A THOUGHT ON TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY
A THOUGHT ON TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Author: Alexey Duarte
Date: June 2024
MY OWN STORY AND HOW IT RELATES TO SUSTAINABILITY
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Ever since I was a kid, I wondered about the mysteries of the universe and the relationship with time and our inner-self but little I worried about my own surroundings. For many years I considered that a hobby, ending up learning from a number of mentors and helping companies become more efficient and aware of their relationship with this world, and somehow always ended up visualizing the goal and considering the role of technology. Everything started clicking during my internship with this mining company, the technology director was on leave and I had to use my first metallurgical simulator, then in 1996 artificial intelligence worked its way into my hands, using neural networks to develop a smart system to simulate and predict temperatures and product quality on a rotary kiln, that was fun. Then reality struck me, operators were not very impressed or feared that such a tool could make them redundant. In 1997, a Dutch and a half German half South African, walked into this foreign land for them, together we were the first to work within this major mining company on a mega-project from concept to commissioning, using all digital tools, from reviewing large documents and drawings to approvals; internet access then was not what you see today, I laugh now at having to leave the computer connected over night to a telephone line downloading the large packages sent by contractors from all over the world. But even with the limitations of bandwidth, the project was a success finishing ahead of time, underbudget, safely and with the support of local communities.
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However, three significant events defined the course of my life, in 1995, 1997 and 1999, changing my view of the world as we know it. My niece, my daughter and my son were born respectively in those years, becoming a reason to transcend and consider my environmental and social footprint a priority in everything I do. Now, many years later, I am so proud of them, each following their own dreams guided by an inner source of strength.
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In 2001 I was testing a range of technologies for a major mining company, among others I recall testing milli-waves in ore processing, it seemed like science fiction to me and even more to some of our leaders. By that time, I came across a visionary PhD, she was involved in minerals and oil exploration using satellites, that was even more Star Trek than milli-waving ore. By 2005 I was developing processes with minimum impact over the environment and communities in sensitive regions of Indonesia, Philippines, Guatemala and Colombia. That’s how, ended up leading a team of talented researchers and working together with other incredible people (I omit their names, but I still keep contact with most of them through the years), a zero effluent discharge process was patented[1] and put into operation at a large pilot scale. Then, the second reality check hit me, are we all really interested in maximizing resources whilst avoiding detrimental impacts over people and the ecosystem?
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Later on, in 2009 I was with a team acquiring a mature oil filed in Colombia, this experience introduced me to a number of people in the oil industry, some quick dime makers, other more conscious about their role in this world we call earth. Again, technology played a key role, evaluating and using best practices in the oil industry, the field we worked on increased production from about 50 to 750 bopd in seven months. The benefits for shareholders were immediate, and it was so for the communities in this remote area as they benefited from having safe jobs and an operator caring for the social and environmental conditions in their area of influence.
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In 2010 helped start-up a boutique mining company for a private equity fund, instilling the principles and lessons learned over the years, we were able to put into operation a polymetallic mine at 4,800 meters above sea level in Peru - not without first having to learn hard lessons in Colombia and letting go opportunities in Brazil - applying good practices on community relations and operations, little I knew then that I would be back to that magic land. Again, technology played an important role; communications became the main issue but using satellite and new processing technologies we were able to overcome most challenges.
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In 2014 as Director of a megaproject to increase crude oil transportation capacity by 25%, met incredible people, again, the application of state-of-the-art technologies and products reduced the environmental and social footprint. We installed facilities with the help of amazing workers, men and women, preserving ageless trees, maintaining pristine aquifers, respecting sacred sites, and with a great dose of commitment and respect, we achieved the impossible. Again, the project was completed on-time, underbudget and with excellent safety results and the support of local communities and the unions.
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Little I knew that my next challenge in 2019 would involve everything experienced in the past years, identifying, and engaging the private sector, identifying best practices beyond the regulation for the preservation of the Amazonia. The USAID Best Management Practices (BMP) project is the first to engage the industry to identify, adopt and replicate best practices in the extractive and infrastructure sectors to minimize the impacts of megaprojects in forest, aquifers, biodiversity and communities.
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Then CORONAVIRUS hit the planet, everything seemed like a loss, but it was a breather for people and the environment, at a cost, but many new concepts emerged, and suddenly technological advances had to be fast forwarded to match the increasing challenges brought by the pandemic. Me, a processing, projects, and MBA guy, was not exempt of the opportunities to learn about new techs in the bio industry. It was time for a real break, but again one of those exemplary persons in my life opened the opportunity to learn about helium recovery from natural gas, another incredible odyssey that even today still presents some challenges. But from this period I realized that my whole life had been a relationship with resilience.
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And the story continues, one of those people that I met years ago, invited me to face another challenge. That’s how I ended up in the company I am today, a company seeking to use its best endeavors to support the race against minimizing waste and emissions. But how could this be achieved? Technology again. This company has the most advance remote operation of hydro-mining units. Now the real challenge is to couple that with green re-processing to produce clean products from environmental legacies and liabilities.
