Biotech key to unlock mineral resources value

Mining is one of the oldest human activities and industries and involves exploration and exploitation of mineral resources. In addition, there are many areas of geology with the basic goal of collecting information for understanding the Earth's structure, and planning and conducting various types of geological research of mineral resources and raw materials. Mining is the holder of the mineral raw materials management like a non-renewable natural resource. The utilization value of mineral raw materials increases but constantly changes, depending on the needs, so the task of the mining and geological professions is to continuously valorization of their value. Miners and geologists should be actively involved in spatial planning and solving of potential activation of a particular mine location in terms of increasing the number of inhabitants and reducing living space with adequate environmental protection. Mining activities are predetermined by the place of mineral resources and raw materials occurrence and are limited by the real conditions and possibilities of a certain community and society. It is necessary to determine the real possibilities of exploitation because the organization of mining production at any cost is humanistically, ecologically and economically speaking, unsustainable. The mineral resources of the Republic Srpska enable the exploitation and processing of mineral raw materials in the metal, metal processing, construction, chemical, cement, ceramics construction materials industry etc. The largest part (over 90% in terms of value) are reproductive materials for processing in other industries, a smaller part are products that go directly to the market. In the conditions of increased and faster technological development and the tendency of increasing exploitation of natural resources in the world with changes in previous conceptions of life, there was a need to analyze the sustainability of natural and raw mineral resources for further development of Republika Srpska. The issue of sustainable development, in terms of strengthening the economic structure and geopolitical position of RS and BiH in relation to the surrounding countries, becomes a matter of strategic approach to the organization and development of the mineral complex.

1. Antarctic resources policy: an introduction Francisco Orrego Vicuna Part I. The State of Antarctic Knowledge and Experience: 2. Antarctica: its history and development V. E. Fuchs 3. The living resources of the Southern Ocean: a scientific overview George A. Knox 4. The mineral resources of Antarctica: progress in their identification Tore Gjelsvik 5. Environmental factors in the development of Antarctica M. W. Holdgate 6. Cooperation in the Antarctic: a quarter of a century's experience J. A. Heap Part II. The Policy for the Conservation of the Living Resources of Antarctica: 7. Scientific and economic considerations relating to the conservation of marine living resources in Antarctica D. L. Powell 8. The implementation of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources: needs and problems Takesi Nagata 9. The regime for the conservation of Antarctica's living resources Josyane Couratier 10. The Canberra Convention: objectives and political aspects of its negotiation Fernando Zegers Part III. The Policy for the Exploration and Exploitation of the Mineral Resources of Antarctica: 11. Geologic data and its impact on the discussion on a regime for mineral resources Oscar Gonzalez-Ferran 12. Basic conditions for the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in Antarctica: options and experiences Egil Bergsager 13. Oil as a special resource: problems and experiences Gilbert Guillaume 14. An overview of the problems which should be addressed in the preparation of a regime governing the mineral resources of Antarctica C. D. Beeby 15. The definition of a regime on Antarctic mineral resources: basic options Francisco Orrego Vicuna 16. Criteria for access to the resources of Antarctica: alternatives, procedure and experience applicable Keith Brennan Part IV. Issues on Antarctica and the Law of the Sea: 17. The application of the law of the sea to the Antarctic continent Alfred Van der Essen 18. The application of the law of the sea and the exclusive economic zone to the Antarctic continent Francisco Orrego Vicuna 19. The continental shelf of Antarctica: legal implications for a regime on mineral resources Maria Teresa Infante Part V. The Policy for Antarctic Cooperation: 20. Antarctica's role in international relations Roberto E. Guyer 21. Alternatives for cooperation and institutionalisation in Antarctica: outlook for the 1990s R. Tucker Scully 22. Resource development in polar regions: comments on technology E. F. Roots 23. Jurisdictional problems in relation to Antarctic mineral resources in political perspective Finn Sollie.

The purpose of this study is to provide new empirical evidence on the coupling relation between extraction of mineral resources and the ecological environment in the area of Inner Mongolia grassland and come up with countermeasures in favor of their balanced development. To this end, the study designs a comprehensive indicator framework and creates a coupling model based on the system theory and Lyapunov’s approximation theorem. The study gauges the coupling degree concerning mineral resources exploitation and the ecological environment over the period from 2002 to 2018, finding that the stress, which mineral resources exploitation exercises on the ecological environment in the grassland area of Inner Mongolian, is constantly intensifying. The study also finds that their coupling relationship turns out to be at a low level of coordination, even representing a downward trend. Albeit this region moves into the stage of harmonious development between mining activity and environmental protection, their coupling degree is tiny. This paper concludes with pointing out proposals on how to promote the balanced development of mineral resources exploitation and the ecological environment.

