Source of Elements
Where do our elements come from?
All the elements that we talk about have to come from somewhere on the Earth. The diagram below shows where many of the minerals (metals) that we use come from:
All the elements that we talk about have to come from somewhere on the Earth. The diagram below shows where many of the minerals (metals) that we use come from:
Although there are certain elements well within the Earth's core that are valuable to us, we cannot access them. As humans, our resources that we use have to come from the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the crust part of the lithosphere. All of the things that we make come from these areas, and some places in the lithosphere have a greater abundance of certain elements
Ores & Minerals
Very few elements are found uncombined in nature. Occasionally, it is possible to find elements such as Au, N, O, Ag, Cu, C and noble gases not in a compound on or in the Earth. The remainder of elements are usually found in ores, a naturally occurring rock that can be mined profitably. These ores can be taken and physically separated into the different solid compounds containing the elements of interest.
The following flowchart explains the typical process of separation:
Ores & Minerals
Very few elements are found uncombined in nature. Occasionally, it is possible to find elements such as Au, N, O, Ag, Cu, C and noble gases not in a compound on or in the Earth. The remainder of elements are usually found in ores, a naturally occurring rock that can be mined profitably. These ores can be taken and physically separated into the different solid compounds containing the elements of interest.
The following flowchart explains the typical process of separation:
The greatest challenge in getting the metals needed for various processes is finding the ores. Once the ores are found, it may or may not be cost effective to actually mine them. When mining ores, manufacturers must consider several questions:
- Where is the useful ore? Is it in an accessible place?
- Once we find the ore, is it of a high enough quality to be profitable? Is there enough of the metal within the ore to get a meaningful amount out of the ore?
- How do we extract the ore? How many people and how much equipment will it take to remove the ore from the ground?
- How far will we have to move the ore to process it? We’ll the processing plant be across the street or across the country or around the world? Does that make sense?
- Does anyone want the processed metal? Is there a market for the material? Will it cost more to process the metal than it will be worth on the free market?