Answer the 7 questions for the problem approach mentioned in the previous unit.
1. What is the problem?
- Mineral washing using mercury in the mining industry causes a big water contamination problem. 2. Why is it a problem? - It's a health risk and an environmental threat considering mercury is a highly toxic element which makes water unusable for drinking or irrigation, additionally it damages the environment and life around the process. 3. Where do you observe it? - This problem is observable around the mineral washing part in mining processes, geographically wherever the mining plant is, usually near bodies of water. 4. Who does this affect? - The operators who are the most in touch with the chemical - Animal and plant life around that gets poisoned with the toxic water - Near communities that lose the capability to use these bodies of water. 5. When did you first observe the problem? - It's an old problem that comes from the start of the very process of mining using chemicals to optimize it. 6. How do we observe the problem? - Erosion around the washing process - Change of color of the earth around the zone - Dead plant life and lack of animal life around - No fishes in these bodies of water - Presence of mercury in water 7. How often do we observe the problem? - It's a periodic process made in batches, so it happens with frequency every time a new batch of minerals for washing comes up
Also answer this other questions:
a. Why does the problem deserve your attention?
- This problem deserves our attention because Bolivia is a country with a lot of movement of mining centers and the pollution that it generates day by day with ore washing is great and there is no correct water treatment as well as proper care for the environment. Therefore, this problem can become very important in our field because of the pollution it generates and because of the great importance that it can have to give it a solution. b. Is there any academic input? - The academic contribution made is that two areas of engineering How to be mechatronics and environmental will be worked together to provide a viable solution to the problem of water contaminated by mining centers. It will be a study previously carried out by the environmental engineering area and an implementation by us for teaching and learning methods where it will have a communication interface with the user for interaction and knowing the ranges of water purification values and also how the process is carried out. control of sensors and valves remotely and/or autonomously. c. Is it worth the contribution that would be developed to solve the problem? - It is totally worth it at the door that will be carried out because this solution will help a lot in caring for the environment if it is carried out on a real scale in mining centers for gold and other mineral exploitation. The contribution made will be for the safety of the workers, environmental care of contamination and that the water can be reused to wash the minerals. d. What subjects will they use? What main areas would apply? (subject knowledge) - Firstly, a study of the problems will be carried out and to know which are the main ones to solve, then an analysis of costs to know the budget to which we are adapting and we need to carry out this project. From previous subjects, instrumentation control analysis and artificial vision will be used in machine design. This subject is a total set of various and accused subjects that, joining them, lead to superior engineering design to provide viable solutions to highly relevant problems.