CEBU INSTITUE OF TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY
N. Bacalso Avenue, Cebu City, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

An Exit Ticket Report in Week 2

Properties of Materials

Presented to the Faculty of Industrial

Engineering Department Cebu Institute of

Technology - University, Cebu City,

Philippines

In Partial Fulfilment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

By:

Benolirao, Bridgette Anne

Dela Torre, David
Labasbas, Joshua
Virtudes, Kriska

November 2021
1. The huge hole is actually a diamond mine about 40 km. outside of Pretoria. What effects
do you think this has had on the environment?

Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance known and the most
popular gemstone in the world. Because of their extreme characteristics, diamonds have
a number of important industrial applications (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica,
2019)..

Diamonds can be found commonly in Central and Southern Africa, Canada,

India, Russia, and Brazil through mining. Mining, the extraction of valuable and other
geological materials such as diamond, from the Earth has positive and negative impacts.

The Premier Diamond Mining Company was founded by Thomas Cullinan (later
Sir Thomas) in 1902, near the end of the second Boer War (South African War 1899 -
1902). The land was originally part of the Cornelis Minnaar Farm and was purchased for
a sum total of £52,000 by Thomas. The company was first registered on the 6th
November 1902 as the Premier Syndicate but was later re-registered as the Premier
Transvaal Diamond Mining Company Ltd. on 1st December, 1902 (History And History
Of The Premier Diamond Mining Company | Cram, n.d.).

Cullinan Village was established in 1903 to provide housing and services for
mine employees and is located approximately 40 kilometers east of the South African
capital of Pretoria in the Gauteng Province.

The diamond mining industry continuously seeks to balance its economic, social
and environmental responsibilities, while making a positive and lasting impact to the
environment, as well as to the communities in which it operates.

Africa is well-known for being one of the continent with highest HIV cases. The
challenge of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa is immense. However, some of the worst-
affected countries are showing good progress in stemming the spread of the disease, as
a direct result of government initiatives financed by diamond revenues. The mining
industry help those country who are affected with the operation by helping to combat
such rampant issues and have access to healthcare (Ehud Arye Laniado, 2016).

Employment has also increased. In the study, diamond mining helps to pay the
salaries of an estimated 10 million people around the world in which 50 companies are
 active and are around 30 of viable mines are inactive (Cathaway, n.d.). In many sub-
Saharan African countries, diamonds can represent as much as 50% of a country’s
national revenue, and can provide employment to hundreds of thousands of people.

Does diamond mining affect the environment? As usual, all the mining industry
greatly affect the environment. Mining can pollute air and drinking water, harm wildlife
and habitat, and permanently scar natural landscapes (WMAN» Environmental Impacts
of Mining, 2004).

Diamond mining also has many detrimental impacts on the environment including
soil erosion, deforestation, and ecosystem destruction. A major political effect of the
diamond commodity chain, specifically at the mining level is blood diamonds. These are
diamonds that are produced in war zones to finance civil wars (Ohio State University,
2019). But, among all types of mining, diamond mining is generally less harmful because
it does not make use of toxic chemicals. In addition, landscapes altered by diamond
mining can be rehabilitated (What Are the Disadvantages to Mining Diamonds? –
MVOrganizing, n.d.).

Mining has also a negative impact to our environment. But through the help of
science and technology, it lessens the effect. Technology in mining helps eliminate the
excuse of this sector being too dangerous for women. Innovation also supports
environmental conservation. Through improved waste management efforts, tailings are
being processed more efficiently. The mining sector will also play an important role in the
circular economy (How Can Technology in Mining Protect the Environment?, n.d.).

Sources:

Cathaway, T. (n.d.). Do You Know How Many Diamond Mines Exist Today?
Blog.arpegediamonds.com. https://blog.arpegediamonds.com/blog/top-diamond-mines

Ehud Arye Laniado. (2016, September 28). The Positive Impact of Diamond Mining.
Ehudlaniado.com; All Diamond.
https://www.ehudlaniado.com/home/index.php/news/entry/the-positive-impact-of-
diamond-mining

History And History Of The Premier Diamond Mining Company | Cram. (n.d.). Www.cram.com.
Retrieved November 8, 2021, from https://www.cram.com/essay/History-And-History-
Of-The-Premier-Diamond/PJFPB8SZPR
How Can Technology in Mining Protect the Environment? (n.d.). International Institute for
Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/how-can-technology-mining-
protect-environment

Ohio State University. (2019). Impacts | Diamond Commodity Chain. Osu.edu.

https://u.osu.edu/diamondscarlsoncaggiano/impacts/

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019). Diamond | gemstone. In Encyclopædia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/diamond-gemstone

What are the disadvantages to mining diamonds? – MVOrganizing. (n.d.).

