Extraction Of Non-renewable Resources Research Articles

Viscoelastic Characteristics and Mechanical Performances of Asphalt Mastic and Mixtures with Fly Ash from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Residues

Viscoelastic Characteristics and Mechanical Performances of Asphalt Mastic and Mixtures with Fly Ash from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Residues

Safety Wearable for Miners


 INTRODUCTION: Mining is the process of extraction of valuable minerals, ores and other non-renewable resources from the Earth’s surface. The mining industry is known for its hazardous and highly risky working environment. 
 OBJECTIVES: The mining industry is involved in the extraction of these geological materials, which is essential for the development of the country and its economy. However, this industry comes with its fair share of risks and dangers. Recent statistics show that around 100 miners fall victim to the harsh working conditions every year. 
 METHODS: Explosions due to Methane and coal dust followed by roof collapses, mine fires, gas outburst, blasting accidents, poisoning and suffocation are the major reasons out of these few of them causes deaths inside the mines.
 RESULTS: Even though many precautions are suggested, and measures have been taken to improve the safety of the miners and to improve the work environment, but mines are still unpredictable, and accidents are also recorded then and there. 
 CONCLUSION: The existing safety technologies and measures have either failed to monitor multiple vital features that could lead to fatalities, or to provide adequate and appropriate rescue resources in time to help the miners in danger.

Extract or conserve? The Hartwick-rule and sustainable environmental governance

The legal safeguards for sustainable environmental governance are often inadequate, inefficient, and amenable to political maneuverings. Australia recently approved the Carmichael coal mine, rail, and expansion of the Abbot Port projects. These projects, along with many others in the region, have dire consequences for the groundwater system (Currell et al., 2017) [5], the Great Barrier Reef (Kroon et al., 2016; Grech et al., 2016) [6,7], and climate change (Taylor and Meinshausen, 2014) [8]. Here we show that incorporating the Hartwick-rule in economic analysis renders many of these projects unviable with or without the opportunity and externality costs. The Hartwick-rule dictates that exhaustible resource extraction can ensure weak sustainability if resource rents can be invested in such a way that the produced capital outweighs the consumed natural capital (Hartwick, 1977) [9]. We put forward two main arguments; one, resource rents belong to the society and many projects are only viable when these rents are invested with a certain growth rate; second, economic analysis shall incorporate the Hartwick-rule and shall be applied prior to recourse to the legal safeguards. Our analysis can be applied to any non-renewable natural resource extraction decision making.

Innovative Design and Performance Analysis of Gravitational Water Vortex Turbines

Abstract: Due to limited availability and risk of extraction of non-renewable natural resources for energy extraction and production of electricity in future we will be relying on various renewable energy resources. Therefore we intent to aid THE GRAVITATIONAL VORTEX TURBINE SYSTEM in the field of hydro electricity generation. The turbine is capable of generating clean energy from streams without interfering with the environment. It will be capable if converting energy of moving fluid to kinetic energy which can be further utilized to convert it into electrical energy using a low hydraulic head. Electrical power is essential in commercial and social investments like lighting, heating, communications, Computers, industrial equipment, transport etc. Therefore hydropower energy is one of the most suitable and efficient source of renewable energy which depends on more than century of experience for this issue. The power capacity and facility are two criteria required for the classification of hydropower plant. The first one consists of five technologies: dammed reservoir, run of river, pumped storage, in stream technology and new technology gravitational vortex. The other one is classified according to power scale is Large, Small, Micro and Pico Hydropower. This project is focusing on micro hydropower especially gravitational vortex power which increases the sustainability and health of the water as a whole. It presents an overview from both flow and power points of view by discussing the free surface vortex (FSV) and the suitable turbine systems which are used in micro hydropower. The use of subjects like Fluid mechanics, Theory of machines and Engineering Mechanics will provide a backbone of this project. From this Project we will illustrate the micro hydro power generation technique.

