,100,000
rare earth oxides 125,386
rare earth metals 70
rhenium 49 36 2045 2027
rhuthenium
salt 281,800,000
scandium
Used as an alloying element for aluminium
selenium metal 2,050
sillimantite minerals 517,853
silver 23,294,000 540,000 0-12 2011-2021 2011-2015
Used in jewellery, alloying element for aluminium, soldering, electrical systems
sodium carbonate 11,460,951
strontium minerals 863,271 11 2020 2015
Used in fireworks (red flame), flares, radioactive isotope, electricity, glass for colour television tubes, refining zinc, optical materials
sulphur ore 4,200,000
pyrites 7,500,000
frasch 700,000
recovered
pyrites/sulphur 66,600,000
talc 7,800,000
tantalum 120,900 53 2062 2036
niobium minerals 700
tantalum/niobium
concentrates 294,000
tellurium metal 96 70 2079 2044
thallium 28 2029 2023
tin 300,000 4,900,000 16-17 2027 2019
Used in steel coating
smelting of tin 329,000
titanium metals 17,800,000 61 2070 2039
Used as a white permanent pigments, transport, structures alloying element for steel and aluminium alloys
tungsten 72,900 3,100,000 25-42 2034-2053 2022-2032
uranium 118,400 5,500,000 46 2057 2034
vanadium 67,000 70 2079 2044
vermiculite 521,173
wollastonite 617,214
yttrium 40 2049 2029
zinc 12,800,000 1,900,000,000 15-148 2024-2159 2017-2085
Used in steel coating, alloying element for aluminium, batteries.
slab zinc 13,000,000
zirconium 1,612,000 19 2028 2019
Sources:
USGS
BGS
Wikipedia
graphiteoneresource
indmin
Project MA.09160, Material Scarcity 2009
Ian K Whittaker
Website:
https://sites.google.com/site/architecturearticles
Email: iankwhittaker@gmail.com
22/10/2013
14/10/2020
1074 words over 4 pages.