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Life Cycle Assessment Data


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Table R2 Class 1 Nickel Metal: Breakdown by Unit Process Stage
Revised 5 November 2003

 

Cradle-to-Gate LCA of 1 kg of Ni in Nickel Metal (99.3% Nickel wt.)
  Flow Units Class I Nickel Production TOTAL Mining Beneficiation Primary Extraction into Ni Metal Refining into Nickel Metal
Inputs: (r) Coal (in ground) kg 1.7 3% 5% 68% 24%
  (r) Iron (Fe, ore) kg 1.3 E-03 5% 8% 24% 64%
  (r) Limestone (CaCO3, in ground) kg 0.24 8% 5% 64% 24%
  (r) Natural Gas (in ground) kg 1.8 2% 1% 69% 28%
  (r) Nickel, in ground kg 1.9 44% 0% 56% 0%
  (r) Oil (in ground) kg 2.0 2% 2% 93% 4%
  (r) Uranium (U, ore) kg 3.6 E-05 2% 2% 32% 65%
  Net Water Used liter 1929 0.2% 0.4% 21% 79%
  Water: Public Network liter 187 0.1% 0.1% 3% 97%
  Water: River liter 953 0.2% 0.5% 25% 75%
  Water: Sea liter 5.7 0% 0% 100% 0%
  Water: Unspecified Origin liter 39 3% 2% 87% 8%
  Water: Well liter 745 0% 0.4% 16% 83%
Outputs: (a) Carbon Dioxide (CO2, fossil) g 13675 2% 3% 77% 18%
  (a) Carbon Monoxide (CO) g 37 5% 5% 74% 15%
  (a) Nitrogen Oxides (NOx as NO2) g 52 3% 2% 82% 12%
  (a) Nitrous Oxide (N2O) g 1.3 5% 2% 87% 7%
  (a) Particulates (unspecified) g 39 8% 3% 76% 13%
  (a) Sulfur Oxides (SOx as SO2) g 968 0.1% 0.4% 97% 3%
  (a) Methane (CH4) g 28 3% 3% 61% 33%
  (a) Hydrocarbons (except methane) g 13 2% 1% 86% 10%
  (a) Nickel (Ni) g 2.2 0% 0.2% 85% 15%
  (a) Chromium (Cr) g 1.8 E-03 3% 4% 73% 19%
  (a) Arsenic (As) g 0.45 26% 0% 74% 1%
  (a) Copper (Cu) g 0.48 0% 0.3% 98% 1%
  (a) Cobalt (Co) g 4.9 E-02 0% 0.8% 35% 64%
  (a) Zinc (Zn) g 8.1 E-02 11% 4% 85% 1%
  (a) Lead (Pb) g 0.28 0% 0.1% 75% 25%
  (a) Cadmium (Cd) g 3.0 E-03 0% 2% 95% 3%
  (a) Mercury (Hg) g 1.6 E-02 23% 0% 76% 1%
  (a) Silver (Ag) g 0.52 29%   71%  
  (a) Metals (unspecified) g 0.23 7% 12% 39% 41%
  (a) Ammonia g 5.7 10% 1% 28% 61%
  (a) Chloride (Cl2) g 0.35 0% 0% 1% 99%
  (a) Dioxins (unspecified) g 3.8 E-07 46% 0% 53% 0%
  (a) VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) g 2.2 8% 1% 81% 9%
  (a) Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) g 0.83 7% 8% 49% 36%
  (a) Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) g 6.9 E-05 10% 9% 26% 55%
  (a) Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) g 4.7 E-02 6% 5% 56% 34%
  (a) Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) g 2.7 E-02 6% 6% 65% 24%
  (a) Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4) g 17 0% 0% 100% 0%
  (w) BOD5 (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) g 1.7 1% 0.6% 95% 3%
  (w) COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) g 4.2 3% 2% 80% 15%
  (w) Sulfates (SO4-) g 77 0.1% 0.1% 84% 16%
  (w) Nitrogenous Matter (unspecified, as N) g 225 0% 45% 54% 0%
  (w) Phosphates (PO4 3-, HPO4--, H2PO4-, H3PO4, as P) g 1.1 E-02 0% 1% 33% 65%
  (w) TOCs (Total Organic Compounds) g 0.23 1% 1% 65% 33%
  (w) Arsenic, Total g 1.1 E-03 3% 20% 36% 41%
  (w) Arsenic, Dissolved g 4.2 E-05     73% 27%
  (w) Nickel, Total g 9.8 E-02 2% 19% 65% 14%
  (w) Nickel, Dissolved g 1.2 E-02     86% 14%
  (w) Copper, Total g 1.2 E-02 1% 29% 36% 33%
  (w) Copper, Dissolved g 2.5 E-04     16% 84%
  (w) Cobalt, Total g 8.5 E-03 1% 0.5% 78% 20%
  (w) Cobalt, Dissolved g 1.7 E-03     0.7% 99%
  (w) Zinc, Total g 1.0 E-03 9% 6% 28% 57%
  (w) Zinc, Dissolved g 7.3 E-04     64% 36%
  (w) Lead, Total g 3.8 E-02 21% 23% 51% 5%
  (w) Lead, Dissolved g 5.2 E-05     93% 7%
  (w) Mercury, Total g 7.5 E-05 9% 8% 29% 54%
  (w) Mercury, Dissolved g 1.8 E-05     91% 9%
  (w) Silver, Total g 1.6 E-05 1% 0.5% 80% 19%
  (w) Silver, Dissolved g 6.6 E-05     97% 3%
  (w) Cadmium, Total g 1.2 E-05 3% 0.9% 38% 58%
  (w) Cadmium, Dissolved g 1.6 E-05     93% 7%
  (w) Chromium, Total g 3.9 E-04 7% 7% 68% 17%
  (w) Chromium, Dissolved g 4.1 E-05     100%  
  (w) Dioxins g 5.4 E-05     100% 0%
  (w) Acids, Total g 1.9 E-02 3% 0.7% 23% 73%
  Solid Materials: Waste Rock and Backfill kg 72 24% 0.5% 75% 0.2%
  Solid Materials: Tailings and Other Process Residues kg 72 0.1% 8% 92% 0.3%
  Solid Materials: Other kg 1.1 17% 4% 63% 16%
Energy: Feedstock Energy MJ 41 2% 1% 82% 16%
  Fuel Energy MJ 198 2% 2% 72% 24%
  Non Renewable Energy MJ 219 2% 2% 75% 21%
  Renewable Energy MJ 18 2% 2% 54% 42%
  Total Primary Energy MJ 239 2% 2% 74% 22%
Potential Impacts: CML-Air Acidification g eq. H 33 0.3% 0.5% 96% 3%
  CML-Eutrophication g eq. PO4 104 0.4% 42% 56% 2%
  IPCC- Global Warming (direct, 100 years) g eq. CO2 14683 2% 3% 77% 18%
  WMO-Photochemical oxidant formation (average) g eq. ethylene 6.6 3% 1.1% 85% 11%
  EB(R*Y)-Depletion of non renewable resources yr-1 111 44.2% 0.0% 56% 0%
  Note: 0% means a value less than 0.1%
  Blank cells mean no value at all.

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