Why is conservation of mineral resources essential? Explain any three methods of conserving mineral resources.
Mineral resources are the fundamental material support for socio-economic progress. Demographic results show that higher than 95% of the energy used by humankind, 80% of manufacturing raw materials, and 70% of raw materials for agricultural production are from mineral resources.
What is a mineral?
A mineral is a pure inorganic substance that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust. More than two-thousand minerals have been recognized and most of these are inorganic, which are formed by the various combination of elements. Nevertheless, a small proportion of the earth’s crust contains organic elements, consisting of single elements such as gold, silver, diamond, and sulfur.
Necessary to conserve mineral resources
The whole volume of consumable mineral resources is just 1% of all the minerals present in the earth’s crust. Still, the consumption rate is so high that certain mineral resources which are nonrenewable will get drained very soon.
Ways to conserve minerals
Following are a few ways to conserve minerals
1. Minerals must be used in a planned and sustainable manner.
2. Recycling of metals.
3. Use of alternative renewable substitutes.
4. Technology should be advanced to use low-grade ores efficiently.