Page 357 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

23

MINING APPLICATIONS

23.1 Industry Overview

NAICS code: all 21000s

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

18,491 mining operations in the United States
477,480 employees
$182.9 billion in annual sales
5.2 tons of solid waste generation per employee
Major waste streams: stone/construction and demolition debris

The mining sector comprises establishments that extract naturally occurring solid min-
erals, such as coal and ores; liquid minerals, such as crude petroleum; and gases, such
as natural gas. The term mining is used in the broad sense to include quarrying, well
operations, beneficiating (e.g., crushing, screening, washing, and flotation), and other
preparation customarily performed at the mine site, or as a part of mining activity.
The mining industry has been key to the development of civilization, underpinning
the iron and bronze ages, the industrial revolution, and the infrastructure of today’s
information age. In 2001, the mining industry produced over 6 billion tons of raw
products valued at several trillion dollars. Downstream beneficiation and minerals pro-
cessing of these raw materials adds further value as raw materials and products are
created to serve all aspects of industry and commerce worldwide. The last decade of
the 20th century saw the creation of megacommodity corporations that increasingly
moved downstream into the beneficiation area, leaving exploration for new mineral
deposits increasingly to small junior mining companies. Application of new technology
has led to productivity gains across the value chain.
Apart from Antarctica (which has a treaty in place preventing short- to medium-term
exploitation and exploration of minerals), mining takes place in all of the world’s
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