Sustainable resource management in China's energy mining sector: A synthesis of development and conservation in the FinTech era

Research on interest allocation in resource industry chain: taking resources exploitation in China as an example

Mineral resources depletion, environmental degradation, and exploitation of natural resources: COVID-19 aftereffects

At present, Western Sahara is politically one of the most sensitive areas of the World. Its economic development could be achieved through the exploitation of mineral resources that can be found in the almost unexplored area administrated by the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic. In this paper, we describe applications of known and cost-effective remote sensing techniques to detect and map areas containing mineral deposits, through the enhancement of Landsat ETM+ imageries. Several image processing techniques (false color composite, band ratioing, and principal component analysis) were used to highlight the presence of iron deposits. Two test areas were selected, one in Western Sahara and another one in Algeria. The occurrence of iron deposits in these test areas was assured using literature data for the Algerian test site and through a field campaign for the Western Sahara. There is good agreement between the ground truth data and the results obtained by the enhancements of the satellite images. Landsat images can be downloaded free of charge and their enhancements does not need expensive hardware or software tools. Therefore this technology could be transferred to the Saharawi technicians, enabling them to explore and manage the mineral resources of their own country independently.

The aims of this study is to verify the effect of the exploitation of mineral resources on human capital in CEMAC countries. Our analysis made use of panel data sets of all these members countries, over the period of 2002 to 2016, which is a period where the prices of natural resources weakness frequent fluctuation in the world market. The econometric model formulated in relation to mineral rent in CEMAC countries has three indicators of human capital, measured by the rate of school enrolment, infant mortality rate and life expectancy. Three regression techniques have been used for this purpose: the ordinary least squared (OLS); two stages least squared (2SLS) and Limited Information Maximum Likelihood (LIML). The results of our analysis shows that rent from mineral resources has a negative effect on schooling rate and life expectancy rate in CEMAC. Similarly, our result demonstrates that, mineral rent increases infant mortality rate in CEMAC members countries. Keywords: Mineral rent, human capital and panel data DOI : 10.7176/JESD/10-24-05 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

As people’s standard of living improves, their demands on the ecological environment are becoming higher and higher. As mineral resources are an important pillar of the national economy, the traditional mode of exploitation often leads to resource depletion and environmental damage. Globally, the exploitation of mineral resources is facing increasingly high environmental standards. The green development of the mineral economy can help promote the transformation of the economic structure from the traditional resource-dependent to the green and low-carbon type, cultivate new points of economic growth, and improve the quality and efficiency of economic growth. Green development emphasizes the sustainable use of resources in the process of mineral resources development and ensures the harmonious coexistence of mineral resources development and the ecological environment.

The conventions on climate change (Rio, 1992; Kyoto, 1997) and the agreement of 1994 relating to the Implementation of Part XI of UNCLOS on deep-sea mineral resources share many historical similarities. These agreements were signed in the 1990s – a decade of triumphant liberalism - in an intellectual context where the principles of the market economy were seen as universal guidelines. The principles set out in Rio in 1992 were well-intentioned: the aim was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions using mechanisms compatible with market rules, but also to allow all countries access to the Western-style development model based on growth, in accordance with the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”. These principles conditioned the post-Kyoto follow-up, but proved insufficient to orient research towards alternative technologies and to significantly slow down the race to invest in fossil fuels.The same applies to the implementation of part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning deep-sea mining in the “Area” outside national jurisdiction. The 1982 Convention was also well-intentioned: it was intended to extend to the submarine domain the principle enunciated by Truman in 1945, according to which undersea mineral wealth is designed to be exploited for the development of mankind. Noting “the political and economic changes, including market-oriented approaches”, the 1994 agreement on the implementation of Part XI of the 1982 convention was tailored at the request of the industrialized countries, to bring it into line with the principles of the market economy. Although simplified, the provisions set out in this implementation agreement are extremely complex, due to the difficulty of reconciling: i) the great principle set out making the “Area” the common heritage of mankind; ii) the interests of member states; iii) the interests of private operators; iv) the World Trade Organization rules of free competition in a market economy; etc.In 2025, more than thirty years after the signing of the agreement on Part XI of the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the question arises: should we continue to attempt to reconcile principles that are per se incompatible? Thanks to the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 and its Madrid Protocol on environmental protection (Madrid, 1991), a ban on activities relating to mineral resources is established. Its strength derives from its simplicity. Its symbolic significance has enabled it to stand the test of time. It is a response to the impossibility of bringing into force the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (Wellington, 1988), which proposed a legal regime for the exploitation of resources. Why not make the Antarctic Treaty System a model for the ‘Area’? The International Seabed Authority would then see its mandate evolve from the management of exploitation to the protection of the ‘Area’, for the benefit of humanity as a whole.

