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Carbon Footprint Reduction inMining and Blasting operation
Author: Partha Das Sharma (B.Tech – Hons. In Mining Engg.)(E.mail: sharmapd1@gmail.com)1
Carbon Footprint reduction in Mining and Blasting operation
Control of Greenhouse Gas emission is essential to promote GreenEnvironment
***
Partha Das Sharma
 
(B.Tech-Hons. In Mining Engg.)
 E.mail - sharmapd1@rediffmail.comand
sharmapd1@gmail.com
.Website: 
http://miningandblasting.wordpress.com/ ***Introduction -
The enormous threat posed by climate change is now widely recognized bymainstream science and is increasingly gaining public acceptance. Mining is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases and is the focus of increasing attention from green groups and regulators.Mining companies need to know their own carbon emissions and how they compare with the restof the industry. Mining companies need to know where they fit in the emissions curve. Becauseof that, many countries are now thinking of introducing ‘Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme’, inorder to control Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emissions. Increased atmospheric concentrations of GHGs are known to increase global temperatures by absorption of reflected infra-red radiationand are believed to be contributing to the recently measured global warming. The threat of globalwarming, and its increasingly prominent position in the public consciousness, demand that everymajor industry takes stock of its contribution to the rising atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs).Therefore, for every industry, there is now a greater urgency placed on identifying and deliveringchanges to reduce energy usage and GHGs emissions. Traditionally, mining and explosivesindustries are not slow in responding the challenges of reduction of ‘Carbon Footprint’ as manyhas been preparing itself for the change. The good news is, they have already started energyefficiency initiatives. However, as expected, these have targeted ‘Easier First’ mode, and initiatedreduction by targeting unnecessary energy usage with items like motors and compressors, usingrecycled fuel in ANFO and explosives for blasting etc.
Carbon Footprint
– Carbon footprint is a ‘measure of the impact of human activities leave onthe environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide’. It is meant to be useful for individuals and organizations to conceptualize their  personal or organizational impact in contributing to global warming. In fact, reduction of carbonfootprint is must, whether in coal, oil or gas, carbon is the essential ingredient of all fossil fuels.When these fuels are burned to provide energy, carbon dioxide (CO2), a "greenhouse gas", isreleased to the Earth’s atmosphere.As we’ve become more dependent on carbon-based fuels, we’ve seen a rapid increase in theatmospheric concentration of CO2; from around 280 parts per million (ppm) before the industrialrevolution, to 370 ppm today. If current trends of fossil fuel use continue the concentration of CO2 is likely to exceed 700 ppm by the end of this century. According to experts, this could leadto global warming of between 1.4 and 5.8°C, which may results in more frequent severe weather conditions and damage to many natural ecosystems. Many believe that it is realistic to promoteactions that ensure stabilization of atmospheric CO2 concentrations at around 500-550 ppm. Thisis a considerable challenge, given that global energy demand is expected to double between 2000and 2050.In fact, GHGs comprise of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O),chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and
 
