The use of solar energy in the copper mining processes: A comprehensive review
| Autor: | S. Kouro, R. Peña, Daniel Sbarbaro, W. Kracht, Edward Fuentealba, Omar Behar, Luis Moran |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Water pumping
Solar mining processes business.industry Photovoltaic system Copper mining TJ807-830 Environmental engineering Sustainable mining Energy consumption TA170-171 Solar energy Renewable energy sources Renewable energy Electricity generation Carbon footprint Environmental science Electricity Solar energy technologies business Process engineering Engineering (miscellaneous) Advanced clean energy systems |
| Zdroj: | Cleaner Engineering and Technology, Vol 4, Iss, Pp 100259-(2021) |
| ISSN: | 2666-7908 |
| Popis: | The copper mineral processing industry faces complex scenarios with increased demand, highly variable energy prices, falling ore grades that increase energy consumption, and increasing concern about the industry's carbon footprint. To reduce the risk imposed by these scenarios, the industry is looking at the use of renewable energy sources. Considering that the most important copper mines in Chile are situated in regions with high radiation levels, solar energy has the potential to be an attractive and sustainable source of energy. This paper provides an overview of the current solar technologies and how they have been applied to address some of the challenges faced by the copper mining industry today. It describes the use of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic technologies to produce power and heat for the copper mining processes. Indeed, solar photovoltaic technologies can be used to produce electricity for the comminution machines, electro-refineries and water pumping while solar thermal technologies are useful for electricity generation, heat production, thermal leaching and drying of copper concentrate. The review also analyzes, from a broader perspective, the potential of these technologies in the operation and design of new solar copper mineral processes. It is concluded that there several feasible options to integrate solar energy into the copper mining processes. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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