Environmental Sustainability Metrics for a Nickel Smelter

Abstract

An environmental sustainability metrics is developed for a potential start up nickel smelter. This is intended to enhance the sustainability of ferronickel production in terms of usage of resources and minimization of environmental burdens. The indicators include land use, laterite ore feed per ton of ferronickel product, fraction of laterite ore feed recovered by pelletizing, energy consumption, atmospheric acidification burden, global warming burden, and human health burden. Additional mitigating measures for the negative externalties are also proposed.