Abstract
LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a useful tool in decision-making for most businesses that opt for sustainability and offers the possibility to compare different products, processes, and value chain scenarios, both real and hypothetical. Coupled with S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), the LCA has a great potential in using available data for existing mining sites in the North-East Region of Romania to assess the economic, social and environmental benefits of certain sustainability measures on a local and regional level. The article will explore this approach of combining the two methodologies: LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), with necessary adjustments according to the characteristics of the local mining activities, to show key investment areas that can improve the value chain of copper exploitation and preparation in the mining perimeter Mănăila. The case of the copper mine in Mănăila offers a great opportunity to apply the current LICYMIN (Life Cycle of Mining) research and to use available Ecoinvent data for the copper ore by comparing the current value chain scenario with a proposed scenario that includes a different location for a mining ore preparation unit, closer to the quarry. The results will give an insight into the potential social and economic impact (the measure can translate into a higher local employment rate, better social stability, lower transportation costs, etc.) as well as the environmental impact (reduction of GHG emission, pollution, and energy efficiency) of the suggested changes.
Highlights
The mining industry is an important part of sustainable development (Mudd et al, 2020) in most countries, irrespective of their economic rank, despite of being generally regarded as an economic activity with sever negative impacts on the environment
Due to the limitations imposed by the program, we could not perform an analysis for complex composite materials, our analysis relied mostly on the life cycles phase transport
The complementary combination of the two methodologies used, Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainable Return on Investment is proven to be of great use in sustainable planning, both for companies and governmental policies
Summary
The mining industry is an important part of sustainable development (Mudd et al, 2020) in most countries, irrespective of their economic rank (e.g., mature, newly emerging or developing economies), despite of being generally regarded as an economic activity with sever negative impacts on the environment. When performed in a sustainable way, it can contribute to economic stability and generate wealth in undeveloped areas around the globe. Copper is one of the most widely available metals, its economic value being determined by its excellent properties: it is malleable and ductile, making it an exceptional conductor of heat and electricity while being corrosion resistant and antimicrobial The copper mining industry has been following a constant annual growth trend of about 3.2% per annum since 1900, reaching a total of 20.5 million tons in 2019 (Wiliams, Parker, 2010).
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