Exergy-Based Sustainability Assessment of Gold Mining in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Pit and Alluvial Mining
Thermodynamic methods such as exergy analysis enable the evaluation of environmental load (environmental impacts) by quantifying entropy generation and exergy destruction associated with using renewable and non-renewable resources throughout a production system. Based on the principle that environme...
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| author | Natalia A. Cano-Londoño Javier Ordoñez-Loza Héctor I. Velásquez Heriberto Cabezas |
| author_facet | Natalia A. Cano-Londoño Javier Ordoñez-Loza Héctor I. Velásquez Heriberto Cabezas |
| author_sort | Natalia A. Cano-Londoño |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Thermodynamic methods such as exergy analysis enable the evaluation of environmental load (environmental impacts) by quantifying entropy generation and exergy destruction associated with using renewable and non-renewable resources throughout a production system. Based on the principle that environmental impacts occur when exergy is dissipated into the environment, this study applies exergy analysis as a tool for assessing the sustainability of gold mining in Colombia. Two extraction technologies—open-pit and alluvial mining—are evaluated by calculating exergy efficiencies, cumulative exergy demand (CExD), and associated environmental impacts. The results reveal significant differences between the two methods: open-pit mining is heavily dependent on fossil fuels (53% of input exergy), with 99.62% of total exergy destroyed, resulting in an exergy efficiency of just 0.37% and a sustainability index (SI) of 1.00. In contrast, alluvial mining relies predominantly on water (94%), with 69% of input exergy destroyed, an exergy efficiency of 31%, and an SI of 1.46. Four strategies are proposed to reduce environmental burdens: improving efficiency, minimizing exergy losses, integrating renewable energy, and adopting circular economy principles. This study presents the first application of exergy analysis to comprehensively assess the exergy cost of gold production, from extraction through refining, casting, and molding, highlighting critical exergy hotspots and offering a thermodynamic foundation for optimizing resource use in mineral processing. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ede840ee7e324e1590ebdc9945536d05 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj-art-ede840ee7e324e1590ebdc9945536d052025-08-20T03:50:16ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-06-011813324710.3390/en18133247Exergy-Based Sustainability Assessment of Gold Mining in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Pit and Alluvial MiningNatalia A. Cano-Londoño0Javier Ordoñez-Loza1Héctor I. Velásquez2Heriberto Cabezas3Grupo de Investigación Fenómenos de Superficie-Michael Polanyi, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Kra 80 No. 65–223, Medellín 050041, ColombiaInstitute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR), University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, CanadaGrupo de Bioprocesos y Flujos Reactivos, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín, Kra 80 No. 65–223, Medellín 050041, ColombiaDepartment of Applied Sustainability, Széchenyi István University, 9026 Győr, HungaryThermodynamic methods such as exergy analysis enable the evaluation of environmental load (environmental impacts) by quantifying entropy generation and exergy destruction associated with using renewable and non-renewable resources throughout a production system. Based on the principle that environmental impacts occur when exergy is dissipated into the environment, this study applies exergy analysis as a tool for assessing the sustainability of gold mining in Colombia. Two extraction technologies—open-pit and alluvial mining—are evaluated by calculating exergy efficiencies, cumulative exergy demand (CExD), and associated environmental impacts. The results reveal significant differences between the two methods: open-pit mining is heavily dependent on fossil fuels (53% of input exergy), with 99.62% of total exergy destroyed, resulting in an exergy efficiency of just 0.37% and a sustainability index (SI) of 1.00. In contrast, alluvial mining relies predominantly on water (94%), with 69% of input exergy destroyed, an exergy efficiency of 31%, and an SI of 1.46. Four strategies are proposed to reduce environmental burdens: improving efficiency, minimizing exergy losses, integrating renewable energy, and adopting circular economy principles. This study presents the first application of exergy analysis to comprehensively assess the exergy cost of gold production, from extraction through refining, casting, and molding, highlighting critical exergy hotspots and offering a thermodynamic foundation for optimizing resource use in mineral processing.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/13/3247exergy analysisgold miningsustainability assessmentcircular economyexergy efficiency |
| spellingShingle | Natalia A. Cano-Londoño Javier Ordoñez-Loza Héctor I. Velásquez Heriberto Cabezas Exergy-Based Sustainability Assessment of Gold Mining in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Pit and Alluvial Mining Energies exergy analysis gold mining sustainability assessment circular economy exergy efficiency |
| title | Exergy-Based Sustainability Assessment of Gold Mining in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Pit and Alluvial Mining |
| title_full | Exergy-Based Sustainability Assessment of Gold Mining in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Pit and Alluvial Mining |
| title_fullStr | Exergy-Based Sustainability Assessment of Gold Mining in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Pit and Alluvial Mining |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exergy-Based Sustainability Assessment of Gold Mining in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Pit and Alluvial Mining |
| title_short | Exergy-Based Sustainability Assessment of Gold Mining in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of Open-Pit and Alluvial Mining |
| title_sort | exergy based sustainability assessment of gold mining in colombia a comparative analysis of open pit and alluvial mining |
| topic | exergy analysis gold mining sustainability assessment circular economy exergy efficiency |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/13/3247 |
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