Thread by @JohnLeePettim13

This 1 ton rock contains between 0.6 and 1 per cent of copper. One ton of ore generates a maximum 6 to 10 kilograms of copper. Depending on the size of battery, an electric bus can use between 224 and 369 kg of copper. How do we get the copper out of the rock? Mining 🧵

To start with we have to do a whole lot of mining. Mining requires massive amounts of equipment, fuel, oil and electricity. This shovel requires 4160 Volts to operate.

But before we get into that first we need core samples. Core samples determine whether or not we have a mineable property. How do we get core samples? We call in the diamond drillers.

With core samples the geologists can determine how "rich" the ore body is and where the best ore is located.

Ok we have a good ore body, lets start mining. Time to start drilling. Depending on the drill either diesel fuel or electricity is used. The hole diameters will range from 6 inches to 16 inches and be 45 feet deep.

Once we have drilled off the pattern, its time to fill the holes with explosives.

The blasting agent used will be an ANFO type of explosive – ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (diesel) mixture which may have a percentage of aluminum powder added. This will increase the efficacy of the ANFO by up to 30%. The blasting agent is a wet slurry or a semi dry prill.

Some shots will have 300 holes or more with a ton of explosive in each hole. After a shot you will see yellow or orange smoke at the blast site. This smoke is mainly oxides of nitrogen with a medley of other toxins created in the blast.

This dust, laden with all its toxins, can rise to more than a kilometer and will move down wind for many kilometers. The fly rock can easily hit an unsuspecting target a kilometer away. There is no bigger thrill than pushing that plunger. (Yes I've done it a few times)

Now it's time to call in the big boys. The shovels, loaders, support equipment and trucks.

But wait, we haven't even reached the ore body yet. First we have to take off the overburden to reach the ore body. Millions of tons of overburden. This is a typical overburden dump.

Ok we've reached the ore body, time to take the good stuff to the crusher. We need trucks for that, big trucks.

A 797 Cat haul truck weighs 623690 kg, holds 4500 litres of fuel and 6100 litres of oil/coolant. Each load approx. 400 tons.

Now we need crushers, ball mills, toxic chemicals, flotation tanks and a ton of electricity.

And in the end, tailings ponds. Toxic tailings ponds. We shouldn't really call them ponds, they are actually lakes. Tailings ponds can be the size of New York's central park.

So the next time you see that shiny new EV or that picturesque wind turbine they tell you is green, remember the amount of mining needed to make it. There is nothing green about #GreenEnergy

I hope this has given everyone a glimpse into my world, the mining world, and what it takes for just one element needed. Thanks for your time.

Copper demand, nearly doubling to 50 million metric tons by 2035. By 2050, demand will reach more than 53 million metric tons. To put this figure in perspective, S&P Global noted that that’s “more than all the copper consumed in the world between 1900 and 2021.” #GreenEnergy