Irrigation Technology Interventions as Potential Options to Improve Water Security in India and Africa: A Comparative Review

Water is an essential resource for the realization of the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The increasing global food insecurity, hunger, human population, and uneconomical extraction and use of non-renewable resources require, among other things, a substantial intensification of agricultural production. In this context, there has been a need to adopt irrigation technologies, especially in developing countries where agriculture and its allied sectors employ more than 50% of the total population but account for up to 90% of the total freshwater consumptive use. India and Africa are at the crux of this conundrum, where there is an urgent need to build resilience with the already excessively allotted water resources. Innovative and water-efficient irrigation technologies could be one of the windows of opportunity to overcome water scarcity and enhance food security in these regions. This review sought to comparatively explore how irrigation technological interventions could help overcome water security challenges in India and Africa. Literature retrieved from multidisciplinary electronic databases indicated that, as part of the global south, both India and Africa have untapped irrigation potential due to the adoption of individual-centric irrigation. The irrigation approaches that possess the capacity to increase water and food security as well as reduce poverty levels in India and Africa are broadly grouped into micro-irrigation technologies, renewable energy-powered irrigation technologies, flood recession agriculture, and underground transfer of surface flood water for irrigation. Unlike in India, where overexploitation or extraction is the primary driver of water scarcity (physical scarcity), water insecurity in Africa results from poor management (economic scarcity). The adoption of the foregoing interventions is challenged by existing cultural and land tenure issues, limited access to efficient irrigation technologies and credit services, as well as an overreliance on national governments for support. Despite these challenges, opportunities exist for smallholder irrigation expansion. This study indicates that both Indian and African governments ought to offer stimulus packages that encourage holistic farmer-centric irrigation technologies to improve food and water security.

'Clean Food': A Model for Safe and Sustainable Agriculture Towards Accomplishment of Circular Economy

The core concept of Circular Economy (CE) in Agriculture is targeted towards better sustenance through higher use of renewable sources and facilitating the restoration and regeneration of system resources. However, dearth of effective crop-technology/ies that can ensure the above while sustaining crop yields; form the major bottleneck towards facilitation of CE in agriculture. The Safe and Sustainable' Clean Food' (CF) Model can perhaps serve as the best fit road map towards the objective. Driven by Inhana Rational Farming (IRF) Technology this model focuses 'Plant Health Management' and utilizes the safe, cost-effective, waste bio-converted Novcom compost for Soil Health Management to deliver safe food, without crop loss and without raising the cost of production. The model when evaluated in respect of all the basic principles of circular agriculture; revealed its potential towards improving (by up to 19.5%) crop yield while reducing/ eliminating non-renewable inputs like chemical fertilizers and pesticides; that minimized the risk of pesticide residue in food (vegetables) by about 93%. Resource recycling through bioconversion of MSW/ landfill waste into safe compost improved soil quality by up to 27%. Most importantly, GHG Abatement of 6.4 to 11.7 kg CO2 -eq / kg food production, 64% increase in energy productivity, 16.7% higher employment generation, and about 19.7% increase in gross income (on an average); indicated that the CF Model delivered the very essence of CE in agriculture i. e., decoupling economic development from the linear dynamics of finite and non-renewable resource extraction, use, and disposal, while improving the access to safe and nutritious food for all.

Mortar and concrete with lime-rich calcined clay pozzolana: A sustainable approach to enhancing performances and reducing carbon footprint

Low environmental impact sustainable building materials have become a crucial requirement and challenges to the contemporary construction industry. This study is an extensive effort for the development of a green cementitious composite to limit extensive extraction and consumption of nonrenewable mineral resources and CO2 emission generation by the reduction of clinker cement production. In this route, 10%, 25%, 35%, and 50% of CaO-based calcined clay were adopted as a partial replacement for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in mortar mix. The raw clay was extracted from Nizwa city (NZS) and ground into particles with size less than 75 µm. As per its chemical composition, the clay was classified as cementitious and pozzolanic material as per ASTM C618 standard specifications. The mill was then calcined at different temperatures of 950 °C, 850 °C, and 750 °C. The blend mortar mixes were assessed in terms of their mechanical, microstructural, durability, and thermal performances using various experimental tests. The results indicated that replacement levels of lime-rich calcined clay varying from 10% to 35% of OPC could generally offer similar to better strengths, durability, and thermal performances to a plain mortar. The mortar flow was reduced when incorporating calcined clay, while density was unaffected. Meanwhile, CaO-based calcined clay generally exhibited better performance with regard to permeable voids, combined sulphate + chloride, sulfuric acid attacks, and chloride ions permeability. The outcome of the present work sheds light on the massive potential of calcined clay pozzolana to develop sustainable, affordable, and locally produced blend cement for a variety of infrastructure applications, including energy-efficient and sustainable development, to reduce the carbon footprint.

How should the use of nonrenewables be taxed under a public budget constraint?