Www.mvorganizing.org. Retrieved November 8, 2021, from
https://www.mvorganizing.org/what-are-the-disadvantages-to-mining-diamonds/

WMAN» Environmental Impacts of Mining. (2004, December 28). Wman-Info.org.

https://wman-info.org/resource/environmental-impacts-of-mining/

2. In this photograph, the 2010 World Cup Soccer Stadium can be seen in the center, in
the top left are huge areas called slag piles. These are huge piles of crushed rock left
over from decades of gold mining. What impacts do you think this has on this area?

Slag piles are a man-made mound or heap formed with the waste material (slag)
as a by-product of coal mining. Slag piles as a product of mining are prevalent
everywhere. Waste piles from processing, such as tailings impoundments, leach piles,
and slag piles vary in size, but can be very large (Souter & Watmough,2017).
In addition to that, slag piles are extremely toxic to the environment. In the picture
wherein it is seen near a World Cup Soccer Stadium, it is expected that the environment
in this area is not healthy. Soccer stadiums are generally occupied and being near to this
slug pile is unhealthy for the regular viewers as well as to the athletes. Waste rock
disposal areas are usually located as close to the mine as possible to minimize haulage
costs. If not properly managed, erosion of mineralized waste rock into surface drainages
may lead to concentrations of metals in stream sediments. Most slags, because they are
composed primarily of oxidized, glassy material, are not as significant a potential source
of metals released into the environment as mine wastes and mill tailings. However,
some slags may contain remnant minerals that can be a potential source of metal
release to the environment. At some sites, gas and particulate emissions that were
released to the atmosphere from historical smelting operations have been a source of
human health concerns and environmental impacts (Piatak et al, 2014).
Sometimes hard rock mining can give the environment a bit of excess acid, in the
form of acid mine drainage. Acid mine drainage can happen when air and water mingle
with various minerals such as iron sulfide (also known as pyrite or Fool’s Gold), creating
sulfuric acid. At some sites, gas and particulate emissions that were released to the
atmosphere from historical smelting operations have been a source of human health
concerns and environmental impacts. In the past, sulfur dioxide has been the most
common emission of concern, because it reacts with atmospheric water vapor to form
sulfuric acid or “acid rain.” The acidic conditions that develop in the soils where these
emissions precipitate can harm existing vegetation and prevent new vegetation from
growing. In some cases, the emissions from older metal smelters may have affected
human health. For example, elevated levels of lead in blood have been measured in
residents of some communities located near lead-zinc smelters during their operation.
Today, smelting operations, combined with environmental controls, are implemented to
prevent potential environmental and health issues related to emissions (Tormo et.
al.,2010)
Another safety consideration at some mine sites is ground sinking or
“subsidence.” The ground may sink gradually where underground workings have come
close to the surface. Because an unexpected collapse can occur without warning (“How
can metal mining impact the environment?”,n.d.).
An example of how slag piles are a menace to the environment is China’s self-
styled war on pollution is extending to a new front: the solid waste that makes up
thousands of slag heaps around the country. Beijing has been fighting to clean up the
nation after years of breakneck economic growth took their toll on the environment.
Hundreds of steel mills have been shut over the last few years for failing to comply with
tougher environmental rules. The environment ministry also said it would urge local
governments to deal with solid waste issues, undertaking a special campaign to crack
down on violations (Xu & Serapio, 2018).

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318081607_Geochemistry_and_toxicity_of_a_
large_slag_pile_and_its_drainage_complex_in_Sudbury_Ontario
https://www.usgs.gov/news/slag-what-it-good

https://www.scielo.br/j/aabc/a/FMhWDd6vW4Djk8ZBrYN68GL/?lang=en

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261998352_Characteristics_and_Environment
al_Aspects_of_Slag_A_Review

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-steel-slag-idUSKBN1O90KW
https://www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/faq/how-can-metal-mining-impact-
environment