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the relationship with technology and sustainability
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By now you may be asking how this story relates to technology and innovation for the sake of sustainability? Well, let me tell you a timeless but short story. Ever since humans have records, there is a pattern in the way tools and fashion changed with the use of metals, energy and transportation means. Fire, the first energy[2] source was pivotal in transforming the earth into what is today, I wonder what would have been of civilization if those ancestors had not realized the power of using fire? [3]But it was gold, one of the first metals gathered and used since the stone age, 6,000 BC, yes, gold, it was not melted but gathered in the form of nuggets and used in rituals and fashion. By 4,000 BC, the first metal tools were made out of copper, by means of heating the high-grade ores in a hole in the ground by burning wood/coal and blowing air through a wooden pipe. Copper was later mixed with tin and the production of more resistant tools began. By 1,500 BC, smelting of iron was possible by using coke and special clays resistant to heat[4], shifting the way one civilization conquered others. A second wave of energy was tapped from the earth by the ancient Chinese in the 4th century BC, the first oil was extracted from the earth using bamboo[5] (for those interested, there are some locations where oil surfaces and could be gathered without drilling). A third energy wave began with the use of windmills to grind grains and pump water by the 12th century, not sure if they recognized it as a source of energy but certainly reduced their work.
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Two very interesting events almost coincide in history, in the 18th century the first steam engine (using coal and/or coke to boil water and produce steam) and the discovery of nickel, made possible the fabrication of new tools resistant to corrosion, during this period the first Ford T-Model was produced and the use of oil started increasing exponentially. As this was happening, communications improved and what used to take years to get known from one side of the world to the other, now takes milliseconds, people started to commute and change locations, improvements in housing and construction followed. Then in the 19th century aluminum and silicon became usable materials. It was in the 20th century that nuclear fission and fusion energy became economically viable. As a result of the 1970′s energy crisis, many became interested in harvesting the sun′s energy by using the same silicon harvested from the ground (solar panels) and the application of mechanical principles to harvest the energy from sea waves. However, it is only until the 21st Century that we see a clear adoption of new technologies, as a result of economic viability, to harvest the energy from the wind and sun and use it in our daily lives.
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New metals like columbite, tantalum, yttrium, lanthanum, terbium, neodymium, gadolinium and praseodymium, niobium and others are being produced to make smart phones, accelerate computing calculations and make technology more affordable and accessible to everyone. In addition, a typical phone contains gold, silver, copper, aluminum, silicon, nickel, cadmium, zirconium, lithium and energy, huge amount of energy, to keep up with the consumers demand for smartphones.
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Today it seems as if we live in a continuously plugged world, where data is atomized and bombarded through a number of channels at a speed and volume that has not seen parallel in the modern history of humanity. Such is the situation that our senses are reclaiming the need for accessing the green and the colors of nature, the chirps of birds, the sound of running water streams and the power of the wild.
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TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION
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In the 16th Century, [6]the first hydrometallurgical processes to recover Copper from pyrite containing ores was established in Germany and Spain by Rio Tinto. By 1912, the first copper recovered by electro-deposition was produced in Chile. Wow, it took more than 6,000 years to go from high energy intensive processes to more efficient in terms of resource utilization and less energy intensive. However, it would take almost 60 years to accept that heap leaching was the best alternative for processing increasing lower grade ores.
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Like with copper, another reference metal is nickel, most of its production was made from its origins to the 1990′s using high energy intensive processes (Rotary Kiln – Electric Arc Furnace), consuming in average about 800-900 kilo-watt/ton of ore. This high intensity process makes only high-grade deposits economically viable. In the early 1990′s a wave of hydrometallurgical processes started sprouting, to process lower grade ores, following the footsteps of copper, from pressure acid leaching to atmospheric leaching and heap leaching. But it has taken almost 20 years for the technologies to become widely accepted and it will take some other 10-20 years before we see heap leaching being as popular in nickel as it is in copper.
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The adoption of new technologies is an unpaved road, with often major companies developing new processes that are later risked in their financial analysis to calculate the Expected Risked Net Present Value, but even if it compares better to existing ancient technologies, the decision will favor the mature processes, How can we expect to improve our world if the resource companies and superpowers are not prepared to take measured risks? Because of few incentives for extracting companies to become first movers, the task of experimenting is often left to junior companies. However, this is not always viable as technology developers often use patents to block access to technology. The question is from where could incentives come from? That is a complex answer that requires thoughtful consideration by regulators and commitment from the industry to leap forward and apply technologies to benefit the people, biodiversity and the environment.
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IMAGINE A SUSTAINABLE WORLD IN 20-50 YEARS
How many of us dare to visualize the development of our planet? There are special areas that requires attention, like the Amazonia, this vast land and water area, is source to many resources and biodiversity. Besides its nature resources in biodiversity, ancient medicine and water, it holds not only the highest CO2 sequestration footprint, but metals like gold, silver, copper, zinc and coltan, energy sources like oil, gas and hydropower.
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A reasonable fact is that as we are being bombarded with information, so are the communities around the globe. There is an increase need from previously isolated communities to reach the foreign markets, and also a natural curiosity for learning.
