For those involved in the world of mining, you may already know about the regulations regarding the requirement for all mining companies to build smelter facilities. However, those who are unfamiliar may not know how important the existence of smelter facilities is in the mining industry.
You don’t need to worry, because this article will discuss smelters in the mining industry. Starting from the definition and function of a smelter, why a smelter is needed, obstacles and environmental impacts, to related professions who work at a smelter. All this information will be discussed in this article.
Definition and Function of Smelter
Literally, smelter comes from the word smelting, which means smelting. In the metal mineral mining industry, smelters are part of the production process, where this process extracts or separates metal ore into pure metal.
Generally, minerals mined from nature are still mixed with dirt or unwanted materials. So, this innate material needs to be cleaned, apart from that it also has to be purified. This refining process is one of the functions of the smelter. Apart from that, the function of the smelter is to increase the metal content so that the metals produced such as tin, nickel, copper, gold and silver can meet applicable standards.
Reasons to Build a Smelter
The time required to build a mineral ore processing facility is around 3 years, and the government has appealed to all mining companies in Indonesia, both large and small, to quickly build smelters. So, why is the government so aggressive in building this smelter? Some important points include:
- Smelters can increase the selling value of the minerals that mining companies produce.
- This facility can also increase interest for domestic and foreign investors.
- Opening new job opportunities for those involved in the mining sector or communities around where the smelter is being built.
According to data collected from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, there are 250 companies holding mining business permits (IUP), and at the time this article was written, around 70 companies were building smelters.
Of the 70 companies, approximately 25 companies are in the final stages of the smelter construction process. Then, 15 companies were recorded as starting to carry out ground construction, and 10 companies were in the construction process. The remaining 16 companies have just processed environmental impact analysis permits.
According to CNBC Indonesia, currently, Indonesia has a significant number of smelters, with a total of 116 smelters operating throughout the archipelago. These smelters are spread across various regions, including Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua, as well as various other islands. Of this amount, it is stated that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources will place restrictions on the construction of smelters, and for those who want to build them, the process will most likely be very complicated because they think there are already too many.
Process or How Smelter Works
A mining smelter is an industrial facility that processes mineral ore into pure metals or metal alloys. The way it works involves steps such as crushing the ore, flotation to separate valuable minerals, refining through smelting, separating the metal from remaining impurity minerals, and final refining when necessary.
In smelters, the active substances in the type of metal influence the reduction process. The higher the level of metal activity, the more difficult the reduction process will be. Meanwhile, if the activity level is lower, the reduction process can also be easier. Metals with a high level of activity for example; magnesium and aluminum, intermediate level; lead, iron, and nickel, low levels; gold and copper.
Metal Materials that Require a Smelter
There are many types of metal materials that require a smelter process. This is none other than to separate the metal from the mineral ore and increase its purity so that it has more selling value. Some examples of metal materials that are generally processed using a smelter include:
- Copper (Copper)
- Aluminum (Aluminum)
- Iron (Iron)
- Tin
- Lead (Lead)
- Nickel (Nickel)
- Silver (Silver)
- Gold (Gold)
- Zinc (Zinc)
- Steel
Environmental Impacts of Smelter Construction and How to Overcome Them
Like mining facilities in general, smelters are also not free from the emergence of pros and cons because they can result in several environmental impacts related to their construction. Mining smelters can have significant environmental impacts, especially if they are not managed properly. Some of the environmental impacts that can occur due to mining smelter operations include:
- Air Pollution
Fossil fuels or electricity used in smelters can produce gas emissions such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and fine particles. This air pollution can affect air quality, causing pollution.
- Water Pollution
The release of liquid waste containing heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into waters can pollute groundwater, rivers, lakes or seas, endangering aquatic organisms,
- Impact of Habitat and Biodiversity
Smelters also have the potential to disrupt the health of living creatures and ecosystems, and can also impact the food chain cycle, especially in the wild. This is because the construction of smelters often requires large areas of land, triggering deforestation or damage to natural habitats. This can threaten the sustainability of forest ecosystems and impact biodiversity.
However, these things can be overcome by seriously handling smelter waste by managing the waste properly. Starting from waste separation and purification, gas emission control, waste recycling, and so on.
Apart from that, environmental rehabilitation can also be carried out by means of soil restoration, revegetation, waste cleaning and long-term monitoring. This can be done with the aim of returning the land used to its original condition or at least a condition that can be well inhabited by wild plants and animals.