Most developed countries will be facing severe public budget constraints. We examine how extraction or use of nonrenewable resources should be taxed when governments need to collect commodity tax revenues. Moreover, we show how our results can be directly used to indicate how carbon taxation of nonrenewable energy sources should be increased in the presence of public-revenue needs. The obtained tax formula is an augmented, dynamic version of the standard Ramsey taxation rule. It distorts developed reserves, which are reduced, and their depletion, which is slowed down, going further in the direction prescribed for the resolution of the climate externality. We present a simple calibrated application of our results to illustrate how carbon taxation of oil should be strongly augmented, and the incidence of this adjustment on oil use and tax revenues.

Hydration of lime—marine sediment blends: Influence of mineralogical composition and lime content

There is a need to find alternatives to the extraction of non-renewable mineral resources for the production of new binders. Some specific building materials such as plant-aggregate-based concretes do not require high-strength binders. In this context, the lime-pozzolan technology, inherited from Roman times, can help reduce the carbon footprint of finished materials by the use of low amounts of lime. In this paper, three different marine dredged sediments were used as natural alumino-silicate resources and blended with hydrated lime. Based on previous literature dealing with the pozzolanic activity of cristallized minerals, the sediments were reduced to micronized powders. The hydration of these systems was investigated through hardening and reaction kinetics up to 365 days at 20 °C and 50 °C. The sediments used revealed two kinds of mineral assemblages and the best pozzolanic reactivity was found with quartz-rich sediments. In addition, the optimum lime content was found to be 20 wt% until 180 days.

The Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman Equation for Differential Games with Composite Distribution of Random Time Horizon

A differential game with random duration is considered. The terminal time of the game is a random variable settled using a composite distribution function. Such a scenario occurs when the operating mode of the system changes over time at the appropriate switching points. On each interval between switchings, the distribution of the terminal time is characterized by its own distribution function. A method for solving such games using dynamic programming is proposed. An example of a non-renewable resource extraction model is given, where a solution of the problem of maximizing the total payoff in closed-loop strategies is found. An analytical view of the optimal control of each player and the optimal trajectory depending on the parameters of the described model is obtained.

Value of Information in the Deterministic Optimal Resource Extraction Problem with Terminal Constraints

In this paper, we consider a continuous-time differential game of non-renewable resource extraction with n players and assume that the terminal conditions of the game vary. To characterize the gain that the players obtain by using precise information, we use the notion of value of information in relation to the knowledge of terminal conditions. The stated problem is studied for two cases, a linear and a nonlinear one. The obtained results are illustrated for the real values of the parameters.

The effect of sulfuric acid attack on mechanical properties of steel fiber-reinforced concrete containing waste nylon aggregates: Experiments and RSM-based optimization

Replacing natural aggregate with recycled plastic has been a strategy to reduce pollution associated with conventional concrete production and disposal of plastic materials. Due to the possibility of structures subject to acid attacks, it is of value to check the resistance of concrete against these attacks. The present study evaluates the behavior of concrete containing steel fibers and nylon granules under sulfuric acid attack. 9 batches of concrete containing 0, 10, and 20% (by volume) of nylon granules, replacing natural sand and three volume percentage of steel fibers (0, 0.75, and 1.25%) were prepared. First, concretes were placed in a 5% sulfuric acid solution for 0, 45, and 90 days, and then their ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and compressive capacity were evaluated. The microstructural behavior of concretes was also investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA). Finally, a model using the response surface method (RSM) was proposed to optimize the content of steel fibers and nylon granules in concrete to achieve the maximum strength of concrete in an acidic environment. The results show that increasing the acid exposure time decreases the compressive capacity and UPV of concrete. Concrete with a higher nylon granule content exhibits a lower strength and UPV decline rate due to acid immersion when compared to that with a lower nylon granule content. After optimization, it was found that the optimal volume percentage of steel fibers and nylon granules in concrete after 90 days of acid exposure is 0.11% and 20% to maximize the compressive strength, respectively. The findings of this study help to minimize the extraction of non-renewable natural resources and the environmental impact of waste nylons by developing cleaner and more sustainable concrete.

Non-renewable resource extraction over the long term: empirical evidence from global copper production

Global mine production of copper has risen more than 80 times over the last 135 years. What were the main drivers? I examine this question based on copper market data from 1880 to 2020. I employ a structural time series model with sign restrictions to identify demand and supply shocks. I find that a deterministic trend drives most of the output growth. At the same time, unpredictable demand and supply shocks caused substantial fluctuations around the trend. A global commodity demand shock that is, for example, linked to a 3% unexpected expansion of the global economy due to rapid industrialization causes a 10% rise in the real copper price, incentivizing a 5% increase in global copper production. This provides empirical evidence for the feedback control cycle of mineral supply.

