Egyptian Queen Copper Ore The Ancient Egyptians were WAY ahead of their time in medicine
SNIPPET:No matter where in the world you find yourself, hospitals are filled with bacteria and viruses and potential infections for patients.
Constanza Correa and her colleagues believe they have found a simple, and very old, fix that could greatly reduce inpatients' chances of infection—replacing bedrails with copper.
Copper definitely wipes out microbes. "Bacteria, yeasts and viruses are rapidly killed on metallic copper surfaces, and the term "contact killing" has been coined for this process," wrote the authors of an article on copper in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. That knowledge has been around a very long time. The journal article cites an Egyptian medical text, written around 2600-2000 B.C., that cites the use of copper to sterilize chest wounds and drinking water.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/17/1352496/-Ancient-Egyptian-technology-may-be-our-first-line-of-defense-from-hospital-infections
Agelbert NOTE: Now if they could just mine for copper without degrading the biosphere, I would be happier with this idea. I am familiar with the antimicrobial qualities of brass (
door knobs keep disease from passing from your hand to some else's :emthup:), silver and gold. I have posted on their use here.
CopperI knew a bit about copper too. In a garden, you put copper strips around flower beds and the slugs will not cross them. Slugs HATE copper. :icon_mrgreen:
Mining CAN be done in an environmentallt friendly manner. HOWEVER, and AS USUAL, the Mining Kings (
abbreviation = MKing - all similarity to a the resident Fossil Fuel Fracker is deliberate a coincidence! ) involved with it claim it is not "cost effective" to mine in an environmentally friendly manner. Stupid, planet trashing, math challenged greedballs have an accounting problem. THEY want we-the--people to PAY the environmental costs. So it goes.
From MIT:SNIPPET 1:
Environmentally Sensitive "Green" Mining
Using Environmentally Conscious Mining StandardsOverviewNew mining technologies and regulations have significantly improved mining efficiency and reduced environmental impact in recent years. In general, mining techniques become much more environmentally sensitive when efficiency is improved because less waste is produced. However, even greater improvements must be made as part of Mission 2016's plan. The current "green" mining techniques need to become more widespread and there will be a focus on researching new environmentally friendly techniques.
The plan for improving efficiency and decreasing the environmental impact of mining is broken up into the following categories:
•Shutting down illegal and unregulated mines
•Choosing environmentally friendly general mining processes
•Implementing recently discovered green mining technologies
•Cleaning up the sites of shut-down mines
•Reevaluating Cut-off Grades
•Research and Development of Green Mining TechnologyThe plan below is described with respect to REEs in order to illustrate a specific example.
However, many of the same problems are inherent in mining of other strategic elements, and thus Mission 2016's solutions can be applied and implemented for these mines as well.SNIPPET 2:Choosing Environmentally Friendly Mining Processes Another broad method for improving efficiency would be to address the general mining process and purification processes.
Although open pit mining (link to mining solution page) contributes about 85% of all mineral mining, it is one of the most environmentally taxing. About 73% of extracted rock goes to waste. Meanwhile,
underground mining wastes only 7% of the extracted rock but is more expensive (Hartmann and Mutmansky, 2002).
In situ mining (see mining solution page) can be more environmentally friendly than underground mining and is cheaper than many mining methods (Ulmer-Scholle, 2008). However, in situ mining cannot be implemented in all cases as the ore needs to be beneath the water table (the level at which the ground is saturated with water) and it needs to be porous enough to let the leaching solution dissolve (Topf, 2011). Unfortunately, in situ leaching can also be very harmful if the solution leaks into the water supply. There are plenty of examples of past leaks at in situ leaching mines ("Colorodoans against resource destruction", 2008).
It is
infeasible to convert all current mines to more environmentally friendly mining methods
due to economic constraints and ore deposit geography. However, when opening new mines in areas with low risks of water contamination, in-situ leaching should be the choice method when physically possible. If not, then
the environmental benefits of underground mining need to be weighed with the financial benefits of open pit mining to determine the mining method of choice on a mine-by-mine basis. SNIPPET 3: (The Power of Positive Thinking) :So opening new, cleaner mines will likely occur over a 15-25 year timeline. This process will be sped up by open-source technology and an international regulatory body.
By 2015: The environmental group dedicated to mine clean up and ratings is organized. Governments and mining companies can begin devising a financial scheme for initial funding of this group. Countries interested in mining include a budget for research and development in their plans. An environmental regulatory body will oversee the creation of a point system for implementing green technology detailed above (see Environmental Regulations page). Illegal and unregulated mines will begin to be shut down or legalized. Cut-off grades are reevaluated. Current mines begin implementing the green technology techniques, and new mines will include them in their initial start-up costs.
By 2020: The environmental group dedicated to mine cleanup begins the first mine cleanup project. The point system begins to be used as a method for evaluating a mine's environmental effects. All current mines are expected to be held to the new, stricter standards, while the international regulatory body in conjunction with the different governments should have shut down almost all unregulated mines.
2025-2035: Cleaner mining practices will become more commonplace as previously unregulated mines reopen.
Past 2030: All implemented procedures continue to grow and develop. Illegal mining should be completely shut down and regulations will have improved the environmental footprint of mining. Atmospheric emissions and wastewater will be minimized.
Shut down mines will be cleaned and reclaimed
by the local community. Agelbert NOTE: Even in this somewhat hopeful scenario, the buck gets passed from the corporate MKings to we-the-people. The fascists
ALWAYS plan ahead.
http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/solutions/greenmining.html