Abstract
The objective of this paper is the study of the life cycle inventory (LCI) for underground mining of small, clustered deposits of Dinaric Alps-type bauxites, mined in the mountains near Jajce, a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the period 2010-2020. Modelling of the life cycle inventory was done based on the company’s internal reports and project documentation for a variant of the sublevel caving method that involves drilling and blasting. Four mines, located on three exploitation fields, were found in different phases of mine life, different levels of tectonic disturbances and different types of energy: diesel, electricity, and compressed air. The main results of this study are the inventory of underground bauxite exploitation made based on long-term data, the life cycle of one bauxite deposit, and the emission factors from blasting. Underground mining in this case proved to be energy intensive: an average of 52-92 MJ/t was required (as opposed to 37 MJ/t for surface bauxite exploitation in Italy). At the same time, underground bauxite exploitation caused only 5.6-6.4% of the transformation of natural land that is above the mines and deposits. The operations relying on diesel fuel caused local emissions in the air and underground. The operation relying on electricity for DC locomotive and generation of the compressed air were without local emission into the air, although energy efficiency was probably reduced using compressed air as mechanical energy. At the state level, the impact depends on the country’s energy mix, which is still quite dependent on fossil fuels. Engineering estimates of blasting emissions indicated detonators and ammonium nitrate explosives as a potentially important source of environmental impact. The mining industry would significantly benefit from cleaner energy in electricity generation (the energy sector) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The path of air emissions in the underground system, especially lead and nitrogen compounds, needs to be further explored.
Highlights
The environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) is an internationally standardized environmental management method used to quantify environmental impacts related to products and services during all their stages of life (ILCD Handbook, EUR 24708 EN)
The study was performed for underground mining of the small deposits of bauxite in the mountains near Jajce, a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The bauxite ore from the Bauxite Mines Jajce is mined at three exploitation fields: Crvene Stijene, Poljane, and Bešpelj-Pećine
Summary
The environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) is an internationally standardized environmental management method used to quantify environmental impacts related to products and services during all their stages of life (i.e. within the life cycle) (ILCD Handbook, EUR 24708 EN). The LCA has a relative character, which means that all impacts are expressed relative to the functional unit of the study. Every LCA study requires: 1 – a definition of the goal and scope within the system defined by its function, functional unit, and system boundary; 2 - a life cycle inventory (LCI) – a quantified list of relevant inputs and outputs; 3 – the application of the life cycle impact assessment method, “translating” all the inputs and outputs to the environmental indicators and their impacts; and the interpretation of the results in relation to the goal and scope.
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