Greenland: Mining (Pernille Erland Jensen)

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From the course by Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Global Environmental Management

283 ratings

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Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Global Environmental Management

283 ratings

Learn about the best environmental technologies for a sustainable development and how they are managed in various settings around the world. This course gives you an opportunity to learn about global trends that influence our environment and the living conditions and how different management systems and approaches that are used around the world to manage the environment. This includes current environmental technologies built for the environment and technologies for sustainable soil management, groundwater protection methods and integrated Water resources management.

From the lesson

WEEK/MODULE 4: Technologies for the Built Environment

In week 4 we look at some of the current environmental technologies that are particularly effective in carrying out their purpose and in an environmental friendly way. We look at how we choose among different technologies and study storm water technologies, urban water supply and solid waste handling.

Introduction to Integrated Urban Drainage-Wastewater Systems Course (Peter Steen Mikkelsen)5:25

Urban Water Technologies Interview (Karsten Arnbjerg-Nielsen)7:49

Safe and Optimal Water Supply (Martin Rygaard)6:19

Rural Environmental Technologies (Henrik Bregnhoj)11:44

Solid waste technologies (Alessio Boldrin)7:40

Greenland: Intro to lecturers Gunvor and Pernille0:33

Greenland: Water Supply (Pernille Erland Jensen)1:54

Greenland: Waste Management (Gunvor Marie Kirkelund)5:32

Greenland: Wastewater Treatment (Pernille Erland Jensen)4:55

Greenland: Mining (Pernille Erland Jensen)3:54

Meet the Instructors

Henrik Bregnhøj
Ext. Assoc. Prof.
Dept. Environmental Engineering
Steffen Foss Hansen
Associate Professor
Department of Environmental Engineering

Historically there has been a number of

mines working in Greenland. Many Greenlanders hope

that mining will become a main industry in the country in the future. Mining

produces large volumes of waste. The nature of the waste is decided by the

local mineralogy and also the specific processes implemented in the mine. In

many aspects mining in Greenland and the Arctic does not differ from mine elsewhere

in the world.

However, there are some issues that need to be paid attention to. The greenlandic

and arctic environment is considered to be more pristine and

sensitive. Also, many of the chemicals that are used in the mining industry

have not been tested towards arctic species and many of the treatment

remediation and rehabilitation technologies that are used elsewhere are

not as efficient in the Arctic climate. There may also be some advantages of

mining in the Arctic. Some of the chemical reactions that are

environmentally damaging take place at a slower pace in the waste in the Arctic

due to the low temperature and it may in some places even be possible to deposit

the waste inside the permafrost where can be left more or less inert. Like

elsewhere in the world there have been historic examples of improper and

insufficient environmental management of mines in Greenland. One example is the

mine in Mestersvig, which was running in the late 1950s and early

60s. This was a lead mine and there was no environmental management plan for

this mine at this time in history. So a lot of material was spilled accidentally

and more or less deliberately sometimes, and there was quite some contamination with lead

in the surrounding sea, which can still be monitored. Another example is the Maamorilik

mine which was running in the 1970s and 80s. Here

environmental management was actually implemented and monitoring was done.

During the monitoring it was observed that contamination occurred from dust at

the mining site, but also surprisingly from the tailings that were deposited in

a deep fjord nearby the mining site.

Therefore, the processes at the mine were changed during the mining

period. The contamination at Maamorilik can also still be monitored today.

Nowadays, an extensive environmental impact assessment has to be made

prior to getting permission to mine in Greenland. The assessment and the plan

needs to go to a public hearing process and it needs to contain a study plan on

how to study and monitor the environment prior to starting the mining,

a monitoring plan for the environment during the mining and after the mining

has ceased. Also, it needs to include a plan for handling of the waste of the

mine and on how to recultivate the mining area after the mining has closed down.

High environmental standards are aimed for in the future mines in Greenland, and one

example of this is the ambitious wastewater discharge levels that have been

implemented recently.

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