Non-Renewable Resources and Sustainable Resource Extraction: An Empirical Test of the Hotelling Rule’s Significance to Gold Extraction in South Africa

The study sought to test the applicability of Hotelling’s rule to gold extraction in South Africa. In environmental economics, Hotelling’s rule has come to be a pillar of the exhaustible resources framework and in addition to this, it has presented essential insights into the consumption and extraction of non-renewable resources. According to Hotelling’s Rule, the extraction path in competitive market economies will, under certain circumstances, be socially optimal. An extraction path that is not socially optimal compromises the welfare of future generations. The welfare of South Africa’s present population, particularly in the future, will be greatly determined by the stock of natural resources available. Currently, the production processes deplete natural resources in a way that is not sustainable. For instance, South Africa’s gold reserves are becoming depleted at a rate that, within 25 to 33 years, will mean the end of the industry on which South Africa’s economy has been built. This raises questions regarding how much of these non-renewable resources (gold) should be extracted today, and how much should be saved for future use or for future generations. Is gold being depleted more rapidly than the optimisation level suggested by Hotelling’s Rule? In order to empirically test Hotelling’s Rule, the study was guided by previous literature that had sought to test it, namely, the previously used graphical analysis and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to assess the applicability of Hotelling’s Rule. The results showed that there seems to be no significant relationship between interest rates and gold processes. This shows that Hotelling’s Rule does not hold in South Africa. The results of the study suggested that the gold extraction in South Africa is not following a social optimal path. The study recommended that the government come up with measures that prolong the lifespan of the gold reserves. These included research and development to promote technological innovations in the mining sector.

Performance and microstructure development of lime – calcined fluvial sediment binders under different curing conditions

Fluvial sediments need to be periodically dredged from waterways. At the same time, the building sector has to find high-volume alternatives to the extraction of non-renewable mineral resources. In this context, recent research has shown the benefit of reusing calcined sediments as supplementary cementitious materials. On a different note, this study examines the hydration and performance of blends of calcined fluvial sediment with low amounts (10 to 30 wt%) of hydrated lime with the aim of keeping the carbon footprint of the binder the lowest as possible. The effect of different curing conditions (moist curing at 20 °C or 50 °C and dry curing at 65%RH) is studied on compressive strength, reaction kinetics (fixed lime by TGA and heat of hydration), reaction products (XRD), microstructure (SEM) and porosity (MIP). The outcomes of the study revealed that heat curing for 3 days and 10 wt% of lime results in satisfactory strength development for the design of bio-based concretes (compressive strength of 9 MPa). Furthermore, the highest compressive strength of 17.5 MPa was achieved at 110 days at 20 °C for the mix with 20 wt% of lime. The amount of unreacted lime was found to be the highest for the mix including 30 wt% of lime for which the degree of reaction of lime at 90 days was around 0.7 for both curing temperatures. Under dry curing, a large part of the initially available lime was carbonated and some reaction products underwent carbonation leading to very low strength by 110 days.

Chevron Phillips invests in polymer recycling

In 2017, China passed the National Sword policy which would signal a change to the world in how waste was to be handled. This policy signaled a national change in priorities raising the level of interest in both environmental protection and human health. The asphalt industry has a long history of using recycled waste products with varying levels of success over the past 50 years. Recycling is a concept that most people across the United States support. They see it as a practice that can not only benefit the environment by preventing the extraction and processing of nonrenewable resources, but it also has the potential to reduce the costs of manufacturing new products by offsetting the cost of new raw materials with those coming from a waste stream. There have been significant efforts into understanding the impacts of recycling plastics in asphalt, but significant efforts still are required. These efforts are not just research from the asphalt industry, but they span to the plastics and petrochemical industries who need to continue to advance the infrastructure of low-cost recycling of plastics.

