Browsing by Author "Antizar-Ladislao, Blanca"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Greening Chilean copper mining operations through industrial ecology strategies(2014) Reyes-Bozo, Lorenzo; Godoy Faúndez, Alex; Herrera-Urbina, Ronaldo; Higueras, Pablo; Salazar, José Luis; Valdés-González, Héctor; Vyhmeister, Eduardo; Antizar-Ladislao, BlancaSawdust was used as cheap sorbent for the remediation of a diesel and oil fuel-contaminated mining soil whereas biosolids were evaluated as collectors and frothers in froth flotation of copper sulphide ores. The use of these waste materials in copper sulphide ore mining and mineral processing may have a positive impact on the cleaner production of copper from its natural raw sources and may decrease the deleterious effect that mining operations have on the environment. Mixtures of oil fuel contaminated mining soil and sawdust were treated in an aerobic reactor at 50.0% humidity for several days. A significant decrease (over 60.0%) of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) content in these mixtures was obtained after one-month of treatment. Rougher flotation of copper sulphide ores using biosolids – from wastewater treatment plants – and humic acids – a component of biosolids – as collector and frother yielded a copper sulphide concentrate with a copper grade and copper recovery of 0.8% and 26.0%, and 3.5% and 29.7%, respectively. Biosolids and humic acids have shown to be potential candidates to partially substitute traditional organic chemicals used in industrial flotation of copper sulphide ores. This possibility opens up an alternative for greening copper sulphide ore flotation by using more environment-friendly flotation reagents. Based on these results, a conceptual model based on industrial ecology and cleaner production principles is proposed for greening the overall copper sulphide ore processing.Item Life cycle assessment of macroalgae cultivation and processing for biofuel production(2014) Aitken, Douglas; Bulboa, Cristian; Godoy Faúndez, Alex; Turrion-Gomez, Juan L.; Antizar-Ladislao, Blanca;There has been a recent resurgence in research investigating bioenergy production from algal biomass due to the potential environmental benefits in comparison to conventional bioenergy crops and conventional fossil fuels. This life cycle assessment (LCA) considered the energy return and environmental impacts of the cultivation and processing of macroalgae (seaweed) to bioethanol and biogas with a particular focus on specific species (Gracilaria chilensis and Macrocystis pyrifera) and cultivation methods (bottom planting and long-line cultivation). The study was based mainly upon data obtained from research conducted in Chile but the results can be applied to other locations where similar cultivation is feasible. Speculative data were also included to test promising data obtained from research. The results suggested that using base case conditions the production of both bioethanol and biogas from bottom planted Gracilaria chilensis was the most sustainable option due to the low input method of cultivation. Using new advances in cultivation and processing methods of long-line cultivatedMacrocystis pyrifera however resulted in a much more sustainable source of bioenergy. If these methods can be proven on a large scale, the generation of bioenergy from macroalgae could be highly competitive in terms of its sustainability compared to alternative feedstocks. Future research should bear in mind that the results of this study should however be considered highly optimistic given the early stage of research.