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Unfortunately, the first movers into desolated areas are often the worst nightmare for the ecosystem. Illegals cut trees in the amazon, Philippines, Indonesia, Central America and more, at an unprecedented rate of 15 football fields per minute[7]! If this is not alarming to us, then there is a lack of sense in humanity. To compound the problem, the illegal loggers do it for a number of reasons, among others timber, soy, palm-oil and coca plantations, extensive cattle ranchers, gold and other illegal mining activities. I am a believer that more than 80% of the deforestation is related to illegal activities and legal activities related to cattle and plantations[8].
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Then the question is who is responsible for such destruction, is it only the government′s fault? I believe the answer is no, we as consumers are somehow responsible for the deforestation. Think about this, how much beef is consumed worldwide? How are cattle fed? Where bio-fuels come from? The wood you consume comes from legal or illegal sources? Does gold trade come from legal sources? Do you drive a car? Do you own a smartphone? Are you constantly plugged? How often do you change your wardrobe? Is fast-fashion your thing? So many uneasy questions that many of us might prefer not to answer.
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The final consumer has a say in the way we treat our world, movements towards stopping plastic use is finally making enough noise for governments (people) to regulate their utilization. But not before trillions of tons of plastic have found their way even in our everyday products.
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So, lets stop for second at the sad picture in front of us and let’s focus on what we can do using technology.
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A vision for a sustainable world could be descried as follows: imagine you are flying about 10,000 meters up in the air and you could have a birds view of the world, how does it look now and in 20 or 50 years?
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Lest start with interconnecting the worlds, imagine interconnected regions with multimodal elevated transit system using hydrogen[9] powered trains, nano-structured solar panels, wind turbines or even hydropower from within the region, coupled with key multi-ports for people and cargo from local and industrial producers, and smart drones delivering packages to the most remote areas. Imagine a community interconnected using Linternet[10], a standalone system that delivers renewable energy and internet to isolated communities, but instead of typical silicon-based panels, using the latest nano-structured metals[11]. Imagine that rail system based on the needs of communities and on economically viable development of resources, with the trajectory of the rail mapped using lasers dropped without cutting any trees to map the way. Imagine a region without land roads as known today, eliminating the fishbone effects from secondary road developments.
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Imagine working together with Carbon Credit funds to share benefits with local communities and establish protection areas along the path of the hydrogen trains, and create a Endangered Protection Corridor between countries, as it has been done in Indonesia and Malaysia for the protection of the orangutan[12]. Imagine eco-tourism deriving from having clean access to pristine areas in the regions, guided by locals, learning about the amazing power of plants, watching the path of the endangered and the immense biodiversity in that oasis in the middle of the cosmos.
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Imagine being able to foresee the best location of a hydropower plant based on the minimum impacts on the communities, environment and biodiversity[13].
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Imagine exploration for metals, oil and gas being done using satellite spectrograph, short-impulse electromagnetic fields and vertical electro-resonance[14], avoiding the need for cutting trees and mapping in 3D the underground.
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Imagine processes that not only reduce the water intakes, but achieve zero effluent discharges and zero waste. Imagine process water, from all industries and human activities, being treated to produce clean fog that falls back in the region[15].
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Imagine if we could all cooperate and stop working as silos, building together a better region for the people and the biodiversity. Imagine the region monitored by satellites[16]. Imagine a system that allows you to visualize this development, and all potential synergies between industries, using predictive-cognitive models and virtual reality[17], so you can see the effects of any project in the region even before a single leaf is touched.
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Imagine a monitoring system where the final users is the regulator, where every product coming out of the region is tracked by a virtual tracker and the final user, whether an individual buying a gold ring, or a construction company buying timber or copper for their projects, or a private or pension fund interested in investing in the resource sector, can see the track record of every product and the company′s performance producing it. Imagine local people, men and women, learning and applying new technologies for the monitoring of the ecosystem and protection of their cosmovision. Imagine all that information being accessible by all and collected using Internet of Things (cameras, drones, satellites, acoustic, thermography, water and air quality monitors, etc) and analyzed by Artificial Intelligence, all within a Data System using Blockchain to ensure traceability and transparency.
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Imagine a region without illegals destroying the natural resources. Imagine a fast response team to alerts on deforestation, contamination or biodiversity loss. Imagine the restauration of damaged systems as a result of bad practices by the industry, illegal activities, or not well thought infrastructure projects
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Imagine regulators rewarding the efforts of the industry for voluntarily developing projects or working in operations with standards beyond the regulatory norm.
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Just Imagine, you, as the end user, making a parallel here, that instead of waiting until the “plastic hecatomb” reaches us all, and regulators start taxing your way around the “problem” when it seems too late, imagine you, taking the first step in buying only Certified products that use best practices in their exploration, processing, manufacturing, disposal and monitoring processes. Just Imagine you, having the ability to protect the future of this gorgeous gift called earth.
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4 个月Agrade?o a Mayara Valeiro da Fraser Alexander por permitir usar esta foto.
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4 个月We all claim to want to do something for our planet. But 80% of people just go on with their lives, consuming without noticing the impact on earth.