Mechanical Performance of Cement Bound Granular Mixtures Using Recycled Aggregate and Coconut Fiber

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) and coconut husk are frequently discharged into landfills, creating an environmental problem. However, the CDW can be used to obtain good-quality recycled aggregates (RA), and the coconut husk can be processed into coconut fiber (CF). These materials can be used in the construction of cement bound granular mixtures (CBGM) to be applied as base and sub-base layers of road pavements. Such a large-scale application would bring value to these materials and reduce the extraction of non-renewable natural resources. In this work, the mechanical performance of CBGM with RA and CF reinforcement was evaluated and compared with a conventional CBGM with natural aggregate (NA). The mechanical performance was assessed through the immediate bearing index (IBI), unconfined compressive strength (UCS), indirect tensile strength (ITS), and flexural strength (FLS) tests. The results of the experimental program allow the conclusion that the CBGM with RA present similar performance to the CBGM with NA. Furthermore, the use of CF effectively reinforced the integrity of the CBGM specimens at post-test, indicating potential gains in durability after cracking occurrence.

Dynamic resource management under weak property rights: A tale of thieves and trespassers

We study non-renewable resource extraction when institutions weakly protect the resource owner’s property rights. First, weak wealth protection exposes the stock in the ground to trespassing. Second, weak income protection exposes revenues from extraction to theft. In our dynamic framework with strategic interactions, the strength of wealth and income protection evolves over time. The weak protection of wealth results in excessive depletion due to the common pool externality. Anticipated changes in institutional strength further distort depletion. A resource user (i.e., owner or trespasser) is less rapacious when she anticipates favorable institutional changes. However, a given change in institutional strength may be favorable for some but detrimental for another resource user. Under these conflicting interests, the anticipation of better wealth protection might result in less efficient extraction. More generally, our results indicate that unstable institutions limit the benefits derived from resource ownership and thus constitute a challenge to the efficient management of non-renewable resource riches in weakly institutionalized economies.

MODELLING THE IMPACT OF NATURAL RESOURCE ABUNDANCE ON THE SPREAD OF CORRUPTION IN THE COUNTRY

Purpose. The aim of the article is estimating the degree of impact of natural resources on the corruption on the global scale. Methodology of research. The methodological basis of the study is a systematic combination of the methods of comparative, cluster (k-means method) and canonical correlation analyses. To characterize the level of corruption in the country, three indicators were used (the level of corruption control, regulatory quality and the rule of law), calculated by World Bank specialists within the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) project. The country's provision of natural resources is considered in terms of renewable (volume of wind electricity production, volume of solar electricity production, volume of geothermal energy production) and non-renewable (volume of oil production, volume of gas production). The research object is 44 countries of the world for renewable natural resources and 28 non-renewable countries. Findings. According to the results of the cluster analysis using the k-means method, three homogeneous groups of countries were distinguished depending on the level of their provision of renewable and non-renewable natural resources. The cluster with the highest level of supply of natural resources includes the USA and China (renewable sources) and the USA and Russia (non-renewable sources). Ukraine belongs to the cluster with a low level of extraction of renewable and non-renewable natural resources. The hypothesis that the level of corruption depends on the supply of natural resources is correct, as indicated by the following indicators: the canonical coefficient of determination is more than 0.9; χ2 is Bartler's test and its p-value is less than 0.05. The closest relationship between the two sets of variables exists in countries that are moderately endowed with natural resources. Originality. A scientific-methodical approach for assessing the degree of impact of natural resource on the level of corruption through a systematic combination of cluster and canonical analysis was developed. Practical value. The obtained results can be used by state authorities and local self-government bodies to combat corruption in the natural resources management system and increase the country's investment attractiveness. Key words: corruption, natural resources, cluster analysis, canonical analysis, resource curse.

Recycled PET Sand for Cementitious Mortar.

Cementitious materials cause a great impact on the environment due to the calcination of clinker and the extraction of non-renewable mineral resources. In this work, the replacement of quartz sand from the river by PET sand was evaluated at levels of 10%, 20%, and 30%. Tests were performed in the fresh state through consistency, air retention, density, and incorporated air and in the hardened state for compressive strength, flexural strength, density, capillarity, and water absorption. The results show that PET sand is viable in contents of up to 10%, improving the mechanical properties of the mortar and without compromising its workability and incorporated air properties. Above that level, the loss of properties is very excessive, mainly of workability and incorporated air. The incorporated air of the 30% composition, for example, reaches 24%, an excessive value that impacts the properties of the hardened state, making it impossible to use the material at levels greater than 20%. It is concluded that the use of recycled PET sand is a possibility that contributes to sustainable development, as it reduces the extraction of quartz sand from the river, a non-renewable mineral resource.