Environmental Impacts of Metal Ore Mining and Processing: A Review

The impact of mining and smelting of metal ores on environmental quality is described. Mines produce large amounts of waste because the ore is only a small fraction of the total volume of the mined material. In the metal industry, production of Cu, Pb, and Zn causes the greatest degradation of the environment. Copper mining produces extensive mine wastes and tailings and Cu smelting emits approximately 0.11 Mg of S per Mg of Cu produced in the...