Throughout the Old Kingdom period, the Egyptian state maintained close relations with all the regions surrounding the Nile valley. At the time when the pharaonic state launched monumental construction projects—notably the building of the gigantic pyramids of the Fourth Dynasty—the exploitation of mineral resources in the desert margins and in more distant areas was sharply accentuated. The establishment of harbors on the Red Sea shore served to reach the south of the Sinai peninsula for the exploitation of copper and turquoise, as well as to bring back aromatics and exotic products from the land of Punt in the Bab el-Mandab area. The need for labor to realize building projects and develop the Egyptian infrastructure, for example as required to control major trade routes, led to repeated military raids against Libya, Nubia, and the Levant. Drawing on archaeology and written sources, including the tomb autobiographies of state officials of the Sixth Dynasty, this chapter offers perspectives on the complex military and diplomatic activities that linked the Old Kingdom to the surrounding regions.

Sustainable Development and Mineral Resources Accounting of China

This paper is a synthesis of the evolution on the use of remote sensing imagery for geological and mining mapping in West Africa, particularly in Côte d'Ivoire. For nearly 50 years, the development of countries in West Africa is mainly based on agriculture. Given the very low prices of export commodities on the world market, governments have adopted other economic policies including, in particular, the exploitation of natural mineral resources. This is as well as several countries saw their economy go on thanks to these natural resources. This is the case of Ghana (gold); Sierra Leone (gold and diamond); and Nigeria (for petroleum). For a decade, mining research has experienced rapid development in some countries in West Africa (Ghana, Mali, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone...). This mining research, which is based in part on geological mapping, seems to depend on good geological maps of the affected areas of the West African Craton. It is therefore important to have access to recent and precise maps. It is consequently necessary to use new technologies to resolve the one of the major problems to which ones are confronted the geologists: the lack of sufficient outcrops in the humid tropics of West Africa to achieve accurate maps. Therefore, remote sensing imagery appears to be one of the effective tools for achieving accurate geological maps, essential supports for searching mineral resources. It is necessary that a particular methodology must be known by geologists for a better use of remote sensing imagery.

In facing the problem of the exploitation of heterogeneous mineral resources (ore or oil), the question of defining continuous zones exhibiting similar characteristics may arise. A method to approach this question using factorial and geostatistical techniques was developed. It contains three main steps: (1) Taking as an input the data matrix (samples x variables), a factorial technique (principal components analysis or correspondence analysis) is applied, giving rise to groups of samples of similar characteristics. (2) The problem of contiguity within samples of the same group and the number of groups to be retained is solved by expert advice of the geological/exploitation team, based on graphical representation of zones. (3) Once decided which samples belong to each final group, the boundaries from zone to zone are estimated, using a transitive kriging technique, relying on the geometric variogram.

Marine pollution impacts coastal nations around the world, and more so: (a) in confined maritime areas with significant marine traffic, (b) where exploitation of natural and mineral resources is taking place, or (c) in regions witnessing pressure from tourism, local population growth, and industry. In this work, Digital Elevation Models, hydrographic, and climatic data are used together with computer simulations to understand the control of climate change on marine pollution. The results show that different climate change signals can potentially alter the flow and concentration of pollution in the European Seas, when compared to the present day. Ultimately, this work identifies the main sources of marine pollution as: (1) rivers and streams near cities and industrialised areas, (2) coastal areas experiencing sudden demographic pressures, (3) offshore shipping lanes in which oil and other marine debris are released, and (4) areas of rugged seafloor where industrial fishing takes place. This paper finishes by describing new educational material prepared to teach school children around the world. It explains why how a new training curriculum and e-game developed by Sea4All can be crucial in future Environmental Education and Education for a Sustainable Development.