C.1.

7 USES OF PHYSICAL World

Reserves
RESOURCES Index
 NOS OBJECTIVES

 Population growth and economic growth results in a high

demand for large quantities of raw materials (steel, industrial
wood, fuel wood, cement) and materials such as aluminium
and plastics.
 Some very rare, important materials are required for some
high technology products such as computers.
 The concept of the World Reserves Index is important.
 LESSON OUTCOMES

 Explain the impact of population growth and economic growth

on demand for coltan.

 Investigate factors needed to calculate the reserve index for

coltan in the DR Congo.

 Trace the energy cost of a specific material

 MATERIALS IN HIGH DEMAND

Steel
Industrial wood
Fuel wood
Cement
Plastics
Aluminum
 HIGH-TECH MATERIALS

 Cobalt
 Titanium
 Coltan (niobium and tantalum)
 Neodynium
 Gallium
 Scandium
 and many more metals.
 WORLD RESERVES INDEX

The amount of technically and

economically recoverable natural
resource.
All important resources have a WRI (oil,
gold, lithium)
This number is NOT the total amount of
a resource, but the amount that can be
extracted considering limitations of
location and technology.
Factors to be considered include:
mining/geological, economic,
environmental, legal factors, and
political/social factors.
COLTAN
 VIDEO

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5VZtJDYWNM
 CASE STUDY: COLTAN
QUESTION 1
Dull black ore from which niobium and tantalum are
extracted
Used to construct capacitors, a device that stores an
electric charge, in electronic devices such as mobile
phones
Deposits located in Australia, Brazil, Canada,
D.R.Congo, Rwanda.
 QUESTION 2

 Increased population = more people to use electronic devices

 Increased economic growth = greater purchasing of goods

such as electronic devices
 QUESTION 3

 Mining and geological: the coltan source is rich, deposits that

are easily mined. But the coltan is not abundant. Three
deposit sites in the DRC.
 Economic factors: inexpensive to operate in the D.R.C
 Environmental factors: clearing trees from the ecosystem…
how much is acceptable? No environmental regulations in the
D.R.C. Has affected species such as the gorilla.
 Political/social factors: violence and political instability
makes operations difficult in the D.R.C.. Human rights
violations.
 EXIT SLIP

 None for this lesson. Wiley out.