Carbon Footprint Reduction inMining and Blasting operation
Author: Partha Das Sharma (B.Tech – Hons. In Mining Engg.)(E.mail: sharmapd1@gmail.com)2
sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Each of these gases has a global warming potential (GWP) that has been normalized on a unit mass basis relative to CO2, which has been assigned a GWP of unity.The other GHGs have higher GWPs. For example, CH4 and N2O have GWPs of 21 and 310respectively on a 100 year time horizon. N2O must be distinguished from the relatively short-lived NOx gases, which are not classified as GHGs and commonly arise in small quantities fromexplosive detonation. Emissions of all GHGs may thus be expressed in terms of tonnes of carbondioxide equivalents (t CO2-e). Carbon dioxide is the major GHG, making up the largest proportion of emissions.To achieve carbon stabilization, we need to ask ourselves some tough questions:* What exactly is our current relationship with carbon?* How can we reduce our dependency on carbon emitting technologies and fuels - our carbonfootprint?* What steps are others taking around the world?It is common amongst mining companies to track and report total energy usage, but most usesGHG intensity as a key performance metric. Several factors have combined to increase totalenergy use and emissions, including increased stripping ratios, greater mining depths (meaninglonger hauls), lower ore grades and increased production. A key measure, therefore, has beenenergy efficiency and targets are to set for the reduction of emissions per unit of metal/coalmined. Unfortunately, in many cases these efficiencies and/or intensities have also increased, dueto increased stripping ratios, lower-grades, etc. and it will be a considerable challenge for miningcompanies to keep within limit.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
-As carbon footprint is the measure of carbon dioxide during thelife of a particular industry, ‘life cycle’ concept of carbon footprint is familiar. The life cycleconcept of the carbon footprint means that it is all-encompassing and includes all possible causesthat give rise to carbon emissions. In other words, all direct (on-site, internal) and indirectemissions (off-site, external, embodied, upstream, downstream etc.) need to be taken intoaccount.The carbon footprint can be efficiently and effectively reduced by applying the following steps:(a) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to accurately determine the current carbon footprint,(b) Identification of hot-spots in terms of energy consumption and associated CO
2
-emissions,(c) Optimisation of energy efficiency and, thus, reduction of CO2-emissions and reduction of other GHGs emissions contributed from production processes,(d) Identification of solutions to neutralise the CO2 emissions that cannot be eliminated by energysaving measures,(e) The last important step includes carbon offsetting; investment in projects that aim at thereducing CO2 emissions, for instance bio-fuels or tree planting activities.Carbon footprints are calculated using a method called life cycle assessment (LCA). This methodis used to analyze the cumulative environmental impacts of a process or product through all thestages of its life. It takes into account energy inputs and emission outputs throughout the whole production chain from exploration and extraction of raw materials to processing, transport andfinal use. The LCA method is internationally accredited by ISO 14000 standards.
Carbon footprint and explosives industry – 
It has stated above that, LCA has been the standardmethodology for quantifying all environmental impacts associated with the entire life cycle of  products and processes for over a decade. All emissions with the potential to cause environmentalimpacts are quantified along the entire life cycle from raw material extraction through to final
 
Carbon Footprint Reduction inMining and Blasting operation
Author: Partha Das Sharma (B.Tech – Hons. In Mining Engg.)(E.mail: sharmapd1@gmail.com)3
disposal. In addition, other sustainability metrics such as energy, non-renewable resource andwater consumption, land use, ozone depletion potential, acidification and release of any toxic pollutants may be quantified. General outline of the ammonium nitrate based explosives productlife cycle is shown (Fig.1).Fig.1Essentially, explosive manufacture begins with methane (CH4), usually in the form of naturalgas, which is used both as feedstock and fuel in ammonia (NH3) production. About half theammonia is converted to nitric acid which is then neutralized with the remaining ammonia toform ammonium nitrate. Fuel, generally diesel, is blended with the ammonium nitrate, either inemulsions for water resistant explosives or absorbed into porous prilled ammonium nitrate.Finally, the explosive is detonated at the mine-site for blasting purposes.The major emissions of GHGs along the AN production chain occur as per following sequence:* Fugitive CH4 and CO2 emissions from the extraction, storage and transport of natural gas,* CO2 emissions from ammonia production (conventionally the Haber-Bosch process), during thecombustion of a proportion of the gas to provide process heat,* N2O emissions from nitric acid manufacture,* Emissions from electricity used to power the plants,* CO2 emissions from the extraction, refining and transport of diesel fuel,* Emissions arising from the supply of other inputs, such as materials and services required to runthe entire manufacturing and delivery systems,* Emissions from detonation of the explosives.Some of these emissions arise directly on the site of the explosives manufacturer while someoccur indirectly; either at an upstream supplier or a downstream consumer. The magnitude of each of these emissions is dependent on the specific process at each stage, with large variations possible.The final emission source, usually of most direct interest to blasting, is that arising fromdetonation. This constitutes only about 5% of the total life cycle emissions of the explosive.Essentially this comprises the combustion gases produced by the reactions of the fuel componentwith the ammonium nitrate oxidizer. Since this fundamental reaction drives the detonation process it cannot be avoided. However, the use of recycled fuels or bio-fuels instead of fossilfuels in explosives would result in lower overall CO2 emissions, as the bio-fuel growth phaseremoves an equivalent amount of CO2 from the atmosphere.
GHG emissions and its intensity with Explosives and blasting in mines -
Formulation andcomposition changes to commonly used modern bulk explosives result in very little variation of GHGs produced on detonation. As discussed, major changes in GHG intensity can be realised inthe ammonium nitrate manufacturing process, but this does not impact mine site blastingemissions.
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