The market
The capital cost required to clean up closed mines worldwide is estimated at more than a billion dollars. The sanitation of a single mine in California, closed in the 1960s, required $ 200 million in public funds to contain the problems of leachate, contamination of groundwater and erosion. Although all the mining companies listed on the stock market have taken measures to stabilize and restore the environment, the amount of liquidity necessary to repair mining discharges, acid contamination of water and pollution by heavy metals has increased tenfold during Last years as new mining standards have been taxed. While some mining companies were to cover all costs according to the most recent standards, these companies could undergo a significant drop in their stock prices, some would even be forced to declare bankruptcy. The mines use either water and gravity to extract precious minerals, or crush the rocks in fine particles and then extract ore using chemicals. Large mining farms, open -air mines or underground tunnels, divert rivers, destroy whole ecosystems, even villages and communities, in order to reach the desired ore with a high level of efficiency. Minor operations release acid water, sulfuric acid by exposing pyrite to oxygen and water, naturally present radioactive materials, as well as additives such as cyanide. More and more countries are submitting new mining permits to the approval of a closing plan before starting the farm. The province of Quebec (Canada) goes further and requires a financial guarantee equal to 100 % of the calculated cost of sanitation. The storage of waste in open fits was once an acceptable practice, but like river or underwater discharges, these methods are increasingly attacked, forcing mining companies to reconsider their approach. The release of acid water is often controlled by the addition of limestone. The residues are most often stabilized by kidnapping contaminants inside and around the roots of the plants. It's cheap and it reduces wind and water erosion which, otherwise, would expose man and nature. Plant sanitation makes contaminants less accessible to wild animals and livestock, thus blocking accumulation in the food chain. As the value of the ore increases and the extraction techniques become more sophisticated, the residues are increasingly retired to recover the ore. This measure has been successfully implemented in Australia.
Innovation
The increase in costs and the imposition of strict rules oblige industry to innovate. The conversion of a series of open -air mines into hydroelectric power plants was explored in Ghana, but not prosecuted. The introduction of algae and bacteria to treat waste has been tested, and even fungal treatments have been tested. However, none has been integrated due to the high cost perceived, the uncertainty and reluctance of the industry to adopt innovations for which it has no internal expertise. The considerable volume that the mining industry must manage represents an important burden for any creative approach. Unfortunately, more and more mine closings end up with disputes, the parties ending up paying large compensation after sometimes decades of long legal quarrels, the legal service providers often earning the majority of the deposited money. Tyler Barnes is only in the Northwestern High School in Kokomo, Indiana (USA). Inspired by Patty Zech, his teacher, he inquired about the problems of acid mining drainage, a challenge in his native state which has a long history of open -air mining. An image of orange water looked like a painting on the wall, but instead of being a work of art with a brush, it was a real pollution that kills fish. Mines, as Tyler learned, not only pollute and leave a desert landscape, but they make water acid for decades after closing, making the aquatic life impossible. Indiana mines are currently using limestone - also extracted locally - to reduce acidity. The problem is that limestone does not solve the whole spectrum of problems, since it does not eliminate the iron or the copper dissolved in the water. High concentrations of rust irreparably threaten local biodiversity. Already in the first year of school, Tyler wanted to go beyond the analysis of the problem and began to look for solutions, by sweeping all the possible waste which could resolve both the acidity problem and absorb metals. He decided to focus his attention to find positive answers to a well -known problem. Tyler has questioned many alternatives with little chance of success until it read on the characteristics of the Chitosan, abundant industrial waste from shrimps and crab caps. He continued his research for four years, often spending hours after school. He went to take samples from drainage ditches to Brazil and, although he could see that the chitosan was doing the work, he could not explain why. Then, Tyler created his own acid mining drainage samples and was supervised by a college chemistry teacher looking for an explanation on the reasons for his success. Finally, he discovered that the Amino group of the Chitosan molecule absorbs iron and copper, cleaning water, while balancing its pH.
The first cash flow
Although Tyler has already been accepted at the University of Indiana to obtain a diploma in biochemistry, he wonders how to put his discovery into practice. It is well aware that the chitosan is more expensive than limestone, but as everyone in industry and the government knows, limestone does not improve the chances of survival of aquatic life. He is convinced that it will be necessary to legislate to oblige mining societies to balance the pH and remove the metals. On the other hand, the chitosan is a by-product of natural water bodies, it therefore encountered a solution "water for water". In doing so, he progressed in biochemistry and his presentations on the subject earned him numerous prizes in expo-sciences.
The opportunity
The global market for chitin derivatives and chitosan will reach 13,700 tonnes in 2010 and should reach 21,400 tonnes in 2015, which represents a value of $ 63 billion. This waste is a biopolymer with remarkable property to bind to lipids, fats and metals. As demand increases thanks to multiple innovative uses, the recovery of shrimp, lobster and crabs skeletons will improve, which will create new possibilities for shrimp farms to diversify their sources of income. The opportunity that Tyler has spotted is that the high quality chitosan can be used for medical, nutraceutical and food supplements, while low -quality chitosan could meet the immediate need to neutralize pollutants in water. This material cascade while solving the problems of the past in a positive way, generating jobs, is an example of the state of mind with which the blue economy approaches development. Most of the global chitosan supply is consumed in the Asia-Pacific region, which represents half of global demand. The Japanese market has an abundance of water, but a shortage of pure water, which leads to an increase in demand for chitosan as a flocculant. While Tyler's proposal still has major obstacles to overcome, its concentration and clarity, based on years of scientific exploration even at a very young age, demonstrate that when young people have the chance to do so, they can actually Change the perspective of the problems that persist all over the world. The solutions can (!) Very well lead to an increased demand for chitosan, thus transforming a flow of waste into a flow of income while creating jobs, in particular in regions with an urgent need for jobs. Consequently, the type of scientific research combined with the exploratory resolution of problems undertaken by Tyler inspires not only to research and learning science, but also to think beyond evidence and to make it possible in As long as entrepreneurs in order to direct society towards sustainability.
