Xstrata Copper North Queensland.pdf - Mount Isa Mines

Environmental performance
Emissions
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines is committed
to a process of continuous proactive
environmental improvement. Emissions
monitoring, control and impact reduction
strategies are a major component of
environmental management.
In July 2007, Xstrata Mount Isa Mines
established the Smelter Emissions Project to
assess the feasibility to further improve the
capture and treatment of emissions from the
lead and copper smelters. In 2010, Xstrata
invested in excess of $8.7 million on a range
of initiatives to limit emissions as part of
this project.
Lee Kingdom – Air Quality Controller, analyses wind and weather data received from a doppler radar
At Xstrata Mount Isa Mines we have a
comprehensive SO 2 and dust monitoring
network to measure and manage the impact
of emissions on the community.
The Air Quality Control (AQC) monitors
10 SO 2 real-time monitoring stations located
in the community to ensure that the smelters
operate within accepted regulatory limits.
These in turn direct operations at our Mount
Isa copper and lead smelters and Incitec
Pivot’s acid plant. No Mount Isa resident lives
more than 1,200 metres from one of the
real-time SO 2 monitors.
There are also five high-volume dust samplers
located throughout the community to
monitor levels of respirable lead, cadmium
and arsenic in the air. These high-volume
dust samplers collect samples of PM 10 and
PM 2.5 ; that is, particulate matter less than 10
and 2.5 microns in size respectively, which are
then analysed at an external laboratory. Refer
to the map on page 91 for monitor location.
Xstrata’s air quality monitoring system
provides data which indicates that
ambient 90-day average lead-in-air (PM 10 )
concentrations in Mount Isa remained lower
than the Mount Isa Mines Limited Agreement
Act 1985 air standard during 2010. Ambient
lead-in-air (PM 10 ) concentration data for
2006–10 is shown in the graph on
this page.
Dust generation is controlled primarily by
regularly watering unsealed roads, keeping
vehicle traffic volumes and speeds to a
minimum and planning blasting to coincide
with favourable weather conditions. Dust
suppressant additives are also used at our
operations and a road sweeper is used to
maintain reduced levels of dust on the sealed
road areas.
Annual sulphur dioxide (SO 2 )
emissions
The annual average ground level SO 2
concentration was recorded as 16 micrograms
per cubic metre (µg/m 3 ) in 2010 which has
remained consistent with the 2009 average,
and is an improvement on the 2008 average
of 26 µg/m 3 . The 2010 result is well below
the Mount Isa Mines Limited Agreement
Act’s required level of 80 µg/m 3 .
Westerly winds have a significant impact
on our Mount Isa operations. In 2010, the
Mount Isa Mines AQC restricted copper
smelter operations (including complete and
partial shutdowns) for 889 hours, compared
to 931 hours during 2009.
Ambient PM 10 lead-in-air 90 day average
concentrations for monitored sites
µg/m 3
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Mount Isa Mines Limited Agreement Act level
Monitoring Locations
RSL
Miles St
BSD
Racecourse
Kruttschnitt Oval
The copper smelter recorded SO 2 emissions
of 43,600 tonnes in the 2009–10 National
Pollutant Inventory reporting year. The
copper smelter has achieved a 487,000 tonne
(92%) decrease on SO 2 emissions (from
530,600 tonnes) since the acid plant was
introduced in 2000.
National Pollutant Inventory (NPI)
The NPI is an initiative of the Federal
Department of Environment, Water,
Heritage and the Arts. The online database
contains information relating to the
emission of 93 substances from industrial
facilities and diffuse (non-industrial) sources
across Australia.
Annual* sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) emissions –
Mount Isa Mines copper operations
‘000s tonnes
240
200
160
120
80
40
0
130
122
117^
134
44**
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
* NationalPollutantInventory(NPI)reportingyear
was1July2009–30June2010.
**PleaserefertotheNationalPollutantInventory
(NPI) commentaryonthispageandpage91for
anexplanationonthedecreaseinemissionsfrom
2009to2010.
^ The2008figurehasbeenrestatedfrom129to117
tocorrectapreviouserror.
90 XSTRATA COPPER NORTH QUEENSLAND